help! 1.8 16v oil alarm buzzer coming on as soon as revs hit 2.5k

[g0ldf1ng3r 13]

hi all

 

after some advice for my valver, its a 1990 1.8 16v

 

i changed both oil pressure sensors last week due to finding the front one leaking oil out of the top of it, i did both as they were only a few £'s each

 

that seemed to fix my oil leak but when i took it for a run to confirm my oil alarm buzzer kept coming on. off & on with ignition silenced it briefly but then came on again. however i managed to figure if i kept revs low it stayed off

 

i then tested later once cold & under no load, ie stationary, & each time the revs hit 2.5k the oil buzzer goes off

 

i have an idea that this may be indicating the oil feed is starved & not sufficient as revs climb above 2.5k which could point to the sump oil pump not working correctly

 

can anyone help point me in the right direction pls?

 

thanks muchly

[Geeba 0]

Hmmmmm that does sound like a lazy pump.... or maybe a dodgy sender?

 

Definitely get it checked out thou before going to far... low oil pressure will wipe an engine out.

[g0ldf1ng3r 13]

Hmmmmm that does sound like a lazy pump.... or maybe a dodgy sender?

 

Definitely get it checked out thou before going to far... low oil pressure will wipe an engine out.

 

ive changed both oil pressure sensors for new ones so hopefully the 'system' is now working as it should but also alarming to say something is not right

 

ive not driven it since limping home

 

i recall Vince saying that with the VR if the oil feed is not sufficient when engine is cold it will/should cut out when revs hit 3k, as that was his reasoning for my VR needing a new sump pump at the time

 

if it is sump pump, does anyone know if they are easy to change?

 

ive checked bentley manual but it only shows the system for G60 & doesnt cover the 16v specific only 8v, though i imagine the bottom end is almost the same

[Geeba 0]

I've done an 8v GTI before... really easy.. undo the sump bolts, juggle sump out of the way, pump has 2 or 3 bolts holding it in place, swap it over and reassemble with a new gasket.

 

I even did big end bearings with the off. ;)

[g0ldf1ng3r 13]

I've done an 8v GTI before... really easy.. undo the sump bolts, juggle sump out of the way, pump has 2 or 3 bolts holding it in place, swap it over and reassemble with a new gasket.

 

I even did big end bearings with the off. ;)

 

cool, thank you geeba

 

what you describe is kinda what i had figured from the diagram in the bentley - sounds very do-able on the drive

 

will ring the motor factors & get a price for a pump & sump gasket - is there anything else i may need or be worth checking while the sump is off?

 

i guess as i will have to drop the oil i may as well change it & also the plugs & air filter for a quick service

[Wullie 1]

Was the buzzer going off before you changed the sensors? I have a little worm in my head muttering that this may happen if the sensors are swopped over while changing them but it may be just me. In view of the cost I would be tempted to go back to where you purchased the sensors and try different replacements in case one of the originals was faulty. If that works you shouldn't have to pay for the originals.

 

Better than replacing the pump and gasket then finding out it's not that.

[g0ldf1ng3r 13]

Was the buzzer going off before you changed the sensors? I have a little worm in my head muttering that this may happen if the sensors are swopped over while changing them but it may be just me. In view of the cost I would be tempted to go back to where you purchased the sensors and try different replacements in case one of the originals was faulty. If that works you shouldn't have to pay for the originals.

 

Better than replacing the pump and gasket then finding out it's not that.

 

thanks for the input wullie

 

the answer is yes & no - due to the oil buzzer alarm going off occasionally in the past few months. however, as it nearly always stayed quiet after turning ignition off & back on i thought it was false alarming.

