[Jack Baker]

I have an ‘02 Beetle 1.8T. Sometimes, once the car is all warmed up, I’ve been driving for a while, and I slow down, usually gradually, I get a low oil pressure light. It happens usually when I’m at lower rpms, 1000-2000, decelerating. It flashes on and off, maybe 5-10 times total, and turns off. I’ve had it stay on for maybe 20-30 seconds at the most, but only once or twice when I slowed down and got it as I would normally, and then was moving very slowly, in a parking lot or something of the like. It still fixed itself just fine, it just took a little bit longer. I saw a thread in the 2.0 engine section about possibly switching out the coolant temperature switch, because somewhere, some electrical stuff can go funny and cause the car to think the oil pressure is low. Is this the case with the 1.8T as well? The previous owner ~1 1/2 years ago took it to a Volkswagen dealership, they looked it over, and said no big deal, it’s not really a problem. At this point, though, I really want peace of mind, and it still always stresses me out to see the light come on. I know the NB 1.8T engines never had a sludge thing going on. I put some Seafoam in the oil about 275 miles ago, just in case I could loosen something up in the oil pan that might have been buildup from dino oil in the past. Next week, I’m getting an oil change from my local shop, as well as getting boost, water temperature, and an extra rpm gauge installed. Anything in particular I should ask them to take a look at? I trust that the dealership wouldn’t have sent the previous owner on his merry way without trying to get him to pay for repairs, but it still just bothers me that the light comes on. Any help I could get with this would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Also, as a side note, the previous owner was not just telling me that VW said it was fine to sell the car. I trust him completely, and the car was a gift to me once he had it in all working condition and had finished all the other repairs.

 

[billymade]

I would pull the oil pressure sending unit and test the actual oil pressure with a traditional oil pressure test kit. This will confirm the problem; it will be "pass" oil pressure in spec or "fail", you will need to address why it is lower then spec (clogged pickup tube, sludge, oil pump, etc). We have seen this allot; typically, the issues narrow down to low pressure or a electrical issue.

Good thread here: (check the links; to some detailed testing and troubleshooting info):

Oil pressure light

I have a 2001’1.8T. Lately the oil pressure light goes off and beeps. The oil has about 2000 miles. And it’s the synthetic 5/30. I guess the question is. Could it be the sensing units defective or more likely the oil pump or pick up. Car runs great and the motor has zero noise. And if I’m...

www.newbeetle.org

 

[Jack Baker]

I would pull the oil pressure sending unit and test the actual oil pressure with a traditional oil pressure test kit. This will confirm the problem; it will be "pass" oil pressure in spec or "fail", you will need to address why it is lower then spec (clogged pickup tube, sludge, oil pump, etc). We have seen this allot; typically, the issues narrow down to low pressure or a electrical issue.

Good thread here: (check the links; to some detailed testing and troubleshooting info):

Oil pressure light

I have a 2001’1.8T. Lately the oil pressure light goes off and beeps. The oil has about 2000 miles. And it’s the synthetic 5/30. I guess the question is. Could it be the sensing units defective or more likely the oil pump or pick up. Car runs great and the motor has zero noise. And if I’m...

www.newbeetle.org

Ok, will do. I’m worried that I may have something shifting, however, if it’s only happening occasionally, and that I might have a normal pressure under most conditions but then I get a few seconds of oil starvation that will build up over time. Thanks for the link, I’ll check it out.

 

[billymade]

Well, real world testing; is the way to know for sure, possible low oil pressure is not something to ignore (you don't want to lose your engine or turbo).

 

[Heckerschmidt]

Well, real world testing; is the way to know for sure, possible low oil pressure is not something to ignore (you don't want to lose your engine or turbo).

 

[Heckerschmidt]

Well in my 2013 Beetle a similar thing was happening and it turned out to be the teflon lining in the oil pan had started to flake off and was clogging the oil pickup tube. This happened on the 2.5 lt engine and of course it was just after the 36000 mile warranty had expired and VW offered to do nothing!!!!