[Vwdiesel] The importance to lining up oil pump gears with markings on each gear.

[Bryan Belman]

Hi all, it seems I have be tought a very time consuming lesson, once again in life.

From what I can tell, the mail bearing are now shot in my 1.9na motor after changing the oil pump 600-700 miles ago.
after about 500 miles I started to hear an awful rap under load only, when pulling out in 1st and 2nd gear.  When back at the engine, trying to make the sound happen while sitting still, I was not detectable.
So, when you hear that kind of sound under load only, that tells me main bearings or rod bearings.
I took the van to my dad's in PA this past Saturday to see if I could get more info on this noise and test to see if the van will be ok to take up to CT camping next weekend.
Oil pressure seemed fine, oil temps have always been high in this motor, 220 to 240F at full operating temps.
The sound did not go away.
then on the way back oil pressure dropped from 30psi to 20psi at 55 to 60mph.  the knocking sounds go worse when pulling out.
so, she was nice enough to get me home, but another 50 miles would not have happened.

So, this all came about because of the seemingly high oil pressure I have always seen with this motor.  I went down the wrong road to fix it and it cost me the engine bearings.  I am sure the motor is fixable, just the time.
It was suggested and I agreed, the oil pressure relief valve in the vanagon pickup tube, my original one from 1982, must be sticking.
It should pop at 90psi always.
I would see head psi at 130psi, but after oil was hot head psi would come back down to normal.  60psi running, 20psi idle.
So that is the road I took, the LONG road to replace the oil pump with new in order to get a new pickup tube, you can not buy the pickup tube alone.
I had already installed the taller 36mm geared Febi oil pump when I put the motor in many years ago.
I got a new Meyle oil pump and removed the pickup tube/cover to measure the gears to make sure they were 36mm tall, they were.


I am guessing I did not line up the marks on the gears when I put the one back in and this somehow starved the main bearings of oil and they burnt up, the oil smells burnt as well.
Does this sound possible???????????  I will not know until I remove the engine and inspect the oil pump.

 My LESSON learned, check the easy things first, my original problem turned out to be the VDO dual post sending unit in the head.  After removing it on Sunday morning and closely looking at it, I see that it is a 5 bar sending unit and my oil guage is 0-150psi, so I need a 10 bar sender.  It was doubling my PSI, so I did not have any oil pressure PSI problem at all, as other suspected.  That kind of PSI can NOT be produced by these oil pumps, period.  If I had not changed the oil pump all would be fine today, errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.


I have had a 1.9TD AAZ motor project in the basement for years, so now it will be getting built up and installed.  Now that the coolant is out, I can replace the front 1/2 of my steal coolant pipe that is leaking badly from rust holes with marine engine coolant hose.
So, I am trying to look at the bright side hear.
Sorry for the long read.
thanks

Bryan Belman, Pt. Pleasant, NJ
04 Jetta Wagon TDI PD, 100hp, 5sp -- running :)
92 Jetta 1.6 Eco-Turbo Diesel -- running :)
82 Diesel Westy 1.9NA -- not running :<
70 Type 1 stock Beetle -- Not running :(