Hey guys, I have a 96 vw cabrio with a 2.0 . Just tonight the oil light started blinking so i pulled over checked the level and it was low, when i turned the engine on there was a constant clanking noise coming from the valve cover (i assume its the valves?). so i added oil to the level but the light was still blinking. when i got on the highway a buzzer started going off , so i pulled over again but the oil level was fine. any suggestions on the problem?
thanks for your interest!!
try first changing your oil and use a good oil filter and good oil and look for oil leaks
how often do you change the oil and do you only drive short distances? has the engine ever overheated? has the oil pan received any damage from a curb or ???
JMHO later, dave (One out of many daves)
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Note: Oil lights generally respond to oil pressure not oil level (some do both) Having enough oil is not good enough if your can can't maintain the required pressure to protect your engine.
I suggest you resolve this problem sooner than later. It may be nothing more than a bad sensor, but if it is low oil pressure and it sure sounds like it, driving your can can destroy the engine. If it were mine, it would be towed to to the mechanic.
how low was it? quarts?
Try 15W50 weight oil once you are convinced that everything else is acceptible.
Clanking? Low oil pressure?
That's bad, very bad. Low oil pressure's often due to the oil pump failing. Lacking oil pressure, things like valves and the crank bearings are the next to fail. It could be as simple as a failed pressure sender, ours failed at
80,000 miles along with the main rear seal, pan seal and trans shaft seal. A lot of labor but not much in the way of parts cost. Certainly a lot less than rebuilding the engine.Didn't see the first post, so I'm asking. 2.0l engine? Are you using
20W50 engine oil? I've seen reports that using 10W40 in the summer can sometimes cause the alarm to go off. If you're using 10W30 lower, er, I don't think those are approved weights. Stop it! ;)Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.
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