Two Eng Probs. Oil Light and Lifter Ticking?

Whatever you do, don't ignore it. It will get worse and will keep you up at night. I got a few intermitent lights, changed the oil/filter and prayed hard. In March on a road trip, the light came on and I pulled over. I flatbedded the car back to my mechanic and the screen was completely blocked with sludge. He checked the pump (tolerances all OK) and for my sanity, got into the lower engine to check for any signs of starvation.

I got lucky. I bought the car with 45k on the clock and have been steady, but not fanatical about the oil change schedule. There was a tremendous amount of sludge in the pan (all gone now of course) and the screen appears to have been the problem.

I dodged a bullet. To celebrate, I spent a grand on new rubber and rebuilding the suspension (2 new Sumitomos, all new CAs, tie-rod ends and sway bar links - which I learned about here on CB5). At 106K I've determined she's a keeper and will likely be around for my daughter to drive when she turns 16 in the next couple years. It drives like a new automobile.

I would try AutoRX first before dropping the oil pan...
http://www.auto-rx.com/. I hear it's excellent at
removing sludge, and I'll probably do this soon
myself (now at 39K). It takes a few oil changes using
dino oil. But definitely continue using synthetic after
the treatment of course. I always change my oil at
around 4k with Mobil1 too.

I don't know if your up to it, but you may also want to
just go ahead and replace your turbo's oil supply lines
while your at it.

If you do the AutoRX please let us know how it turns out.

My 2¢. :wink:

Interesting idea! VERY interesting! You mean to drill an access hole, clean the screen and then thread the hole for a new plug? If you do so the screen/oil pickup is located as follows:
-As far as fore/aft location: On the driver's side of the pan there are 3 hex bolts behind the front/left corner (ignoring the one on the corner) of the pan and fwd of the bulge where the pump itself is. 2/3 way between the 1st and 2nd bolt (counting from the front) is dead-center screen.
-As far as left/right location: Along the front of the pan there are 3 hex bolts (ignoring bolts on the corners). The screen is about 1/3 way between the 1st and 2nd bolts, 1 being the one closest to the driver.

Let me know if you do this and take pics! I think it's a GREAT solution if you can pull it off. How would you intend to clean the screen? Perhaps a narrow stiff brush and spray cleaner? Also, Auto-RX would still be necessary to clean out the pan. It's got to be ugly. Mine was. The nice thing is if you have an access hole you can do repeated cleanings. If you pull this trick off you'll be my hero forever!

Ok, it's a whole lot better already!

Last night on the way home, the light started coming on during bumper to bumper (35m drive to home) getting more and more prevalent as time went by, until as I pulled off the freeway to head to Walmart and grab that Supertech, it was blinking constantly all the time now. Grabbed a couple jugs and a filter for the wifes Honda Ody....Light on again for the remaining 4 miles home.

Once home I let it cool for 1/2 hour...then attacked the Filter. Of course the last shop had put it on too tight! Tried everything...finally had to do the stab a screwdriver in it trick. Got it off (and sorry, it does not fit with its oil in a Sandwitch ziploc baggy!) then worked on the belly pan. (removed, cut out access hole with Dremel) Drained the Oil while I worked on the pan. It was pretty sad looking black Mobil 1...a lot of miles obviously. Even constant topping off couldn't help it anymore. When it slowed to a trickle, I added a little Supertech to see if I could flush out a little more old stuff. Cleaned up and refilled. (little too much...first not enough then too much...what a fine line when your dealing with under 4qts!) Bolted up the modded belly pan.

Driving to work this morning, not one light! Ticking is almost nonexistent! (you have to get real close and listen real hard!)

I'm thinking maybe the Filter was just so filled up (Stock VW unit) that it was having a flow problem. (and the 33psi stock pressure relief was not working?) Reaching at straws....only more miles will tell.

The Auto-Rx stuff will be here Monday I think....I'll add that and watch it. Cant hurt.

I did learn from this and from reading another Mobil 1 project (they did 17K)....the Filters die before the oil. The oil can get real nasty, but still have decent (but declining) properties even after 15K of use. (with top offs) Remember, Mobil advertised it originally in the 70's as 25K or 1 year change.

Now that I have access (and once I know its real clean and back to Syth I'll get an extractor) I'll be a lot more proactive. Have too....I buy it off the Bank in a week or so...and the warranty is all up!

JetNinja,

Good for you. You'll find that unless you get the sludge out, you're going to be on a sliding slope though. The light will stay off for a while until the oil starts to thin with use, then it'll come back on. Each cycle of this will get shorter.

Get that Auto-RX in there and do the de-sludging (2 bottle) procedure that their site describes. Hopefully you'll have enough time to get it to working on the sludge.

Oh, on extended oil drain intervals, you change the filter mid-stream! So a 10k OCI would get a filter at 5k (with top-up to fill the filter) and again at the oil change at 10k. I wouldn't be going that far on an oil change if I were you with the 1.8T. 5-6k max unless you do a used oil analysis (Blackstone, etc).

Use the larger freezer zip-lock, not the sandwich baggie!