Help!!! Oil pressure light/buzzer going off??!

[lisab30]

Hi can any1 help me??

I've got a mk3 2.0 gti on r reg. Had her over a year and I love her she is my baby .
She has just had her annual service and 3 days after that my oil pressure light started to buzz and flash? She isn't doing it all the time just when she is cold and not everyday??
Is this to do with the service and oil change filter changes etc or something else??
Oil pressure switches were changed this time last year I have been to try and get new switches however there are 5 to choose from and I'm puzzled??

Is this just one of them daft little things or is my baby ill?? Please help me :'''(
thanx lisa x

[Christo77]

Hi there,  First thing i'd do is go and look at your oil dipstick and check the oil level.. then providing that's ok i'd run the engine and carefully remove the oil filler cap just a little and see if oil is getting to the top of the engine..
If that's all ok and the engine seems to run and warm up as it should do normally then i'd suspect the oil pressure switch next thing to look at..

Hope that's a help to begin with..

Christo

[Wayne]

Could be down to a blocked pick up pipe on the oil pump.

[boneybradley]

there is 2 oil pressure switches fitted to these (1 that works under 2000rpm and another for above)

were both switches changed? Is the oil topped up correctly? Is it leaking anywhere (check filter and sump plug etc)

[lisab30]

Hi guys thanx

Ryt I've checked the dipstik it's perfect and also oil is gettin in the top of the engine. The car warms up normally and is running normally??
And as for the oil pressure switches themselves yes they were both changed last year to do with a different problem??

When the light- buzzer comes on I read the manual the first time and it said to either try slowing down or speed up? So me being me sped up a bit and it went off straight away? But now this does not work so I'm switching the engine off for a few minutes then starting up again? Once I've done this all seems to be well? And she (gerty the car lol) doesn't seem to do it again that day? And this doesn't seem to happen everyday when she reaches her normal temp she doesn't do it at all?

Thanx 4 ur help much appreciated

[Christo77]

Speeding up/slowing down when the oil light is on..?   I don't know about that..If my oil light came on i'd stop and investigate right away!

If your oil level is low or badly degraded you could be getting intermitent readings..

Think about some obvious things for the moment.. are there any tell tale signs like oil leaks? that is looking in the engine compartment and underneath the car..
Any hot burning smells?
Is the temperature guage behaving normally?
When was the oil and filter last changed?

If you can count out those then it could still be an oil pressure switch/faulty/connection etc..

There's others things like engine breathers that could be checked for blockages but only if it proves to be none of the points mentioned then you might be looking at something more serious..Possibly oil pump and/or pickup as said by Wayne.. before that though you need to eliminate the above really..

See how you get on,


Christo

[lisab30]

There are no visable oil leaks anywhere there is not a hot oil or burning oil kind of smell either? The temperature and everything else about the car is normal? She drives the same as always the oil filter etc was all changed during a service 3 days before this started happening which was last week? I'm changing the pressure switches and there connections tomorrow so watch this space!!

[Christo77]

Oh well then..it's probably a dodgy switch or connection..I had a similar problem with a Mk2, oil light coming on when all else seemed ok.. was a pattern part pressure switch causing the problem..so, perhaps get a genuine switch from your VW dealer to be doubly sure.
These engines rarely go wrong on a seriously mechanical basis.. I've never seen a GTI smoking..not even a 30 year old Mk1!  

Hopefully your sorted,


Christo

[lisab30]

Ryt here's summit? I've been doin a bit of an experiment today while the car was cold I drove it under 2000 revs till she reached her normal temp an no oil flishy flashy malarky? Then took her home let her cool ryt down took her out again and drove normally goin over 2000 revs an straight away flashing lights? So I take it that points to one oil pressure switch in particular ??

[Christo77]

Hi again,  Well yes..according to BoneyBradley there's two switches..it would seem that the one for above 2000rpm may be the culprit..at least that's the obvious thing to do next, replace the switch.

If it was me i'd be down to my VW dealer, give them the details, your car REG will let them identify the right parts for you..


Christo