Hi guys n gals. 

                              Last week while driving home after a late shift in my 12plate superb 1.6tdi    My oil pressure warning light flashed up accompanied by a loud beep.   the warning read "Engine oil pressure low-engine shutdown."   (or words to that effect)  and my engine immediately switched off.      I managed to park it safely and after waiting a couple of minutes I somewhat nervously re-started the engine and to my suprise, the fault message had gone and i drove it home without incident.             Now I must stress the car is running like a Swiss watch, no rattles, no weird smoke or anything.    In the morning I checked the oil--the level was spot on and the oil looked nice and clean,  and  apart from a tiny drop in the water level all the fluids seem ok.   (it's been losing a tiny amount of water since the EGR valve was replaced about 18000 miles ago)    I topped off the water and over the course of the last week i have crunched about a thousand more miles in the old girl and it was again flawless,   no problems at all.     Then this morning on my way to Gatwick halfway over the Dartford bridge the warning went off twice,    this time I had nowhere to pull over so I just counted three and re-started the engine.   and after the second beep, everything was fine. and i drove it to Gatwick and back home again without incident.      (around 140 more miles)    since I got home I have again checked the oil and fluids and all are as before--spot on.        I don't think its the oil pump causing the problem,  If it was worn out  I would have expected the fault to have been much more constant and more rapidly worsening than it has been and I doubt it would have gone another thousand miles before popping up again, only to disappear after a restart.   but not being a mechanic I don't want to speculate further.  The car is old--a 12 plate with 218k on the clock and imminent for a new cambelt,   but its serviced every 10k and maintained to a pretty high level. 
   Anyone with experience of this issue please feel free to comment. 

                                many thanks in advance, Mitch. 

I'd wager it's some sort of fault with the oil pressure sensor. A VCDS scan will shed more light.

I reckon you may well be right,    it just doesn't seem to be acting like a mechanical fault.     It's scaring the wits out of me every time it goes off!

Edited 25 April, 20197 yr by Mitchthecabbie

A note of caution here: having enough oil in the engine does not mean that the oil pump is able to generate sufficient oil pressure. I'd get this looked at ASAP or you are risking permanent damage to the engine.

Im off to the mechanic in about half an hour, so hopefully  i will have an idea of what's what before too long. (hopefully nothing too expensive)

Ok,  took the car to the mechanic and he plugged it into his diagnostic machine.   No fault codes for the oil pump,  and more interesting,, the diagnostic machine could not actually find the oil pump---and it was noticed that the light for the oil pump on the dash no longer lights up with all the other lights when the ignition is switched on.    The mechanic  is of the opinion that whatever the problem is, it is likely to be electrical, so I am off to see an auto sparky in the morning..   Fingers crossed!

 

The oil pump is completely mechanical - no electronics involved. Your mechanic should know this, and it's a bit worrying that he doesn't. Any fault codes should be related to the oil pressure sensor, but if the fault is such that the signal being sent to the ECU is plausible then you won't get a fault code.

The chap i went to yesterday isn't my usual mechanic,   I can't say I was wildly impressed by him.      What I am hoping he would find with the diagnostic tool is some evidence of a bad switch or sensor, he didn't.   Though he did note that my oil light is no longer showing on ignition.  (somewhat worrying),  but possibly indicates a sensor/switch issue.     The sparky he recommended,   I saw today (again he isn't my normal one) He failed to impress. he didn't have a code reader that could actually connect to a VW. (something I would have considered to be just a tad important) and thus got nowhere,   though he did tell that he thought my ECU was broken and then tried to sell me a new ECU  for £400,  oh and that would be another £400 to programme it too.    erm,, No thanks!     So back to square one.      Earliest my own (trusted) sparky can see my car is wednesday)       so bearing in mind I have a shedload of work booked up over the next week or so I think I might just buy a new oil pump over the weekend and fit it  just for some peace of mind,  certainly cant hurt  on a car with 218000 on the clock. 

  All in all its been a bloody frustrating couple of days. 

 

Edited 26 April, 20197 yr by Mitchthecabbie
wanted to add detail.

Oil pump replacement is expensive when you don't even know if that's the problem. Diagnosis and repair of this issue shouldn't need an auto-electrician: it's well within the scope of what I would expect a competent mechanic to know.

3 hours ago, Mitchthecabbie said:

   Though he did note that my oil light is no longer showing on ignition.  (somewhat worrying),  but possibly indicates a sensor/switch issue.   

