Oil pressure buzzer (of doom?)

[itchyfeet]

yes engine bar and mounts need to come off, all in these pics, support engine on wooden blocks is ok.
http://s1145.photobucket.com/user/paul_ ... t=3&page=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

bolt through here into flywheel locks it ( rotate until you find a hole), single pully flywheel should not be very tight, never seen a torque wrench used to undo a nut get a breaker bar or a t bar and a length of tube don't use a torque wrench to release.

[mbcamper]

Thanks - pictures fill in the gaps in the Haynes manual nicely.

I'll get myself a breaker bar!

Thanks

Mark

[itchyfeet]

2 foot breaker bar with socket should always be in the van just to get the wheel nuts off if you get a flat

[mbcamper]

Well after many hours of battle I'm looking at my oil pump!

I used a T bar and locked the flywheel with a bold as suggested. Engine supports removed and pipe from the water pump extracted too. The engine is supported on a wooden block under a trolley jack.

I can't get flickr to work to upload photos at the moment, but the pump looks fine. The face plate isn't scored, the inner surface of the pump is fine too. The axial clearance is fine as I can't get a 0.1 gauge between the steel rule and the gear.

Not sure where to go from here. I don't want to embark on an expensive rebuild unnecessarily. Could I be missing something very obvious here?

It struck me that when I measured the oil pressure the the oil level was 1/2 way between the min and max marking on the dip stick. I thought this was acceptable.

Is it worth flushing the engine out with something? Maybe the oil pickup pipe has muck in it?

I'll try to post some oil pump pictures later.

[kevtherev]

I think the decision is fast approaching as to an engine overhaul.
The oil pump itself does not create pressure. It produces flow and the resistance to that flow produces pressure. Resistance is created by the orifices in the engine block through which the oil flows, and the amount of clearance between the bearings and crankshaft journals. As the bearings wear, clearances increase allowing increased flow which reduces pressure.

[mbcamper]

Yes I'm coming to that conclusion too. I however don't want to miss anything silly before I embark on an engine rebuild.

Here are the oil pump pics:







When I purchased the van a couple of years ago I was told it had recently had a reconditioned engine. Maybe it wasn't very well done!

This is the oil I'm using:



Maybe I'm clutching at straws now

[kevtherev]

When you have eliminated all other possible reasons for a problem, then the one remaining reason must be the answer, however obscure or hard to take

That oil pump looks ok to me, no damage and no scoring

[mbcamper]

I had a chat with my local garage this morning and they were thinking oil sump pickup pipe blocked or main bearings.

Brickwerks suggested as a last attempt I could try new oil and filter, but given the oil was changed just before Christmas and has only done a few 100 miles I'm thinking I might be wasting my time here.

It's looking like engine out and strip sadly.

I don't like the idea of getting a "good" second hand engine as it could easily be another set of issues.

Looking at the postings about engine "re-conditioners" they sounds a bit hit and miss (supposedly my recon engine is only 4 years old with <10K miles so that's a big miss). I really want to sort this out properly 1st time and not be in the same position again in a short time period, so is a DIY rebuild using where necessary machine shop services sensible? It would he terrible to spend many £100s only to find that I've still got low oil pressure!

I've read through the Haynes manual rebuild process and it doesn't look terrible. If I went down this route are there any experienced engine re-builders on the forum who can comment on my progress? If I do this properly myself then not only would it save lots on labour, but I could be confident that everything that needs to be done and checked has been.

So do we have engine builders on the forum? I suspect from the responses I've had so far we do

[kevtherev]

Many of us have performed deep surgery, and we can offer help with pictures, tips and tricks.
I have learned that getting you work area prepared is of great importance.
A clean, dry well lit bench with plenty of room to put an engine on is a great benefit.
And like a surgeon, your tools should be ready and at hand, nothing worse than having to stop to find something.
A degreased and cleaned engine, will ensure that dirt getting on important components is kept to a minimum.

Above all enjoy the experience, VW expected the novice to do this, so there are no nasty surprises as long as you stick to the script.
good luck, we're all here, your not alone.

[itchyfeet]

Couple of rebuild threads here, somebody else did one recently but I'm struggling to remember who, CJH I think.

I'm going to have to do mine soon too, low oil pressure been bugging me for a year now, no time before summer trip to France so fingers crossed. I'm putting together a spare engine from bits to tide me over while I do mine at leisure.

You may consider a second hand engine to tide you over, nothing worse than being without a van or having to rush a rebuild. When yours is rebuilt sell the second hand engine.

http://forum.club8090.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=120790" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://forum.club8090.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=99380" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[mbcamper]

Thanks for the links. I guess you could see quite a lot of me in the mechanical section now!

I've decided to follow Mr Brickwerks last ditch suggestion with a new filter and oil. I've got some 20W50 around so I'll use that. I'm also going to fit a new pressure relief valve assembly as I noted that the my spring length is a little shorter than spec. It's supposed to be 62.3mm but my spring is a little under 60mm. I know I'm clutching at straws, but just maybe that's the issue! Looking inside the casing it wouldn't take much to have it permanently going down the relief circuit!

It that fails and I'm prepared for that now, then it'll be removed and stripped.

Thanks for advice so far. I've a feeling I'll be back with a picture of an engine crane lowering a DG block to the floor.

[itchyfeet]

Yes fit the nnw spring, it's not just length it's how much tension it has, if it is weak it will bypass oil.

I think it's a long shot but worth it.

[mbcamper]

So the latest on this is that I've replaced all the pressure relief valve components, put in a new filter and 20W50 mineral oil and the oil pressure readings are the same as before:

- When the engine is cold, the oil pressure is about 3bar at idle
- Once it is up to temperature I get no reading at idle and scrapes 1 bar at 2000prm

So I guess I can no longer be in denial, my engine is going to need replacing or overhauling.

I now have the dilemma of using one of the engine reconditioners or doing it myself using an engineering company where necessary for grinding etc.

What I'm striving for here is a reliable van I can use for many years. Going down the DIY route the labour costs are negated, so to get good quality parts what should it cost to do a good quality rebuild? Also who is a good supplier for these parts. I've used Brickwerks for my service parts mostly, but their website lacks bigger engine compnents like camshafts, piston / barrel kits, connecting rods.

[kevtherev]

How urgent is this?

[mbcamper]

How urgent is this?

It's not especially urgent, it would be nice to have a working van in a couple of months! My primary objective it to have a reliable and long lasting engine.