Help! Low oil pressure light....

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Wed 28 Mar 2001 14:15
Help! Low oil pressure light.... - Mark
In the last day my low oil pressure light has started occasionally coming on, only for a fraction of a second at a time. It happens at speed so it's rather worrying me. The oil levels fine as I checked that, is there an easy way I can check the oil pumps working alright? Or could it just be a dodgy sensor? I would have thought that if the pump was going/gone that the light would stay on.

Any advice gratefully received as I can't afford to knacker, or be without, my car!

BTW its a Audi 80 4 cylinder carbuerreted 1.8L, 1988

Thanks in advance.

Mark
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Wed 28 Mar 2001 15:37
Re: Help! Low oil pressure light.... - Andrew Moorey (Tune-Up Ltd.)
Possibly a dodgy sensor or a sludged up oil pickup strainer. Are you sure it is the LOW pressure light? Some VAG models also had a HIGH pressure light???!!!. This could show up a sticking or binding pressure release valve.
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Thu 29 Mar 2001 09:50
Re: Help! Low oil pressure light.... - Mark
Yes, it is the low pressure light, the same one that lights before the engine is started. It's so intermittent (it didn't happen on the way home last night or in this morning). And it's only happened about 4/5 times, I'll investigate the sensor and hope it's just a loose wire or something.

Thanks for your help Andrew and Richard.

Mark
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Thu 29 Mar 2001 00:16
Re: Help! Low oil pressure light.... - richard turpin
Take off the oil filler cap when the engine is running and see if oil is flowing up top. If it is, the pump is working so look to the sensor.
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Sat 31 Mar 2001 11:55
Re: Help! Low oil pressure light.... - Marcus
We had the same problem on a 1988 Polo some years ago - It was the sensor that was faulty, it screws into the block near the top, a buzzer also sounded . It had 55000 miles on it then and it has 135000 now so there can't have been anything wrong with the engine !

Also on this car - watch the Vacuum hose to the Brake servo, this can wear against other parts and become holed, his will cause te engine to run roughly.
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Mon 2 Apr 2001 09:09
Re: Help! Low oil pressure light.... - Mark
I've found the sensor (it's under the oil filter on this engine) and noticed a little puddle of oil collected on the engine mount just below it, so looks like a new switch and washer.

Cheers,
Mark
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