A4 1.8 Turbo 150BHP oil pressure problems

[DonaldMacIver]

Hello, this is my first post on this forum so please forgive me if it is in the wrong section. I am having some problems with the oil pressure on my engine. The engine code is AEB. Does anyone know if this is a common fault on this engine? I have had the oil pressure tested and it seems fine but the warning light still comes on. I am suspecting it may be a faulty oil pump as there is a tappety noise in the top of the engine. Any help would be greatly appreciated

[DonaldMacIver]

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[philipwalker]

I would think the oil pump pressure is on the low side as the tappets are the first indication of low pressure. Does the noise go when the engine is reved also does the oil light go out?
In the first instance I would change the oil and perhaps remove the sump, to ensure the oil pick up is not restricted in any way. Ensure the correct oil and genuine filter is used. If this does not help you may be looking at a new oil pump around £80.

The cam chain tensioners on engines fitted with vvt unit, are know to give trouble.

[SJS]

It is a common fault. The exact same thing happened to my A4 1.8T within the last 8 months. Basically (as Phil said) the pick up strainer gets clogged up with cooked oil particles and stops the pump from working properly. I found the oil pressure warning light may come on after some time driving, but rarely immediately. It was then time to sort it out.

Put a good flush through the engine to get as much crap as possible into the sump. Take it to a good mechanic, as getting the sump off can be quite tricky due to the sub frame. I fitted a new oil pump at the same time just to be sure and stuck the sump back on with the special oil resistant gasket. I also fitted a new oil feed pipe to the turbo in case it was coked up.

Problem has since disappeared, no ticking tapping or funny noises and running sweet at 110K. The pump was about £80 from eurocarparts, oil feed pipe ~£30, the sealant was about £20 feckin quid tho...

Get it done before the engine seizes...

[DonaldMacIver]

Just to give an update. I had my car looked at in the garage a couple of weeks ago, and they have fitted a new oil pump and carried out an engine flush and another oil change service. I have also had the oil pressure switch replaced and i have done almost 800 miles now and it is brand new! The car has never been running this well since i bought it back in February. I was lucky though, the mechanic said that if i didn't have the work done, i ran the risk of causing major damage to the engine. He said that the oil pump wasn't pumping any oil into the top of the engine and i was frying the camshafts. Anyhow, it's all sorted now. The car now has 148k miles on the clock and it is running sweet. Thanks to all who posted advice.

Cheers,
Donald