Oil Light on a 85 VW GTI

I have to say right off the bat that I'm a beginner at fixing cars and, having little money, if there's something I can fix myself I'd rather do it then spending the money to take it to the shop.

My problem is that I have an 85 VW GTI with about 208k miles on it and a pretty good engine still. A while ago I took it to Sears to get an oil change and everything seemed fine. Then I took it in to get a new Temp Sensor and some other thing that delt with timing cause my temp light was coming on and it was idling and running rough when not warm. Everything was fine after that, I went to Sears again to get my coolent changed for winter. Everything still fine. Then about a week later my coolant light starts coming on again but goes away after being warmed up. Then a week after that my oil light is now coming on.

I have to say I've never even checked my oil on this car since I've owned it and have only taken it to Jiffy Lube or Sears. So I'm thinking maybe my oil is low so I go try to check it and it's hard to find the dip stick. I finally find the only thing that looks like a dip stick with a hook to pull it out under the oil pan. It's this curvy like an 'S' with a third curve only not as curvy and there is no oil on the thing whatsoever and I can't see any numbers or lines to say where the right oil level is so I wonder if it's the right dip stick.

Something else I notice is that the dip stick top that is the plastic tube around it is broken. Does this affect oil pressure? I'm not sure when it broke or if it was always broken.

Then I think, well I'll unscrew the cap that has a picture of the oil can on it and look to see if there is any oil. I unscrew it and look and it seems like there is plenty of oil cause it's maybe full with like 1/2 inch of space left. It looked kinda dark and sludgy, although I looked at it in a Garage at night so it could just be that.

So I'm at a complete loss. My temp sensor seems to be behaving mostly now, but the darn oil light comes on and off when I drive.

Any ideas?

Reply to
Jess
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You only got 3 problems, 1-Sears, 2- Jiffy Lube, 3- lack of basic knowledge of your own car. 1 & 2, any repairs they do are only by them guessing what would be wrong. Suggestion... buy a manual and read it!

Reply to
Woodchuck

Something that also happened around the same time was that it was hard sometimes to shift into a gear. I've had my bushings changed so it's not that. I read some other article about possible oil leak into the transmission. That problem has gone away though.

Reply to
Jess

I take my car to the a local german auto shop that does alot of VW's here for repairs. Sears and Jiffy are only for oil and coolant changes. And my lack of some basic knowledge is why I'm asking on this newsgroup. Please only reply with possible solutions or why you think it might be wrong.

Reply to
Jess

You might check what weight oil was put in your car. Unless you tell them, Jiffy Lube, et al will put in 10W30, and your car probably needs 20W50. I'd call a VW dealer and ask what the recommended weight oil should be for your engine, and then take it back to Jiffy Lube and specify that weight on a new oil change. Since you didn't specify a different oil weight, they'll probably charge you for the change. You won't need a new filter, though. If you do need a heavier oil, they'll fill it from bottles rather than from the big tank of 10W30 they have in the shop. Tell them to cap the remaining 3/4 bottle of oil and put it in your trunk in a plastic bag. If the light comes on, you can add oil.

The dipstick seal is important. You can replace it yourself. Buy a new one from a VW dealer, pull the old one off with a pair of pliers, and shove the new one on.

Reply to
Pat Moore

If you have a local shop you trust, and if you lack as much car knowledge as you say, then take it to the shop. No one is going to be able to give you instructions by e-mail to figure out what is wrong and fix it.

Reply to
Joseph Meehan

Thanks for the advice. I checked my records and the oil is 20w50. I'm about 90% sure the problem is my dip stick tube which is broken on the upper part. There's oil on the outside of the tube so I'm thinking some oil leaked out and now there is not a proper seal with the tube being broken. I tried to just align the tube up correctly and I noticed the oil light went out. So for a temporary solution I super glued it back on. Not sure if that's a great idea, but my thinking is that since it's made of plastic anyway that it must not get that hot. I'll get it replaced when I have the money or if that doesn't work.

As for the other answers, I found some of them to be negative or unhelpful. It doesn't take a genious to figure out to take it to a specialist shop or dealer to fix the problem. I think the reason people post is because they want to figure it out themselves. If you don't know a solution or more about the problem, I don't think responding with take it to a repair shop is helpful at all. I've read other posts and have tried to provide as much info as I can about what the problem was. It's very easy to tell me what my problems are or what knowledge I don't have. I don't have to be a car expert to go around telling people they don't know anything about their car. But it takes more knowledge and effort to actually try to help someone out.

Reply to
Jess

Jim B.

Reply to
jimbehning

Can I easily install the tube myself? I was taking into account parts and labor for final cost. But if it's easy to install...

I was afraid the engine would overheat while I was driving around so I just went for the glue which was the most handy thing.

Reply to
Jess

The last time I got the plastic end for the tube, I think it was $2.00 at the dealer. As for installing it, it just pushes onto the end of the metal tube by hand.

Chris Z.

Reply to
Chris Z.

Where did that come from? I wasn't trying to be funny or witty. I'm just trying to get some help fixing my car. Anyone else want to insult me for asking basic questions about my car?

BTW I ordered the dipstick tube and will be installing it myself. Thanks for everyone's help.

Reply to
Jess

Water and antifreeze circulated by the water pump cools the engine. This is the primary source of cooling but oil is an important element of engine cooling also. A leaky or broken dipstick tube has nearly nothing to do with engine cooling.

I am not the >Where did that come from? I wasn't trying to be funny or witty. I'm

Jim B.

Reply to
jimbehning

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