# MK4 oil issues



## yourusernamehere (Jul 16, 2016)

Hey guys and gals, I've been dealing with this for about a month now and I've searched endlessly without finding the answers I need so I'll dive right in. 

A little background - I've been getting a low oil pressure light in my gauge cluster for some time now that comes on usually during a cold start but goes away within 30 seconds or so. I've also been hearing a slight cam chain rattle only here and there which I believe coincides with the oil pressure light. I've also been experiencing overboosting to about ~15psi (stock AWW ECU file [8.7psi map]) and my timing seems to retard itself giving no extra power, just boost that fluctuates from 15psi down to around 5psi then back to 10psi and so on.... Driving me mad. 

Onto diagnostics:

My first order of business was to give my engine a cavity search . I started by removing the secondary pump hard hoses simply to gain access to the underside of the intake manifold (I have retained all secondary air components as well as EGR system and I'm proud of it. I have NO intention of EVER deleting any of that so please don't recommend it as an option). I started cleaning meticulously and inspecting all plumbing connections to try to find any air leaks. There were a few hoses that had some minor condensation on them due to poorly clamped fittings and I replaced all associated clamps and drove it for about a week. I decided it was time to dive back into the piranha tank and see if there was any more condensation and all was spotless so I moved onto my next check - boost leak test. I found my wastegate actuator to be leaking at the base of the diaphragm around ~20psi. The n75 was also spewing air at only 10psi so I went ahead and replaced my n75 and turbo (got a new[used] turbo for $30 with the actuator included so hey, what the heck?). During that job I also dropped my oil pan, cleaned the pick up tube and the inside of the pan to the point where you could probably eat off them, though I wouldn't recommend it as I used 93 octane gasoline. 

After reassembly it seems as though my overboosting has declined and my turbo is going to around ~12-13psi then back down to around ~7-9psi and plateauing right as it should, just a little high. My timing still doesn't feel there though. I feel the boost spike in the butt dyno and when the spike drops down it feels like power is suffering significantly-just isn't there. My thoughts are that my cam chain tensioner is not working properly and the hydraulic piston is hindering the timing advance due to failing, thus not allowing full timing advance and holding back my power.

I need some help here. I'm not even close to thinking about taking this old girl to a mechanic and I'm not afraid to do any of this work myself, I just need some diagnostic help here. 

Any input will be greatly appreciated.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


----------



## amurdock23 (May 7, 2018)

*Suggestion*

Sounds like you have a lot going on here. Run another leak test and tighten up any clamps or fitting that may affect pressure in the system. Did you recently change any fluids that you were previously using? I would definitely reset the timing just to verify that isn't the issue, replace any worn parts while you have it opened up. Make sure you seal it tightly and cleanly. Afterwards I would have it retuned to adjust to any changes that may have been made. Run these steps in this order and should be solid. :thumbup:


----------

