flashing oil light

[David.Ullrich at ferguson.com]

Thanks to Tony I now have a stable & strong idle with the screw closed all the way! The oil filler cap was cracked along the seam. for now I just epoxied it closed until I get around to buying a new cap. The idle seems a tad low to me, but it's very smooth and the actual RPM is hard to tell with the digi gauge. 1-2 bars light up. Is that normal? Or should I be looking for more leaks? Would additional leaks case a low idle that is stable, smooth and pulls the car along fine? The other problem is that I'm still getting an oil light once the engine warms up. But I did notice something, it only comes on when the engine is warm AND the AC is on. I'm assuming that the idle is supposed to bump up when the AC is on, right? Mine doesn't appear to. Any thoughts on this?

Dave

Too Many Toys:
2002 VW Jetta GLS 1.8T Tiptronic
1993 RX-7 R1
1987.5 Audi Coupe GT "Special Build" 2.3 - Anthracite Black
1985 Chevy Impala SS
Former:
1981 Audi 4000 5+5
1982 Audi Coupe
1988 Audi 90 Quattro
1998 VW Passat GLS 1.8T



-----Original Message-----
From: Tony Lum [mailto:tlum at flash.net]
Sent: Wednesday, June 12, 2002 4:21 PM
To: David Ullrich - 0018 HQ
Subject: RE: flashing oil light


At 11:44 AM 6/12/02 , you wrote:
>So, any thoughts on where to start looking for leaks? As you can tell, I'm
>pretty new to doing my own work. before I got this car I had the "pay
>somebody" attitude toward doing auto repairs, but if I did that with the
>CGT I'd go broke pretty quickly.
>
>Dave

1. Remove the big rubber boot from the airflow sensor to the throttle
body.  Turn it over and bend it around while looking for cracks.

2. If possible remove the upper intake manifold after removing item no.
1.  Now examine the hoses that connect the ISV to the intake
manifold.  There's is also a small hose, at the back end of the manifold
that I hear from others breaks often.  That hose is the source air for the
air shrouded injectors.

3. Don't forget the valve cover, if you don't have the new rubber type
gasket, install one.  This is all handy with the manifold is removed since
it curves over the valve cover.

4. The seal on the oil filler cap also gets hard and cracks.  Replacement
is < $2.

5. Oil dip stick should have an O ring on it as well to seal that area.

BTW, the 5 Allen bolts securing the top part of the manifold have a
tendency to corrode and stick in the manifold to the extent that you'll
hear a "pop" when removing them.  Make sure your Allen drive socket is
squarely inserted into the bolt head.  Once out, wire brush them and spray
them with a lubricant/anti-corrosive (I prefer "Boeshield 9").  BTDT 2X on
NG engines.

Once you've checked that all the plumbing is good, recheck the idle/wot
switches, the temp sender (again), the O2 sensor (especially the heater on
it).  I'd check that the o ring on the idle screw is still good and then
screw it all the way in (don't overdo it).  There's also a small hose that
runs from the middle front of the throttle body back over to the mass
airflow sensor that tends to get loose-it slides out really easy.  Might
want to seal that although I haven't noticed any problems with the 2
engines I take care of.  Flush the ISV with carb solvent if you haven't
already, then re-assemble everything.  Make your self up an adapter to put
a digital multi meter (DMM) in series with either lead on the differential
pressure regulator on the fuel distributor.  The connectors for this are
the same as the O2 sensors heater and are easily obtained from a junker
car.  You set the meter initially for 200 mA range and switch down as
required.  The end reading you're looking for is about 0 mA with the engine
warmed up.  Check the timing before you do this though. If the distributor
still has its security lock over the tightening bolt, you can skip the next
few steps.  If its gone and you can see the nut holding the distributor's
base then stick a spare fuse (don't use the side ones!) into the fuel pump
relay and leave it there once the engine is warm.  Using a timing light
attached to the #1 plug, shoot thru the bell housing opening and make sure
the ignition timing line lines up with the casting edge on the bell
housing.  BTW, once you've got the engine running nicely, an advance timing
light (like Sears sells) will allow you to dial in an addition 5 degrees
advance (20 total) for more performance.

It sounds like a lot to do, but it goes really fast and once done you
shouldn't have to mess with it for a long, long time.  My CGT has been dead
nuts reliable since I did this and it started like crap when I first got it.

Tony