oil pressure switch (HELP!!!)

[RichardMurkin]

hi lads, yesterday my 16v gti wudnt start, it turns over perfect but its like theres no spark to fire it if u know what i mean,

I also noticed the oil light flashing when it was yurning over so i phoned about the local mechanices and they pointed me in the diredtion of the oil pressure switch , they said that if this is faulty that it will tell the ecuto disable the fuel pump (ie not starting)

Has any1 had this before??

Any help will be greatly appreciated as i have limited time and its nearly xmas!

Cheers lads!

 

[robreidmotors]

Or the switch might be okay and doing its job?

could be;

1. oil level low - check level and look for leaks.
2. oil pump faulty - not sure how to check others will know.
3. connection - could be lead to oil sensor loose/dirty/disconnected.
4. faulty switch.

 

[toonfiend]

Alright mate, I had this problem and it drove me mad, in the end I got fed up and called out Mr RAC, guess what it turned out to be??? The COIL had gone, seriously!, the RAC guy said the oil light was merely a red herring. Its worth checking out.

 

[RichardMurkin]

ive just got bak from my car and changed the plugs and the oil pressure switch, stil no joy!

I always thought if it was the coil pack then it wouldnt turn over or the engine management light would be on but the guy on the fone sy it could be just using that oil light as a warning light.

Would you definatly recomend changing the coil pak then as im really fed up now and want to get it home from work for xmas and get her polished up.

Know it sounds sad but i get really down when theres summet up with the car.

Cheers Rich

 

[robreidmotors]

The coil is just one wire wrapped tightly in a coil, in that sense its very unusual for a break in the 'coil' itself.

The point is, usually a faulty coil is caused by escaping volts, or moisture getting inside reducing its efficiency.

That means its relatively easy to visually check it, check the coil plastic for cracks, check for small scoring, it can be very tiny circles on the plastic, or white marks. Also worth trying is running the car at night and looking in the engine bay for arcing.

I got a new coil off ebay for about £30, cant remember the make but it was the same make that vw put in there.

This may sound daft, but is the oil level ok? And is your engine free from oil leaks?
Also, check the electrical connector on top of the oil filter housing, if thats loose or dirty it will give you a warning light.

 

[robreidmotors]

On the coil front, these people are excellent, ive bought a distributor off them before, very solid construction.

Only £45 for a coil, exchange i think, with 3 years guarantee.

http://www.ignitioncarparts.co.uk/P...ylinders=04&Valves=16&VID=07891&e1=ABF&e2=ABF

 

[RichardMurkin]

yeah checked the oil m8 and the dipstick is showin plenty of oil in, checked all the connections and cleaned them, i cant run the car at night coz the car doesnt run!lol and what do u mean by lookin for arcin?? also i have just rung up my local part supplier and theres 2 types of coil that hes got,

Which 1 is it?

Thanx again Rich

 

[robreidmotors]

Arcing is a spark between two bits of metal.

Anyway, sounds like you do need a new coil!

As for part number, click the link i gave you and put in your car details and it will give you the part number and type of coil. Or remove old one which should have the part number on it. Probably on the underside! knowing sods law.

You may need your engine code which will be on your logbook.

 

[RichardMurkin]

cheers for that m8! got the coil saved for me now so just a case of fitting it tomorrow when work opens again! what a pain in the ass!! at least my cars safe and secure wi all my tools at work aswell! jus fingers crossed its the coil.

Will let you know how i get on!

while were on the subject what they like for fitting?? easy?

 

[robreidmotors]

easy, just a couple of bolts hold it on to the firewall, the nuts sometimes stay on the other side sometimes fall. thats about it.

I on the other hand, have my own issues, realligned the distributor properly, disconnected battery, reconnected battery and all hell breaks loose, with an alarm i didnt know i had, and which wont turn off!

 

[RichardMurkin]

do i need to disconnect the battery to replace the coil??

 

[robreidmotors]

Good idea to disconnect the battery. Remember to lock and unlock the doors when you reconnect i! my alarm went off when i forgot that.

 

[RichardMurkin]

cheers m8! really appreciate the info!

 

[robreidmotors]

Other thing, the two bolts that connect it go through two nuts on the other side of the firewall.

If youre lucky, they stick to the firewall so you can simply but the new bolts through and tighten. It is sometimes possible for them to fall. So you may want to loosen the plastic scuttle panel so you can hold the nuts in place.

thats about it.

 

[RichardMurkin]

nice little tip that m8! although where i work nuts bolts and screws are in stores of every size so if i manage to loose any il jus replace them. jus hope it is the coil.

is it a common thing like coz a few people seem to have the same problem when i searh about to find the cure?

 

[robreidmotors]

Coil seems fairly common, i had one go on my 8v golf, the tiniest of holes on it.

Not sure about the coil causing the oil light, how common it is?

One almost essential thing to do, is once the new coil is fitted, take out each plug and clean it, and also pop off the dizzy cap and clean inside there.

Reason i say this is that the plugs can carbon up and foul up due to the bad coil, so a good clean up gets everything running back to normal.

See what happens with the oil pressure switch, i do not know why that would be linked the coil, i am no good with that kind of electrical problem, unless the coil voltage is shorting out and causing it? havent a clue!

 

[RichardMurkin]

the mechanic told me that the oil pressure switch tells the ecu to disable the fuel pump if its faulty. I have no idea myself but thats what ive been told.

I cleaned all the leads earlier when i put some new plugs in although i havent taken the dizzy off yet but will do that after i fit the new coil tomorrow. jus prayin it cures it

 

[toonfiend]

I put a new cap on mine, it was only about 8 quid I think as the old one was well worn inside, while your at it chuck some new plugs in aswell, it is christmas after all!! Itshould only take you a few minutes to change the coil over, let uz know how you get on.

 

[toonfiend]

Not sure about the coil causing the oil light, how common it is?


The RAC guy told me the oil light can come on and be used for a multitude of warnings many of them have absolutely nothing to do with your oil. Its just a safety measure as it tells your ECU not to start your engine, he said that Fords are the same.

 

[RichardMurkin]

well lads after puttin a set of new plugs in, new oil pressure switch and a new coil the car stil didnt start, made me think more to the fuel side of things!
I then pulled up the back seats and had a look at the fuel pump and checkd the connection and it didnt seem to be workin at all, i then checked the fuse box only to find that the fuse had been blown to bits! cleaned it up as good as i could and put a new fuse in,

Hey presto its cured!! all that for a pissin fuse! lol. at leats my babys cured now but the fuse holder doesnt look too clever after the mess its made!