Oil light, after change. Plenty of oil. Oil Pump?

Hi All,

Jetta 2004 TDI PD

I had an oil light 2 days ago. I stopped and checked, it was low. I topped it up again and went on. Just as i got home yesterday it was on again. I changed the oil. Knowing that I put in the right amount of oil I was suprised to see the oil light come on again.

The car as never used oil, the spare can in the trunk was there for years and i check everything regularly. The filter was replaced and i'm going to check to be sure its in right and double check the part #.

If I start the car and wait to see the oil light I can turn it off and check the level. With the dip stick, It is low but soon builds back up to the full line. So i don't think the oil pump filter screen could be blocked. It seems there must be trouble with the pump or some blockage else where thats causing oil not to return to the pan.

I've got to drive back across the island today so i'm fingers crossed that its the oil filter. But i'm dam sure I put on right and that wouldn't explain the oil light before the oil change.

If you have any experence with this please let me know how you fixed it.

Chris

PS: I use an oil extractor, could i have hit something with the hose?

unlikely it's the pump. I have read on this forum about filters installed upside down causing an oil light. I think your model has an oil level sensor in the pan. I would try to rule that out as the cause.

I have read conjecture that a momentary oil light for a few seconds after start could be caused by a non-working anti-drainback feature, which could be caused by an oil filter installed improperly or bad from the factory.

His write up is ambiguous, but it seemed he was talking about it being on after running for a while, not just immediately after startup.

I had a problem due to flakes of oil varnish (on a Ford V-8) apparently due to one piston running hot. The flakes almost completely blocked the oil pickup screen. Oil pressure was ok at idle but dropped as RPM increased. The flakes could be easily crushed with your finger, and I may have been able to dissolve them in place. But I didn't figure out what was going on until too late. I already had the engine out. (It was actually easier to do this than remove the pan in place.)

If it was on at idle and cleared at speed, I might risk driving it back. If it is the other way - comes on at speed - I would not risk driving it.

Can you hear abnormal clatter at idle? Lifters collapsed due to lack of oil pressure?

Oil pressure issues scare me badly. It may be only indication issues, or it may be a spun bearing, casting fault allowing bypass, bad pump, clogged pickup, failed open pressure control valve...

I think it is normal for oil levels to be a bit low immediately after shutdown. I wait at least 5 minutes to check it just because of this.

Anyone know how to check oil pressure easily? visible squirts out of the cam anywhere, or something like that?

I don't remember reading about a low oil level sensor on my 2005 PD.

DanG

Oil light

Any CEL codes? Oil pressure sensor could be bad.

__. Chris, one of the hallmarks of driving VW's for the past 30 years has been flakey oil light sensors (but we're better off now than the "Rabbit" gassers of the late '70's -- they'd crack and throw all your oil under the car and the engine would seize before your light came on).

__. Your symptoms sound a little different from a faulty sensor, but it's a chance that's what it is. I'm also worried that it started soon after a maintenance procedure but that could be coincidence. There's also a chance (I guess - never heard of it on a VW but I have on lower-tech engines) that there's an air bubble caught in the oil system somewhere but that should bleed itself out over time (very low probability, though). The real kicker in this situation is that if it's a sensor, it will do no damage at all to drive your car -- if it's NOT the sensor and it's a real oil/oil pump/blockage problem, you can totally wreck your engine.

__. The oil filter should go in with the words "OBEN - TOP" visible as it sits in the canister. The first thing I'd do is open the canister and have a look for that.

Chris- describe for us in more detail when the light comes on, when it stays on.
Most of the oil pressure is created by the crank and rod bearings, the pump throws oil to the upper portions of the motor.

Hi Guys,

"fingers crossed that its the oil filter. But I'm dam sure I put on right"

I'm an idiot, filter it was. Talk about being nervous over oil! All this stuff Ive been reading about oil quality and engine life made me quick on the draw for posting. Sorry, but I sure was happy to see it all back to normal. Changed the filter with another new one and no prob. Made the 350km's with no issue.

Thanks for the replies, hopefully someone will read this and save themselves a minor heart attack if this happens to them!

Chris