# Oil pan debris and low oil pressure, any thoughts to save the situation?



## VR500PGP (Jun 16, 2017)

Hi everyone,

My VW CC Sport 2010 - acquired a month and a half ago from a private seller with 117,000 mi on the odometer - has low oil pressure at idle. As it turns out, there are debris in the oil pan (see pictures).

Yet, there is no other sign of failure:

Good and constant oil level
Good engine temperature (reaches 190°F after 5 min and never exceeds it)
Good fuel economy (29 MPG on the last fill-up)
No active trouble code on the diagnostic port
No notable noise coming from the motor
No notable lack of performance when driving
No notably black smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe
That would be insane, but, is the engine soon-to-be dead? 

Full details on how things unfolded:

It is my first time buying a car. All of the Carfax report, the pre-purchase inspection at a mechanic, and my own test drive were good. I pleasantly drove it on all kinds of road (commute + roadtrip) over close to 3,000 miles.

All was well when I suddenly got a low oil pressure warning beeping and flashing red on the dashboard (“Oil pressure Engine off!”). It lasted only a couple of seconds before it disappeared by itself. I stopped and found everything was fine (oil level in particular, that I kept checking twice a day since this moment). I then started the engine, no warning. I then drove again a little bit, nothing either. 25 miles later, it popped again. In fact, it soon appeared the warning was highly sporadic (came 4 times in 70 mi). I thought first of a bad contact and changed the oil pressure switch myself. It didn’t fix the issue, so I brought the car to a mechanic where:

The oil pressure was tested: 12 PSI at idle whereas it should be above 17.
The engine was flushed with oil additive, then the oil and oil filter replaced. No piece of metal were found.
The oil pressure was tested again: 21 PSI at idle.
I got no more low pressure warning for a while, but after 65 more miles, they ended up flashing again the same way as before. In order to get rid of the issue once and for all, I then decided to go to an official Volkswagen dealership and asked to get the oil pan dropped and inspected. I was suspecting the oil pickup screen to be clogged with sludge. Against all my expectations, debris were found in the oil pan. Despite the different sizes, shapes, and colors (see pictures), they said it was metal shavings (is it?). They cleaned and put the pan back and recommended to - no more, no less - change the engine. It goes without saying, as that would cost more than the price of the car, it is not an option for me.

What is the best course of action? What test should I do in order to evaluate the engine’s health? Compression test, vacuum test? Should the engine be flushed again?
Is there any way the engine runs fine and that the debris come from something else? Could the engine flush have caused it? Also, is it really metal shavings that we can see on the pictures?

Tech specs:
Engine: 207.0 lb-ft @1700 rpm | 200 hp @5100 rpm | 2.0 L
Transmission: DSG (automatic with dual-clutch)

Thank you very much in advance to anyone that could help me.


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## PowerslavePA (Dec 9, 2014)

This is also you: https://community.cartalk.com/t/oil...ure-any-thoughts-to-save-the-situation/105021

You got all your answers there.

You even went to a dealer, they gave you an answer, you just didn't like it.

Did you check to see if any of those pieces stuck to a magnet? That would have
told you a lot.

Low pressure at idle is pump, clogging, I read here, it should be at least 10PSI at idle, and at least 30PSI at 3000 RPM.
http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?7042643-09-cc-oil-pressure-question
Also found aluminum shavings in his.


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## IHC (Aug 15, 2011)

Low oil pressure is caused by worn bearings. This is usually the result of infrequent oil changes, poor quality oils and poor quality filters. Rebuild the motor or run it until it quits which could be a while yet.


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## PowerslavePA (Dec 9, 2014)

IHC said:


> Low oil pressure is caused by worn bearings. This is usually the result of infrequent oil changes, poor quality oils and poor quality filters. Rebuild the motor or run it until it quits which could be a while yet.


So, the oil pump can't effect oil pressure at all? That is so Interesting...


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## IHC (Aug 15, 2011)

Oil pump usually fails because of metal particles circulating in the system ,usually caused by worn bearings.


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## PowerslavePA (Dec 9, 2014)

IHC said:


> Oil pump usually fails because of metal particles circulating in the system ,usually caused by worn bearings.


So, again, an oil pump DIRECTLY, can't be the cause of low oil pressure.... Interesting...


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## PowerslavePA (Dec 9, 2014)

http://www.doityourself.com/stry/5-common-oil-pump-failure-symptoms

#1: Low oil pressure, huh, interesting...


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