 

i had also not previously noticed a regular pattern - which i do now. whereas before it seemed to alarm randomly it now triggers as soon as revs hit 2.5k, both when engine cold or hot

 

i replaced the oil pressure sensors one at a time & on different days so they are definitely both in the right place, as opposed to me swapping them over by mistake

 

unfortunately i binned the old sensors i removed but the white topped one was p**sing oil out of the top of it so must have been faulty

 

i am wondering if the leaking sensor was distorting things & not letting the alarm go off when it should have been

 

however, if it has been starving the engine of oil for those months i would have expected a bigger problem

[g0ldf1ng3r 13]

just spoke with my mechanic - his thoughts were along those of wullie, that one of the new sensors is of the wrong type & a different pressure

 

he also agreed that if it was a mechanical issue i would have likely got worse symptoms by now

 

hope i can find the old black sensor in the bin but think the bin men will have the white one as it was bin day on thurs

 

off to VW to check what pressure they should both be

[Jim 1]

Where did you buy the sensors from? VW?

[VEEDUBBED 0]

How about just rigging up a mechanical oil press gauge?

I've got a load of low/high press. Senders in a bucket, if you want, I could post you two over mate.

[swiftkid 1]

When I was doing an abf conversion on my mates mk1 golf I read somewhere that the buzzer won't go off at all until 2.5k, seems to ring true as I think there's a sensor on wrong so buzzer is always going off but fine until 2.5k

 

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[g0ldf1ng3r 13]

thanks for the replies

 

im going to remove the new white sensor & check if it says what pressure it is - the one i removed was collected by the bin men so likely have to ring VW to check what the system says it should be

 

i do have the old black one but dont think it is that as the alarm started after i changed the white one

[g0ldf1ng3r 13]

spoke to Heritage - they checked EKTA & said the white one should be 1.8bar

 

will whip the new one off when get home & check it - fingers crossed it is a different pressure

[g0ldf1ng3r 13]

further digging, as it was too dark to remove the one fitted

 

the switch from the motor factors is listed as 1.53-1.93 bar

 

Heritage were superb & went to the lengths of physically picked the switch from their stock & checked what was stamped on it, as their system just showed it should be 1.8 bar, & their switch is rated as 1.8-2.0 bar

 

thus ordered the Heritage one as i believe the motor factors switch is causing the alarm due to the lower pressure being too low - well, that is the theory so fingers crossed

[STU175 0]

ive had problems in the past with being supplied the wrong senders and setting off buzzers.

also worth checking the block has a good earth as this can set off buzzers too....

gave up and ordered genuine vw no problems since.

[g60podd 10]

This was the test I carried out on mine and I also checked oil pressure which I now believe to be the issue.

 

 

A. To test the high pressure sensor circuit and wiring (sensor for this is on the oil filter housing):

 

1. Disconnect the wire to the high pressure sensor on the filter housing and let it float (un-connected).

2. The oil buzzer should now come on and indicator will flash when the van engine speed is above 2000 RPM.

3. Now connect the yellow wire to ground and rev the engine past 2000 RPM… the buzzer should not sound at all.

4. If you fail either of these tests you have sensor issues, wiring, alternator wiring, or instrument cluster issues.

 

To test the sensor itself:

A test light between the sensor and the positive battery terminal should be 'off' at warm idle and come 'on' as you rev to 1800-2k RPM, if the sensor on the flange is working properly. If the buzzer still sounds with the wire to the sensor grounded the problem is most likely the wiring to the instrument cluster.

 

B. To test the low pressure sensor (sensor for this is on the cylinder head):

 

1. Disconnect the wire to the sensor and leave it float.

2. Connect a test light between +12V batt and the sensor.

2. Start the van and leave it idle - the light should go off - if it doesn't the you have a faulty sensor.

3. If it does and the oil light is still flashing then you have either a wiring fault or the engine speed signal from the alternator is missing.

 

So, the long and short is:

 

A flashing oil light, on its own at engine speeds of

 

 

 

A flashing oil light and buzzer are both a function of the high-pressure sensor on the filter housing. If this is happening you should look at the high pressure sensor and associated wiring

 

 

 

The high pressure sensor on the oil filter flange is only monitored when the engine is running at or over 1800-2000 RPM.

 

 

 

A flashing oil light at all engine speeds (and without buzzer above 2k RPM) is indicative of a missing engine speed signal (alternator 'w' terminal) - check to make sure that the instrument cluster is getting the correct engine speed signal from the w terminal of the alternator

John

 

 

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