# oil light flashes between 2000 and 2200 rpms.



## mk3glfguy (May 19, 2013)

i need some help i have a 95 golf gl with roughly 175k on the clock. the oil light comes on only between 2000 ans 2200 rpms in every gear. im running 10w30. thanks in advance :thumbup:


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## cuppie (May 4, 2005)

First off, the oil is too thin. It's summer! 15w50 or 20w50 are preferred this time of year. If you're in a 'warm climate' part of the country (read: it don't snow there), run that year round.

Change the oil, and use a _quality_ oil filter. Mann, Mahle, and Bosch are preferred; The Fram filter continues to suck (proof: I just pulled that POS off of the kid's E30 (Fram sells the same filter for both), due to Blinky Light Syndrome. Mahle filter fixed the issue.)


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## mk3glfguy (May 19, 2013)

i appreciate it man, will do 
thanks :thumbup:


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## afawal2012 (Jan 9, 2013)

I ran 10W30 engine oil in my car year round with freezing cold winters (-25F) and blistering hot summers (100F+)..... never had an issue with oil light coming on. 

There is something else going on with your car and switching engine oil grades isn't likely to solve it. 

You could have a blockage somewhere or even a failing oil pump.


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## cuppie (May 4, 2005)

In your current car (the '11 Jetta)? Or, something you used to have? 

Not trying to be argumentative with you, but... the, ah, 'older' VW engines do like a heavier oil in the hotter months. (the owner's manual supports this.) 
And, filter is important, too. The orange brand really does suck (no, guys, the old VW and BMW spin-on filters are _not_ the same thing!) 

I never said that there can't be anything wrong with the engine. But, given how narrow the problem range (only between 2,000-2,200rpm - right where the oil warning control expects the HP sensor to open), a simple oil & filter change is a good place to start.

That said, I'll agree that a quick drop of the oil pan (to inspect the pickup screen for debris) wouldn't be a bad idea. 
Pan gasket's cheap, pan's easy to pull...


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## afawal2012 (Jan 9, 2013)

cuppie said:


> In your current car (the '11 Jetta)? Or, something you used to have?
> 
> Not trying to be argumentative with you, but... the, ah, 'older' VW engines do like a heavier oil in the hotter months. (the owner's manual supports this.)
> And, filter is important, too. The orange brand really does suck (no, guys, the old VW and BMW spin-on filters are _not_ the same thing!)
> ...


This was in my B5 Passat, 2.8L V6 engine. I put 200k miles on the engine before I sold the car. I occasionally talk to the guy who bought it from me and he isn't having any problems with the car, but then again, I took meticulous care of it as well.

I agree that the choice of filter is important. I only ran OEM filters in my B5.

You do bring up a good point about the RPM range. But back to my original comment, if there is a blockage somewhere, wouldn't the thicker oil just make the situation worst?


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## TooSlick (Feb 17, 2000)

I'd agree the simplest explanation is marginal oil pressure. Most SAE 10w-30's are too thin to meet the ACEA A3/B4 or VW 502.00/505.01 specifications. A 20w-50 is probably overkill though. I'd try a 5w-40, HDEO like Mobil 1, turbo diesel truck or the Shell Rotella T6. Both of these are about 33% thicker than the oil you're using. An added benefit since you're in upstate NY is that the 5w-40 is suitable for year round use.

The use of an OEM oil filter is also a good idea, but it's not the root cause of this particular problem....


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## jellowsubmarine (Aug 24, 2011)

TooSlick said:


> I'd agree the simplest explanation is marginal oil pressure. Most SAE 10w-30's are too thin to meet the ACEA A3/B4 or VW 502.00/505.01 specifications. A 20w-50 is probably overkill though. I'd try a 5w-40, HDEO like Mobil 1, turbo diesel truck or the Shell Rotella T6. Both of these are about 33% thicker than the oil you're using. An added benefit since you're in upstate NY is that the 5w-40 is suitable for year round use.
> 
> The use of an OEM oil filter is also a good idea, but it's not the root cause of this particular problem....


 What about a faulty SENDING UNIT? WHITE ONE if I'm not mistaken controls the low rpm buzzer... preset to feed the "VW buzzer modual" to read a preset on/off signal @ minimum o.p. at preset low rpm


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## vwbeaner (Jun 4, 2007)

jellowsubmarine said:


> What about a faulty SENDING UNIT? WHITE ONE if I'm not mistaken controls the low rpm buzzer... preset to feed the "VW buzzer modual" to read a preset on/off signal @ minimum o.p. at preset low rpm


Try this first, ^^^^^
The sending units are cheap and may fix the problem. Check to make sure your car has enough oil in it. Low oil will cause low oil pressure. Use a oil pressure gauge to see how much psi you have while at 2000-2200 rpm. That should rule out some problems. Good luck man.


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