Question re: Oil light on 74 Std. Bug

Hi all,

Took the bug out today (about 85 degrees in PA). We were driving at a good clip for about 15 minutes or so and the red oil light came on. Oil pressure was reading about 25 (a bit lower than normal) and the temp was about 200 - 210 (a bit higher than normal). We got home shortly after the light came on and checked the oil level, all ok there. This is my husband's old toy and he said he seems to remember that on hot days like this, this will happen.... hot air plus engine heat thins out the oil, hence the lower than normal PSI reading. It sat for a few hours and we just got back from a short trip to friends with it and no light came on. There aren't any leaks so I'm wondering

- COULD it just be because it's so hot outside?

Thanks in advance for any advice for a novice.

-michele

Reply to
ismlv
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The light came on with the oil pressure gauge reading 25 PSI ??? If so, the sender is bad; it should only come on at something around 5 PSI.

If you mean the light came on at idle, after a hot run, that's normal.

Speedy Jim

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Reply to
Speedy Jim

Is it indeed "normal" for the oil light to be on at idle after a hot run? I don't have gauges to actually check the pressure, but my '70 1600 Beetle exhibits the above condition. It does so only after extended highway runs, otherwise I don't see the light at all unless the engine is off. It doesn't go on at all during "in city" driving. After getting the car, I only resealed the engine for several leaks, as it ran good and supposedly had just been rebuilt prior to my acquisition. If this is "normal", I'll just continue driving without digging in which would be OK with me. Thanks....

Reply to
JeffRens

Yes, it's quite normal in hot weather. Fortunately, the bearings have near zero load on them at idle and so require very little in the way of lubrication.

Speedy Jim

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Reply to
Speedy Jim

Ok, call me an idiot but... I'm looking on motorworks.com and can't find what it is I need. I typed in "oil sender" and I'm seeing a bunch of items (9 actually) but none less than $14 USD except this: Sender for oil/water temp:

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But it doesn't fit a bug...

Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Also - I noticed when I went for a quick drive today that the PSI is pretty high at idle and then dr>The sending unit is a snap to replace. Just unscrew the old one, and screw

Reply to
ismlv

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P/N 021 919 081B

Overfilling shouldn't have any measurable effect on pressure.

Yes, the pressure will drop as the oil heats up and thins out.

I happened to think: the sender wire might be getting pinched somewhere and grounding out, lighting the light. Take a quick look before replacing.

Speedy Jim

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Reply to
Speedy Jim

Thanks for the PN. Didn't realize this gizmo (technical term, eh?) was like a brake light switch.

Does the wire just go from the switch to the dash to light the light? I tend to think it's not a pinching issue because after it sits for a bit and cools off, it goes out, but I'll sure take a look.

Since we have the oil pressure and temp guage on the dash, do we REALLY need to look at the "red" light too? Isn't that just reading what the other two guages are?

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Reply to
ismlv

The light is nice to have because it may provide a more immediate attention getter.

Also, look on my web site for an audible alarm for that day when you lose oil and aren't watching the dash.

Speedy Jim

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Reply to
Speedy Jim

Reply to
tjeffco

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