help me pleaseee oil light

[maggiemilner]

hi all , 

bought a skoda fabia 1.4mpi recently as just passed test been A NGHTMARE, anyway first had to replace the coolant sensor thing and get new cooler holder  tank thing that was 110 then lambada sensor 110 and now my oil light keeps coming on when ever the car gets in the middle of the heat gage thing , it never over heats and still drives fine went to garage today ,he thought was a oil leak so thats what he was looking for today,  anyway light had gone off when there, he said its driving fine but engine top thing had not been put back together from a previous garage(from previous owners) and oil had spilled , but low and behold on way back light came on again when hits mid temp theres defs enough oil, doesnt drive differently when on, i rang him when got home and he said he will check as sensor could be faulty, anyway what i want to know is do i just scrap this car, like is the list going to go on, does it sound like a faulty sensor, i dont wanna get that work done if its not that. thanks in advane x

[sepulchrave]

faulty oil pressure sensor is not uncommon I'm afraid.

[theezenutz]

You may be able to get an answer if you were to explain your problem in a clearer, easier to understand way.

[fordfan]

As above, which is confirmed if you disconnect the electrical plug and find that its filled with oil.  It shouldn't really be much more than £30 supplied and fitted.

 

I have removed your duplicate topic in the VCDS section.

 

It seems to be explained clearly enough for me.

Edited 4 February, 2015 by fordfan
in view of a reply made whilst I was typing

[maggiemilner]

sorry the problem now is , car runs fine, not loss of speed or over heating, on the temp gagae when it gets to the middle line when been running the oil light comes on and beeps three times, it comes off and on never over heats and sometimes it will go off when car gets cold again. he checked the gasket and ruled that out, i dont mind getting sensor fixed but if it sounds like something else like a big job i will just scrap it as its a old car but just passed my test and bought it for my first car, it has 79000 miles 

[maggiemilner]

thanks fordfan does it sound as though it could be a faulty sensor or could it be something more sinister im scared to take it in to get sensor fixed then it starts all over again

[maggiemilner]

it only ever goes on when car gets to mid temp, like if i started car cold its fine till hits middle bit on gagae 

[vrsadz]

If its common fault and the sensor has not been changed for one that does not fill with oil it should be ok. If not sell and get a vrs lol

[Breezy_Pete]

There's a guide for changing the oil pressure switch here. It includes a picture (3rd pic) showing where to find it on your engine. See if you can get the connector off it, and see whether there is oil inside the connector housing. If there is, the pressure switch will need changing and that will very likely be the end of your problem. If it isn't oily, the low pressure might be real, and then it might be expensive.

[KenONeill]

I'd agree with everyone else who says that it probably actually is the oil pressure sensor. I don't agree with the claims that a failed sensor will be "full of oil" though. I've had one that failed following an oil change (which makes the timing about right) when a piece of carbon got into the capiliary tube and blocked it.

[Breezy_Pete]

So yours wasn't failed, just blocked.

If it's leaked oil through itself it has failed.

[KenONeill]

So yours wasn't failed, just blocked.

If it's leaked oil through itself it has failed.

If it's giving spurious low pressure readings then it's failed regardless of the reason.

[freelanderman]

A decent garage should be able to carry out a oil presssure check and be able to diagnose if the switch is faulty in less than an hour.

[Breezy_Pete]

If it's giving spurious low pressure readings then it's failed regardless of the reason.

Well yes, but from the OP's point of view, it might be confusing if a bunch of people say look for oil leaking through the sensor, and then someone else says, no, I don't agree.

Maybe if you'd said "oil leaking through isn't the only way that a false low pressure warning can be generated", it would have been clearer.

 

By far the quickest and easiest check to do (<5 min even for a total novice) is to look and see if the sensor has leaked oil into the connector housing. If it has, time for a new switch, if it hasn't then think about other checks.

[maggiemilner]

ive got rac cover do you  think i should get them out, was meant to be going to garage today but changed till tomorrow, can you tell when driving if the prssure is low, it still drives fine, but its just when hits middle line it goes on , will rac be able to tell me , im too scared to drive it 

[maggiemilner]

its not losing oil tho, thats been fixed , he thought might be faulty sensor, but i suppose when was leaking oil it could have got in, i just dont wanna keep getting things done to it for it still to be the same ,as il just scrap it and get another if its gonna be too costly x 

[maggiemilner]

soory for all the questions but would it still be faulty sensor if the light and beeping only ever come on at mid point on temp thing, it never over heats , im just scared engines gonna blow up x 

[vrsadz]

its not losing oil tho, thats been fixed , he thought might be faulty sensor, but i suppose when was leaking oil it could have got in, i just dont wanna keep getting things done to it for it still to be the same ,as il just scrap it and get another if its gonna be too costly x 

 

get a vrs lol and wont have any problems with oil lights.

[gfwc]

get a vrs lol and wont have any problems with oil lights.

That's hsrdly good advice considering the OP had just passed driving test.

[KenONeill]

ive got rac cover do you  think i should get them out, was meant to be going to garage today but changed till tomorrow, can you tell when driving if the prssure is low, it still drives fine, but its just when hits middle line it goes on , will rac be able to tell me , im too scared to drive it 

Ok, as I see it, the warning is one of 3 things:-

1. A failed pressure sensor, easy to fix.
2. A blocked oil pickup, which means taking the sump off.
3. A failing oil pump, which again means taking the sump off.

In case (1) you can drive as long and as hard as you like without damaging the engine. This is also the most likely failure.

In case (2) or (3) driving for too long will kill the engine. Either of these are less likely, but will cost more to repair.

 

What sort of service history does the car have prior to the last service where the rocker cover appears to have been misrefitted? Regular oil changes (say every 9_000 miles or annually, whichever was first) reduce the likelyhood of (2) or (3).

 

This may not be a lot of help, but whether or not you drive to get towed to a garage is a decision that we can't make over the internet because we don't know how well the car is actually running.

[maggiemilner]

hiya thanks for reply, its last service was dec, i bought it jan, it had full history from dealer upto 3 years ago, it drives really well and even the man at garage test drove it yest and said its fine, but obviously the light came off after he left. he did say it needs a good service to as the last service quality was crap, i presume cheap oil etc, and he said the altenator belt will need done but thats not desperate, he did say it needs a good flush and new oil but again said theres no rush. as cars driving fine and he thinks its just sensor, im just worried i keep paying labour just to look at it, like yesterday cost me £40 just to tell me its ok then as i drive off oil light comes on, and if i take it in again and its knackered im just spending alot of money on a old car x 

[maggiemilner]

hiya thanks for reply, its last service was dec, i bought it jan, it had full history from dealer upto 3 years ago, it drives really well and even the man at garage test drove it yest and said its fine, but obviously the light came off after he left. he did say it needs a good service to as the last service quality was crap, i presume cheap oil etc, and he said the altenator belt will need done but thats not desperate, he did say it needs a good flush and new oil but again said theres no rush. as cars driving fine and he thinks its just sensor, im just worried i keep paying labour just to look at it, like yesterday cost me £40 just to tell me its ok then as i drive off oil light comes on, and if i take it in again and its knackered im just spending alot of money on a old car x 

i mean light came on after i left garage x 

[KenONeill]

If I could give you a definite answer I would. The need for a new auxiliary drive (AKA alternator or fan) belt does worry me slightly though. I don't know how long they last, but my car is still on the original at ~120_000 miles.

[maggiemilner]

ah right thanks for replying tho, just have to hope its not knackered when i take it in tomorrow!!  

[maggiemilner]

he said altenators worn a bit