Low oil pressure question...

[stripped fred]

I think I already know the answer to this but thought I'd ask the knowledgeable autoshite community for a second opinion. My wife told me last week that the oil can light came on in her 1.6 beetle. It was while on the way home from work so she probably drove it another 10 miles. It is my job to look after this car so I feel pretty bad but I've been focusing on other things. In my mind it wasn't that long ago since I checked it but then again it could be a few months. Anyway, I topped it straight up and a week later the level hasn't changed so it doesn't look like a leak. However, it does seem to smoke a little from the exhaust. Hardly noticeable but i'm sure i can see a light haze when revved. Seems to drive fine and no untoward noises. So, have I managed to knacker the engine? It could have been there before of course and it seems these engines can smoke a bit as they get older. It's done 85k but has had regular oil changes. If I have caused some wear how much longer is it likely to take to become a real issue? Is it worth taking to a garage to give it a once over as my mechanic skills are limited. I feel a right tool! I haven't said anything to her yet...

[mrbenn]

These things happen, don't beat yourself up. I imagine you'd hear noises if there was something amiss.

 

Does the oil pressure light go out as normal on a cold start?

 

If the oil was very low then I might give it a change as any remaining oil will have had to work a lot harder to lubricate and cool the engine.

[Squire_Dawson]

Hard to say, but if it uses a little oil I wouldn't worry. Knocking noises are a worry. The critical time for any engine is the warming up period, when driving should be gentle and idling avoided.

[red5]

Carry on as per spec.

 

Check oil once a week until you're sure about levels on consumption - then (if appropriate) extend the interval until you need to actually top it up (but it's not fallen below MIN on dipstick).

 

Oil change wouldn't hurt.

 

Listen for 'new' engine noises under load/on cold start*

 

 

Please bear in mind now that your paranoia about the near-detonation of VAG's finest will manifest itself in all noise being impending doom.

 

 

Enjoy.

[Wilko220]

StrippedFred's wife, pictured on the way home from work.

 

[dollywobbler]

I doubt the smoke you're seeing is related. Low oil pressure is more likely to knock the bottom end bearings out before damaging the cylinders I would have thought. Certainly one to file under 'monitor closely' for a while, but no point stressing unless there's something to stress about.

 

You might want to encourage your good lady to consider a better response to seeing that light than driving another ten miles though. Worth keeping a top-up bottle in the car? I had to give Mrs DW a stern look when she said she blew the engine up in her MG Metro (before I came along) and expressed anger that the oil warning light hadn't come on before it destroyed itself. She never has been particularly good at checking oil levels. She could adjust the points gap on her Mini in double-quick time, but still the oil level would often go unchecked...

[twosmoke300]

Vw petrol engines = crap

[Dirk Diggler]

Smoky 1.6 8V? They all do that with a few miles on

[stripped fred]

Thanks for the replies. I will monitor closely from now on. The light does go out as soon as it starts, has only come on the one time and no worrying engine noises so fingers crossed i'm in the clear.

 

We've had a conversation where I told her there 'coukd' be a problem, worst case scenario etc, which has resulted in her looking at Fiat 500's! I've mentioned scene tax and the fact she'd be buying an 'old' one but my words mean nothing. Hopefully the beetle will soldier on for a while yet. It has been a reliable car tbh even though VAG.

 

She does know to pull over if the light comes on again which is something!

[scaryoldcortina]

Some VAG cars put the oil light on for low level as well as low pressure, and as mentioned above all VAG petrol engines drink some oil.

[overrun]

StrippedFred's wife, pictured on the way home from work.

 

 

That bloke is such a pussy. I have no idea why loads on here and RR think it is a good film.

[SiC]

Some VAG cars put the oil light on for low level as well as low pressure, and as mentioned above all VAG petrol engines drink some oil.

^^ this. I know my cousin-in-law golf mk4 of similar vintage did that. It was a 1.4 E utter povo spec one too (wind up windows all round, no central locking either!) I think it might flash when its low oil? It supposed to resets itself when you open up the bonnet. However if the bonnet switch is broken it won't do that and only reset after a good drive when it gets a chance to read the level again.

[michael1703]

Some VAG cars put the oil light on for low level as well as low pressure, and as mentioned above all VAG petrol engines drink some oil.

Our 1.6 dung beetle does the same, I've done 30miles with amber light and no dramas

[Fabergé Greggs]

It's not based on fact or anything, but I think it's going to be fine. I reckon it'll soldier on way past the point where you'd wish it would just grenade itself. Sometimes cars do that. 

[Mally]

Yes as others say don't worry, tell her it's fine.

Check the oil once a fortnight. Don't take it to a garage!

They all smoke a little. 

[Pillock]

It's fine, it'd be knocking it's tits off by now if it had run low enough to do damage.

Our Touran lights the light up really early, so it's either level based or very slight pressure drop. A couple of times it's come on, we've stopped and topped it up with no hassles. 

[barefoot]

Smoky 1.6 8V? They all do that with a few miles on

My Scirocco is still ace.

