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Date:         Fri, 18 Sep 1998 12:20:01 -0400
Reply-To:     wbarker@NOTES.CC.BELLCORE.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Wil Barker <wbarker@NOTES.CC.BELLCORE.COM>
Subject:      Re: Flickering Oil Light, for EVERYONE TO KNOW.
Comments: To: Vanagon@VANAGON.COM
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII

I the exact same problem with my '85 Westy.

After being on the hiway for a while, at high RPM, I would come off the gas for an exit and the oil light would start to flicker. It would go away when I brought the RPMs back up.

My mechanic told me it was low oil pressure, due to my engines age and wear (150K mi). He recomended using 20W50 oil (thicker) instead of the standard 10W40 oil. That worked.

- Wil

In a message dated 9/17/98 10:25:29 AM Pacific Daylight Time, vlach@cobweb.net writes: << I have a 1987 Vanagon Syncro with 150K miles. I'm looking for info from anyone who may have experienced or heard of something similar to, what I am experiencing. After driving any significant distance at high RPM, when downshifting, the oil light & buzzer turn on. This may last 30 to 60 seconds (or so) and then they turn off. It happened occasionally at first (beginning almost 2 years ago), but now occurs much more frequently. My mechanic explained some things to me and believes it may be related to the natural course of aging/engine wear and suggests switching to 10W-40 oil as a first try. Have you heard of this? Is it problem? I am aware of the vanagon e-mail list and was a subscriber for a short while. I became overwhelmed with the amount of e-mail I was receiving. I was trying to get this message request out there to the subscribers (because there are apparently so many out there), but I have not been successful in my attempt. I received some kind of error message from the list people, but don't even understand it. HELP! Is there any way you can forward this to the vanagon list subscribers? No big deal, but if you can I'd certainly appreciate it. Thanks vlach@cobweb.net >> A proper oil psi test needs to be performed on your vehicle, and there's only one way to do it. It's best that you have two vw oil psi testers or simillar. Remove the water pump pulley to access the .9 bar (13 lb) oil psi switch and install gauge. Remove the left cylinder head heat sheild and install gauge also, the .15 bar switch ( 2 lb ) is there. Install test lights to each gauge. Run car for half an hour. At the .9 switch you should never see less than .9 bar at 2000 RPM or higher with test light on at .9 bar or higher, at the .15 bar switch the test light should go off right away when the engine is started, just like the oil light in the instrument cluster. A another way if you don't have the expensive gauges is too follow the brown wire from the .9 bar switch up to the connector on the left front of the engine area and install a test light to the connector. One end of the test light needs to go to hot, like the back of the alternator. The other end probe into the back of the connector I just mentioned. Start engine and run for a while as stated before, turn off motor, restart motor and IDLE ONLY. If the oil light turns off right away then you know the .15 bar switch is good. Now the other curcuit, the .9 bar curcuit, with engine running slowly increase the RPM, your test light should be coming on at about 1500 RPM hopefully. What's important is that it's coming on before 2000 RPM because the controll unit want to see a GROUND on the .9 bar curcuit at 2000 RPM or higher. If your test light is coming on before 2000 RPM and the oil light and buzzer is coming on after 2000 RPM, than you need to check the .9 wire curcuit to the instrument cluster. If all good than you need a new control unit . If your test light doesn't come on before 2000 RPM replace the .9 bar switch, make sure it's a .9 bar switch. Repeat above test. If it still doesn't come on before 2000 RPM, then you have a oil psi problem, like a oil pump or a worn motor. Let us know what happens. Michael Modl 87 syncro 87 quattro


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