erratic oil pressure warning light

[edoh]

comes on when ignition switched on
goes off when engine fires up
happily driving along
comes on again -
gulp! pull over -
check oil level on dipstick - fine -
ignition on - oil light comes on -
goes off - when engine fires up -
few miles down the road - comes on again - ?!?
no buzzer of doom - engine runs smooth -
trying to approach this methodically - so - any comments gratefully received -
the plan for tomorrow - (THANK YOU WIKI AND OTHER CONTRIBUTORS )
check/clean the one oil pressure sensor i have (between the push rods)
check/clean wiring coming out of nearside corner of engine bay
check/clean track 13 on the multiplug 14 pin connector above drivers knee
check/clean earth crowns behind fuse box
check/clean oil pressure dashboard connector on back of speedo clock (?)

if still an issue - consider an oil pressure test with a screw in test gauge (where from?) -
(1 bar per 1000 rpm?) -

right way to approach this? anything procedure missing?

be good to hear your experience -

edoh

[itchyfeet]

at what revs does the light come on? buzzer only fires above 2000 rpm, below that if high pressure switch/wiring is faulty light may come on, not sure, You can test by removing the high pressure switch wire while idle and see what happens.

can be a dash fault too.

[ajsimmo]

That's if it's a late with DOP. Does oil light flash with ignition on (late with DOP), or on steady (early, no buzzer)?
When it comes on driving is it steady or flashing? Is it only when engine hot?

[ghost123uk]

And,

Did it just suddenly start doing this?

And,

Do you know why your engine only has the one pressure switch? If it's the van in your sig (1990 & DG) it should have two, and the wiring / dash should be the latter ("DOP") type.

Andrews suggestion (in his first line above) will tell you if your van is in fact a "DOP" equipped one (I'm guessing it will be).

Re oil pressure test. Most folk don't buy a gauge (you will likely only use it once). Take the van to a garage who are confident working on WBX engines and get them to do it. Write down the results.

Getting at the sensor between the pushrods involves removing some (2 iirc) nuts/bolts/studs that hold the exhaust flanges on, to get the protection plate off. The usual precautions around removing exhaust studs/nuts/bolts apply (it's in the wiki). PlusGas (NOT WD40) and heat may be required/advisable, plus the careful use of decent, well fitting tools helps a lot.

[edoh]

hey - thanks so much for the replies -
about to work through the list -
original engine (as in signaure) did have 2 sensors -
recon engine only has one between the pushrods -
an elite recon about 4 years ago -
will try n take a few photos along the way

[edoh]

curioser and curioser.....
earths and earth crowns fine -
pcb connector look ok -
but -
red oil light still stays on (tho dimmer than battery light)
and -
removing the lead goingto the oil sensor between the pushrods - doesn't make any difference?!?
oil light still on - only goes off when ignition switched off -
a wiring issue somewhere

[ghost123uk]

Yep, as the switch is a normally closed type, if the light illuminates when the wire is off, it must be a wiring issue. Which I suppose is good news

[edoh]

Could of been scarier!
In the wriggling of wires going to pcb oil sensor and coming out the corner of the engine bay - oil light now comes w ignition then stays off like it should -

A mysteriously good result - for now -
Thanks to one n all for your comments -
If in doubt -
Wriggle!

[ermie571]

mine would come on if damp and gradually get dimmer until it went out completely lol,

a bump in the road could also trigger it...but i learned which way to move it lol xxx

[kevtherev]

Not oil pressure sensors..they are oil pressure switches

sorry Edoh I can't help it, OCD.

[edoh]

oil pressure switches it is


quirky lil animals these vans
like you say Em - some random event can start a problem -
another random event can resolve the problem!
Hey ho - the joys of T25 ownership