Club 80-90 Forums

My oil pressure light has always come on (then gone off straight away) when I turn the ignition key when the van is totally cold ............ (which seems normal) ...... but recently my van's oil light has started not coming on when the engine is warmer and the key is turned.

Is this a bad sign. In the past, the light would always come on for a 'second'.

yoou mean before you start the engine?
both oil and battery should illuminate when the ignition is on, whatever the temp, and both should go out when the engine is running unless something is wrong.....

Thanks Steve,
Yes, both battery & oil lights always come on when the key is turned then go off immediately the van starts from cold.
The difference comes when the van's been running and then stopped for say, twenty minutes (so the engine is still warm). Then when I turn the key, although the battery light comes one ...... the oil light doesn't. When the van restarts, the battery light goes off (& the oil light stays off).
Is this a sign of some blockage somewhere ....... or a faulty oil pressure sensor maybe?

Steve,
Just to add an additional bit of background info ...... my van is a 1981 air cooled 2 ltr, if that makes a difference.

Pull wire off sender and short it to block, that should put the warning lamp on, if it does replace the sender. Remember its not telling you the presure is low when it actully is (presure=0 when engine off) so I'd fix it as ergentcy if you don't have a presure guage fitted.

brown-bus wrote:Steve,
Just to add an additional bit of background info ...... my van is a 1981 air cooled 2 ltr, if that makes a difference.

I have a 1981 air-cooled too! When I first bought it, the oil light would flicker when she was warm. I was sooo worried - responses from 'main bearings are gone and you're knackered', through to, 'don't worry, if it sounds and drives ok, carry on'. Then a local VW nut said, the oil sender unit is just £3 - change it - you've nothing to lose. So I did - and it behaves ok now. So I am glad I didn't listen to the prophets of doom and spend £1500 on a VEGE recon. I spent £3!