1.8t oil light

[sebco]

Hi guys, i have read various threads on this but i am not convinced it is the oil pump. I have a 2001 1.8t sport passat the other day at about 80 mph the oil light came on along with the message "oil pressure stop" for about 5 seconds and went off again, i stopped and checked the oil level which i was sure was ok anyway, no problem, about 5 minutes after setting off again i got the same warning, again for about 5 seconds but this time i was only doing about 60 mph, it hasn't done it again which is why i don't think it is the oil pump, being mechanical it is either broken or it's not, i seem to remember reading somewhere that the vvt is controlled by oil pressure and can cause similar symptoms if it develops a fault which brings me on to the other things that seem to be occuring since the light came on there is what can best be described as a buzzing sound from the back of the head at arround 2500 - 3000 rpm just for a second or two as you pass through the rev range, only does it under load can't be replicated just by reving the engine and the engine seems to have lost some performance it feels as if it is hesitatating i had a new air mass sensor at the last service 3000 miles ago and the symptoms for that were similar also the tick over has become arratic at times and it won't always start first time when hot, phew i think thats it sorry, lol it has done 73,500 has full vw and specialist service history and my dealer says they can find nothing wrong, any suggestions gratefully recieved. Nige.

[scotty33]

I don't know about the VVT setup at all, but my brother's A4 had intermittent oil pressure alarms. He did some reading up and found that it is common for the sump to accumulate carbon/sludge deposits. The solution is to take sump off, clean the muck out, clean oil pick up pipe, and replace the turbo drain line, which is the source of said muck!
His car was suffering from slightly noisy hydraulic tappets and had done 90k with fsh.

[Col]

Agree with Scotty.

[sebco]

Thanks for your info guys, our local specialist suggested something similar yesterday only he wants to use a flushing oil and change over to fully synthetic and then flush it again at the next service approx 5000 miles away, he doesn't think it's to bad as the light didn't stay on and hasn't done it in over a week now, thanks again.

[herby0001]

See post #5 and #6 in this thread:

http://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum//showthread.php?t=7845

BigCol sounds like a knowledgable guy and advises against additives / flushing agents though I've also read in other threads that the engine flushing agents (that basically thins the oil to help it drain) help remove gunk in the oil pipes that feed the tappets. Jury is out, I guess.

http://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=12108

[sebco]

yes i've read that too Herby, but this guy is talking about a proper flushing oil not just an additive, you drain the engine then put this stuff in instead of the normal oil, run the engine for a specified period then drop it out and do a normal oil change he says all turbo motors should be run on fully synthetic as they don't break down like mineral oils hence the sludge as you say jury's out i will let you know after tomorrow if there is any difference. Nige.

[sebco]

Well so far so good, engined flushed out and vw fully synthetic oil in place, have done about 300 miles since and the difference is amazing, engine is quieter and smoother than it was, not that it was noisy to start with, but you can tell when you drive it everyday. also oil is still clean whereas with semi it would have been black after a couple of days, i'm going to have it flushed at the next service just to be sure the sludge has gone but fingers crossed, thanks to those that replied, will keep you all posted. Nige.

[Col]

I think if I were faced with the situation you are in, rather than drop the sump, I would indeed flush it first.

My personal preference is never to ordinarily use flushing oil or a flushing additive as if you adequately maintain and service your car, it should be needed.

The oil sludging issue on the 1.8 engine is probably the best advert ever to certainly ditch long life serving and consider reducing anyones oil change frequency if they are 10000 intervals to 5000 miles.

Glad it has worked for you.

[calum]

You didn't use synthetic oil :confused: in a turbo charged car , no wonder it has sludge !

Calum.

[sebco]

as used by vw main dealers and as recomended in the owners manual must be nobody took the trouble to tell them.....

[dc1]

I did the same, but you will properly get the fault back in the near future this flushing helps unstick the pressure reg on the oil pump (it starts to stick with age), but it's more of a design fault that is intermittant and worsens with age, not as clear cut as broke or not broke.

[sebco]

that sounds a reasonable explanation it's been running fine for the last few weeks,i do about 500 miles a week and where before it would use a litre of oil every 2000 miles or so since i put the synthetic in it hasn't used as drop and the oil isn't black yet either,the mechanic did find the pressure switch was sludged up when i first took it in with the problem, think i will just have to off load it before it happens again, go back to saab i think, never had a problem in 10 years of running saab turbo engines my last one had 184,000 on the clock when i let it go,thanks for the reply.

