Aircooled - oil warning light

[Dartmoor]

Is this really bad news - the red oil light on my Aircooled T25 flickers on idle. Just giving a few revs and it goes out again. When driving its fine - just comes on on idle?

[jason k]

what grade and type of oil (if any!!) is in it??

when was it changed last??

[Dartmoor]

Very recently changed - and checked it today and the level was fine.

[jason k]

ok but what grade of oil 10 -40 15 - 40
synthtic semi syth mineral etc??

[Dartmoor]

Well, not sure because the service was done by Beetlelink of Farnham. I guess they should have put the right stuff in.

But in your question...would the wrong oil really cause this light flicker?

[jason k]

yup the aircooleds dont like synthetic or semi synthtic either.

its either straight 30 grade or 10/15 - 40 mineral.

the other thing is how slow is it idling??

[Dartmoor]

Right - well, the idle is fairly low but she ticks over. Er..I did top her up with a very little synthetic oil - have I really done wrong?? Very little though...just to get from the bottom of the oil measure to half way between the lower and higher point.

[jason k]

if its only a drop i wouldnt worry too much ,just make sure its mineral only from now on.

i would however wind the idle up a smidge to increase idle speed and see if that stops the flicker......

or it could just be a dodgy sender.............

[Dartmoor]

Took it for a spin again - when started from cold, no light flicker at idle. Up a prolonged hill to try and and a good run to test it. Ran fan, but light came on on idle again. When I arrived home, the engine did not feel overheated - I could quite happily touch the dipstick which was not really that hot. The engine didn't smell particularly hot either. Any more clues?

[jason k]

if no flicker when cold i would suspect the oil.

[Dartmoor]

Thanks for that. Yes, at cold everything is ok. What oil should I replace my oil with? I can call by at Halfords tomorrow. Presumably that's quite an easy job for a mechanical novice like me to do? Is the drain plug easy to find? And how much oil goes in? Sorry about all the questions.

[Mocki]

you want the Advanced mineral oil in the dark blue can from halfwits......

the drain plug is in the center of the bottom of the engine, its the one that is just a 13mm bolt, not the strainer which is a large circlular plate with several bolts......

remember to only try and undo it when the engine is hot (Dont burn your self on the oil- crack the sump plug undone then go have a coffee for 10 mins before undoing it all the way and dropping the oil........)

from a gallon can you should only use just under 3.5l if you dont change the filter(which you wont get from halfwits anyway) but use the stick it what its there for!! and the rest should do for topping up untill your next oil change, if yor lucky!

[irishkeet]

Fuchs 15w 40 from GSF

[Dartmoor]

Done some research via googling oil pressure warning light. I doubt its the sender, or an electrical fault, as it is coming on at idle once the oil is hot. So really, there probably is some low pressure at idle.

The oil could be one thing. The engine is well past 100k. So likelihood is that it has some wear on the bearings. According to several engineers, even small wear could cause a drop in pressure once the oil is hot.

So I can see that using a heavier oil would help. Actually would 20-50 be better than 10/15-40??

Question is, how long will the engine keep going, and is it safe to take it on longer runs? I should say that I am a newby, and only got this van recently. Fortunately it was at a very good price.

At the moment the engine sounds just fine, and drives well enough.

[Mocki]

wrong oil and / or crap filter will also CAUSE these symptoms.....

change the oil, and if its still like it change the filter too, before panicing....