 

Fuelly tells me that I've put £5,000 worth of fuel in it and covered 34,000 miles.

Not bad for a six month winter beater bought for a few hundred notes.

[gordonbennet]

Back a few years i serviced a probably 2 year old 2.3 Granada, it was a company car of sorts, the bloke who used it was technical boffin with scientific measuring instruments and other kinky stuff that meant sod all to me, common sense completely passed him by, bonkers, i did like him a lot.

 

Nothing on the dipstick and i drained exactly 1 pint of black treacle from the sump,  the rest of the car was in similar condition totally neglected.

Went right through it and that car went on for a few years with servicing till he wrecked it and it never missed a bloody beat, nor did it use oil to any great degree, how long he'd run it to get the oil down to 1 pint i haven't a clue, a modern (all modernz etc)  would have shat itself long before.

 

I'm sure the Veedub will be fine once you've checked the rate of consumption over a few weeks.

 

Its a girl thing this not checking oil, having said that 95% of my fellow steering wheel attendees are blokes and half of them it appears don't know that Scanias have a second dipstick (my mate found nothing at all on the bottom of the dipstick of one of our 65 plate Scannis couple of weeks ago,  takes 5 litres from Min to Max), nor can they manage to use the dash to check the oil on MAN's, they manage to not see the plaintiff begging message from the dash when soon as they put the key in its says Engine Oil Low You Useless Cunt or words to that effect.

[AMC Rebel]

, they manage to not see the plaintiff begging message from the dash when soon as they put the key in its says Engine Oil Low You Useless Cunt or words to that effect.

 

I would pay considerable sums for any vehicle I could opt to give me such abuse if I did crap things - sadly I don't think it's going to happen in my lifetime

[stripped fred]

Thanks all, sounds like i should be ok then this time. Feel a bit better now. I have learnt my lesson though and from now on will be performing weekly checks just like recommended by the AA/RAC, oil, tyres, coolant, lights, wiper blades etc etc, might even get myself a clipboard...

[SiC]

Just to add, on the drive back on the Saab, I put the oil light on 4 times around corners. The third time it was on long enough to throw a warning up on the screen. When I spoke to the last owner (was a colleague), he thought that was a oil level low light on Saabs - of which he's owned a few.

 

Given that he's done 160k odd in it and he's often had it come on in all his Saab's, also Saabs are prone to being damaged by lack of lube pressure, I think you'll be alright with this one. Incidentally when I topped it up, I put in 3l of oil - the engine takes 4l to fill!

 

One thing I wouldn't rule out though is if it is coming on intermittently it could be a oil pickup/oil pump problem. Or possibly even a dodgy oil pressure switch too.

[worldofceri]

We've got a 1.6l mkiv Golf, so might be the same engine.  The oil light comes on for low level, doesn't mean it's dangerously low.  We see it every now and then because I'm just as shit as my wife at checking levels and, as said previously, these engines do use a bit.

[Barry Cade]

1.6 vw engines are the devil's work. My daughter's one lunched itself with oil pump failure at 70k. FVWSH too for what that was worth. Camshafts were seized solid. Horrible engine...

[Split_Pin]

I have been warned sternly away from Fiat 500s due to chocolate gearboxes. Something to do with bearings on the input shaft, can't 100% remember what I was told.

[gordonbennet]

Avoid petrol 500's with the automated manual gearbox (in fact never ever have an automated manual pile of crap of any make), new ones circa 6/7 years ago when i still did the job were totally unable to climb the quite gentle slope of a modern 11 car transporter, so utterly wank were they that the driver loading one would have to get a run up (unheard of since Fords 1.4 lean burn Escort of doom) which would just about get it on the back of the body, then sit there on the brakes whilst a colleague lifted the deck level, then put it in position, you can imagine the faff if you had  half a dozen of the bastards, its also quite scary even when you know what you're doing having the back wheels hanging off the edge of the deck whilst you go up to about 8ft to level.

Manuals with the same engine (1.2 i think) were the easiest car to stall i've had the misfortune to drive in many a year.

 

Panda probably had the same engine but for some reason were good little motors in general, weird that...similarly Pug 206's with the 1.3 or was it 1.4 petrol were weak as buggery and would stall if you looked at 'em, but same engine in Berlingo had plenty of low engine speed torque and would romp up the decks like a good un.

[stripped fred]

She's been on about those bloody fiat 500's for a while. The thought of buying a 7 or 8 year old example would fill me with dread. If she was happy to take the depreciation hit I'd probably suggest new or nearly new but hopefully that's a long way off!

[fordperv]

run it till it pops then put in a 20v turbo

 

personally though i think it will be fine

[Pete-M]

Some VAG cars put the oil light on for low level as well as low pressure, and as mentioned above all VAG petrol engines drink some oil.

They put a yellow oil can on for low level. Red means "too late" in most VW stuff.

[scaryoldcortina]

^ I know, but the OP didn't say what colour the light was.

[stripped fred]

^ I know, but the OP didn't say what colour the light was.

I should have said it was yellow. I didn't realise they came in different colours. I am very relieved!