[calum]

Hi Sebco,
if the dealer has been doing your services using dino oil , I would be seeking compensation from them.It is their duty to know which oil to put in which car / engine.The oil sludge problem was caused by not using the correct oil and also they used a smaller oil filter for a few years which also contributed to the problem.The dealer will now only use the larger size filter , but I bet there are still some dealers using dino oil or even semi synthetic which is still not up to the job !I would be contacting the dealer post haste,nothing vetured nothing gained ! I do know that some people haave been sucessfull on www.passatworld.com (http://www.passatworld.com) as regards the sludge problem ,i.e NEW engine at V.W's expense.Good luck with your car , how do you like the Saabs since they started using vauxhall under pinnings ? Calum.

[sebco]

Hi Calum, thanks for the reply, i appreciate what you are saying but as i have only had the car for the last 18 months when it had done 48,000 i can't prove what oil was used before i had it. It was on the long life oil when i first got it and the first service i had done i changed it back to standard service intervals and obviously semi oil, i will drop a few hints about compensation next time i go in and see what responce i get. when vauxhall took over saab quality dropped like a stone and the original 5.3 was only a re-badged vectra and seriously rubbish, that was when i changed to vw however saab are now more in control of their own r & d again and as such the new 5.3 aero sport in particular is a cracking car and i am very tempted to try one, my saabs were all pre vauxhall 9000 turbo's and seriously they ran on castrol gtx and never ever had any problems. Nige.

[calum]

Does the car have any service history , if not you can ask vw to search for the records and find out which branch did the servicing( this may carry a small surcharge to cover admin ).If it's on long service as you said , then it's probably only had three maybe four oil changes in 48,000 miles.I think you have vw over a barrel once you have the service history you need (if indeed they did use dino oil) I don't think you will have any more trouble as regards sludge ,This would mainly be due to the long service , plus the car has a small sump and they also used a tiny oil filter which exacerbated the problem ,don't drop subtle hints to vw ,go in with all guns blazing (once you have the proof you need of course)good luck with this, Calum.

[sebco]

yes it has full history from new and it is a local car so i know the dealers concerned i will have a go and see what happens your right it only had 3 or 4 services before i got it so shouldn't take much tracing thanks again Calum. Nige.

[calum]

Me again ,You have vw by the preverbial short and curlies .Your car has full service history , by the main dealer , and the engine has sludged.Go to town with them .I think you could get a brand new engine out of this excluding the ancillaries.The person on passatworld had his engine replaced all that he was charged for were any coolant hoses and such like ,the reason for this was they didn't want another claim for an new engine because of an old coolant hose bursting. Calum.

[CherryB]

Hi there. I had a similar thing with my previous passat. it was a 30V v6 petrol unit and, for no reason, the oil pressure light and warning gong sounded intermittently. I initially thought that the oil being used was a bit on the thin side ( it seemed a bit watery) but after a little thought, changed the oil pressure switch on the oil filter housing........ and it stopped. Seemed fine after that.

[calum]

CherryB , it's well known for the 1.8t engine to sludge , whereas the v6 does not suffer from this problem.It doesn't suffer from heat soak as it doesn't have a turbo.Oil choice and change intervals are crucial for the turbo engine ,it has to be fully synthetic and changed every 5000 miles it must also conform to the VAG 502.00 and 505.00 specs.
The v6 is a different case altogether , the oil doesn't have to be fully synthetic and can be left in a little longer , although there are v6 owners who prefer to use the same as the 1.8t and the same change intervals , each to their own.

Calum.

[sebco]

well dc1 you were quite right traveling to work this morning and the oil light comes on again aaaaagh! only for 10 seconds or so and then went off and didn't return for the rest of the journey, i must admit to not being convinced that the oil pressure is low surely an engine with 3500 revs on the clock would rattle with a sudden loss of oul pressure, but it didn't just stayed as smooth as ever, anyhow i'm totally peed off now just going to drive it and if it goes bang so be it not spending any more money on the heap.

[sebco]

Hi everyone again, finally bit the bullet and had a new oil pump fitted with the last oil service, a very reasonable £220 including oil service, with our local specialist, (smart vw at newark) what he found was almost exactly as described on here the pick up pipe was badly clogged with sludge but also the plastic tray in the bottom of the sump had MELTED and broken up !!!!! anyway new pump,pick up pipe and whatever the plastic tray is and it runs a dream again, just shows you guys know about your engines thanks for all your comments guys. Nige.

[sebco]

Hi to you all, back again, new problem but i suspect related to the oil pump issue i am now getting a rattle from the cam followers between 2 and 3000 rpm just as you put your foot on the gas very noticable when in traffic or in town but fine at cruising speed the only other time it does it is when the engine is cranked over to start obviously stops when the oil gets round never does it at any other rpm and it is loud almost more of knock than a rattle but i am told it is the oil draining out of the follower and the rattle is obviously due to the gap opening up between the cam and follower, anyway question is will it cost another arm and leg i'm down to my last ones or is there an easy fix, come to that has anyone had the problem before, i'm told the cam and followers should do 200k easy mine are at 85k, cheers Nige.:confused: