200 TDI Oil Pressure Light

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sp00k

sp00k

Well-Known Member
Posts
1,530
Location
Washington, County Durham, UK
I recently changed my 200 TDI oil to 15w40 Halfords Semi synthetic (about a week ago). I usually use mineral oil.

I've not really had any good runs since then but today I washed out the engine bay and took her for a good run to get her nice and warm to dry out. When I returned home and the engine was at idle, the oil pressure warning light was flickering. After a brief panic I looked at my oil pressure gauge which reads 20psi at idle. 50-60 psi at speed.

So, is this the wrong oil or is my pressure switch broken?
 
the_wolf said:
Should use semi synthetic in a 200 btw. As far as I know anyway. And it's not unknown for the oil pressure switch to go tits up
Click to expand...

I thought you could use either. I thought the difference was that semi was kinder when the engine is cold and less noisy which was why I wanted to give it a go.

I think the engine is a bit quieter but that just means you hear other noises :)
 
sp00k said:
I thought you could use either. I thought the difference was that semi was kinder when the engine is cold and less noisy which was why I wanted to give it a go.

I think the engine is a bit quieter but that just means you hear other noises :)
Click to expand...

oils fine as long as you dont burn any
 
Oh BTW James, the only info I could find about oil pressure was that it should be 25-60 on a warm engine, but there were suggestions that these readers were from pre-turbo engines and that the turbo has an effect to reduce pressure.

On startup from cold, my oil pressure light extinguishes after about 2 seconds. The oil pressure rises to 50 then when I rev it moves to 60 and basically stays there until the oil is warm (takes a long time), when it drops back down to 50.

The lowest pressure I've seen it at idle (about 750rpm for me) is 20.

What are the lowest acceptable ranges at idle and what pressure is the low pressure oil switch supposed to activate at please?

Ta.
 
pressures good, 20 at hot idle id be happy with, mush less id worry,turbo doesnt reduce pressure noticeably unless turbos failing ,switch comes on about 5 psi
 
Well, you've got to laugh. Had a decent run out today from Gateshead to deepest darkest Sunderland to pickup daughter from school.

As the oil warmed, the oil pressure warning light came on at idle, not flickering any more, but steady. Pressure gauge read 25 psi. I'm pleased I fitted that gauge I thought, otherwise I would be crapping myself.

Then I noticed it was coming on at higher and higher pressure. Again I was not worried, just thinking it's a symptom that the switch is failing. My pressure pretty much reads 50-60psi at any revs over idle. Again, I thought no problem. By this stage, the oil pressure light is on all the time.

Then I'm on the highway at cruising speed, closely monitoring the oil pressure and it starts shooting between 60 and 100 psi! Revs seem to make little difference.

Then I just thought well bugger it, the engine feels fine, it's pulling normally. Not making smoke, quieter than ever. If it was not for the oil light and the wildly fluctuating gauge I would not be concerned.

I was thinking about it and thought it can't be an earth, because that's shared between several of the instruments and the rest were fine. It pressure gauge can't be related to the pressure switch because the switch just earths through the oil housing, and the light is on, so it's working.

So I checked the gauge terminals when I got home and they were all loose - I must have just tightened them by hand and forgot to nip them up :D Well it was a long day when I fitted the gauges.
 
Yeah. I always make sure my brain is in gear when I'm doing ciritical stuff!

New light this morning! Brake (!). Now what activates that? I'm sure it used to come on when I used the handbrake, but I don't use that anymore. I don't have a fluid sensor and it's full anyway. I don't have brake pad sensors and my pads are fine anyway. I don't have access to the circuit diagrams at the mo.
 
The handbrake light wire comes up from the gearbox area up to a switch on the handbrake lever. It could be shorted or the switch stuck.
 
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