 

 

I've just checked on mine (different engine and running just fine) and I can't see the oil light illuminating when you first turn the ignition on. Possibly it only shows when there is an issue - It should show orange for low oil level and red for low oil pressure.

 

[EDIT] Ah looking on a related VAG forum I think this is normal - the light only shows if there is a problem - a good garage should alredy know this.

Edited 26 April, 20197 yr by bigjohn

 

 

1 hour ago, chimaera said:

Oil pump replacement is expensive when you don't even know if that's the problem. Diagnosis and repair of this issue shouldn't need an auto-electrician: it's well within the scope of what I would expect a competent mechanic to know.

         My main problem at the moment is the mechanics I usually rely on  and who have proven their ability in the past are all booked solid for weeks so I am scrabbling about looking for one who is both free and not a monkey, a very difficult combination to find.    (im still aghast at the guy today trying to flog me an ecu).       GAH!!!    some free advice.. if you desire a stress free life,  never, ever  become a cab driver!      

48 minutes ago, bigjohn said:

 

I've just checked on mine (different engine and running just fine) and I can't see the oil light illuminating when you first turn the ignition on. Possibly it only shows when there is an issue - It should show orange for low oil level and red for low oil pressure.

 

[EDIT] Ah looking on a related VAG forum I think this is normal - the light only shows if there is a problem - a good garage should alredy know this.

1

 Thanks Bigjohn,    in that case---good news on the oil front,     (ive been dipping the poor old girl every five minutes this week and its fine.)   As to the garage not knowing,,,,  well...   what can i say? ;-)

Ok time to wrap this thread up with some good news.    I  took mine in to a garage nearby and  for once they were a professional crew.    The diagnosed the issue  as a faulty oil pressure sensor switch (its an all in one deal)  and  fixed it for me.   It was pricey  £285  for parts and fitting but its fixed the issue.      Thankyou to all who chipped in and offered advice.  happy motoring!

@Mitchthecabbie What was the part number of what they fitted to fix this, please?

I honestly can't say,   I know it was a genuine vw part and it cost about £80.       

Why did he bill you for 3 sensors? 

22 hours ago, SuperbTWM said:

Why did he bill you for 3 sensors? 

 

Parts and fitting labour?

On ‎21‎/‎05‎/‎2019 at 20:24, SuperbTWM said:

Why did he bill you for 3 sensors? 

I think he probably did! 😉

3 hours ago, bigjohn said:

 

Parts and fitting labour?

Yup,   I know I could have gotten a pattern part sensor for about a tenner, but they would only fit genuine vw parts and for me, time is money  so I went with the expensive option. 

2 minutes ago, Mitchthecabbie said:

Yup,   I know I could have gotten a pattern part sensor for about a tenner, but they would only fit genuine vw parts and for me, time is money  so I went with the expensive option. 

 

I agree with the genuine part, but to add another £200 on top seem a bit steep for a 5 minute job

16 hours ago, bigjohn said:

 

Parts and fitting labour?

 

 

and vat

On 21/05/2019 at 19:42, Mitchthecabbie said:

I honestly can't say,   I know it was a genuine vw part and it cost about £80.       

 

 

RRP

 

trade get 40% off

I may have this all wrong, but as far as I can see from circuit diagrams and from ETKA, there's just one oil pressure switch on this engine (CAYC code?), and it's part number 036 919 081 D, according to this page (second item 8). According to this page (not a dealership, but selling genuine parts), the RRP for that part is £18.16 + VAT.

 

Is there another, fancier, harder to install oil pressure sensor/switch somewhere else on the engine? 

Edited 23 May, 20197 yr by Wino

9 hours ago, Wino said:

I may have this all wrong, but as far as I can see from circuit diagrams and from ETKA, there's just one oil pressure switch on this engine (CAYC code?), and it's part number 036 919 081 D, according to this page (second item 8). According to this page (not a dealership, but selling genuine parts), the RRP for that part is £18.16 + VAT.

 

Is there another, fancier, harder to install oil pressure sensor/switch somewhere else on the engine? 

 

https://workshop-manuals.com/skoda/octavia-mk2/power_unit/1.6/55;_66;_77_kw_tdi_cr_engine/engine_lubrication/removing_and_installing_parts_of_the_lubrication_system/removing_and_installing_oil_pressure_switchf1/

 

Could be this set-up where its at the back of the engine (This is actually a link from one of your posts last year )

LOL, I had a feeling I'd been in this territory before. But as it's still referred to as F1, it still seems like it's the £20 part?