Oil Pressure Problems - Any ideas

[Mk2 Nut]

Hi all, first time poster here,  I've recently bought a Mk2 GTi 16v.  The oil pressure light on the dash is lit, not constant, seems to flash and when I'm slowing up to lights or if the clutch is in the light goes off.  I've change the oil and the level seems fine, I've also added a new filter.  There are no obvious leaks so I'm struggling.

Any thoughts, help would be much appreciated

[Uku]

either the oil pressure switch is faulty , or youve got an oil pump thats on its way out , did it do this before you changed the oil?

[J.stafford16v]

Has your car always had regular oil changes? Cause sometimes the oil pumps filter gets blocked with a transparent film and this might be the cause of your problem. But need to get sorted soon bad pressure can kill an engine, make sure you have a vag oil filter aswell.

[Mk2 Nut]

I had my suspicions.  Just bought the car and it seems to have had regular services.  Not been driving it much, think I'm going to send it in for an engine reset so I'll get it checked when the diagnostic check is being done.

Cheers for your help mate. 

[Agreeable Slick]

mk2 do not have diagnostic ports. So there will be no such thing as a "engine reset"

They could unplug your ecu for half an hour i guess, then if anything goes wrong offer to fix it a double the market value.

[GaGti]

I have the same problem with my oil light..its been like it since ive bought the car..It seems to only come on when the car is stationary or im doing low speeds e.g 30mph but if im motorway driving its fine..im guessing its the cool air cooling the engine down...neway, you said about the oil pump, do you think its worth changing it? Ive changed the oil and the filter and still no result...any ideas would be great

[Uku]

aye id suspect the oil pumps on the way out , how hot does the oil get on the mfa when your stuck in traffic etc , if its going way past 100'c then i suggest you replace the pump or find the cause of the lost pressure.

[GaGti]

I couldnt tell you how hot it gets because my MFA has stopped working Its stuck on the same numbers...Ill give the oil pump a go though..and hope it will solve the problem...thanks 

[Agreeable Slick]

Take the sump off, clean the oil pickup pipes.

Can almost guarentee that it will cure the problem.

[rubjonny]

always worth replacing both the oil pressure sensors before you do anything else, from the symptoms it sounds like the black/brown low pressure sensor with the blue wire is at fault.  Check the wiring for damage, and the oil pressure warning control board in the clocks can sometimes be faulty also.

If the oil pump was on the way out you would get the oil pressure warning light and a buzzer sound over 2k rpm, the white sensor with the yellow wire is reponsible for this. To test its working disconnect the yellow wire and rev the engine over 2k.  If the buzzer comes on that means the high pressure warning switch is working and that your oil pump is probably fine.