Before replacing those switches, I'd do a close examination of the wiring;
Id guess more likely the problem, considering the confidence you have in the
engine install.  ;-)

Good luck

Karl Wolz
 
 

|-----Original Message-----
|From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] 
|On Behalf Of Steve Cotsford
|Sent: Wednesday, January 01, 2014 9:31 AM
|To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
|Subject: Re: oil light question
|
|On Jan 1, 2014, at 11:28 AM, Steve Cotsford <cotsford@aol.com> wrote:
|
|> Thank you Karl.    I have received some info from some other 
|folks and made a little progress.
|> 
|> I was informed that it might well be a defective oil 
|pressure switch and I plan to replace both of them to 
|eliminate that possibility.    Engine is a 2.1 originally from 
|a syncro I believe and mileage is a bit over 100,000 miles.   
|Installed into my 89 Bluestar.   Yes i am not very 
|knowledgeable about WBX engines.
|> What happens is that the oil pressure light blinks on and 
|off regularly, starting just a few minutes after cranking the 
|engine and allowing it to idle.   It initially goes out as one 
|would expect. 
|> Then after idling for a while the light starts blinking on 
|and off.    Revving the engine a little seems to change 
|nothing.   The light still blinks on and off in a regular 
|manner.    I can stop the engine, wait a few mins then switch 
|the ignition back on and the red light still blinks on and off 
|at the same regular manner even without the engine running.    
|  I re-crank the engine and the light goes out, then after a 
|few minutes of idling, it starts blinking regularly again.    
|This is not like a flashing you get with low oil pressure on 
|an older car at a very low idle.
|> I have revved the engine a little higher and if I get it 
|over 2500 rpm, the light goes out.   When I lower the engine 
|speed back down, sometimes it will start blinking again, 
|sometimes the light will stay off.
|> I am pretty sure the oil pressure is not problematic and as 
|someone has suggested, an oil pressure switch is old and 
|defective.    I have no way to hook up a gauge at present but 
|I will soon and I intend to replace both the pressure switches.
|> 
|> Now concerning the temp gauge red light flashing.   I found 
|out that I had no cable plugged in to the coolant reservoir 
|sensor.   I was apparently not careful or knowledgeable back 
|in May when i installed the tank and subsequently i have 
|rooted around, found the cable, plugged it in and now I can 
|run the engine and there is no more red light flashing in the 
|temperature gauge.
|> 
|> I am learning a lot and admit that I still have a lot to 
|learn :-)      Thanks for help from this list !!     Happy New 
|Year to all !!     Steve
|> 
|> On Jan 1, 2014, at 10:56 AM, Karl Wolz <wolzphoto@Q.COM> wrote:
|> 
|>> Steve mentioned OP light, but later on spoke of coolant 
|level sensor.  Regular flashing is not an OP light symptom, 
|but is indicative of a missing coolant sensor wire, which he 
|says is the situation on his van. 
|>> 
|>> More info , please?
|>> 
|>> Karl Wolz
|>> Sent from my electronic umbilicus
|>> 
|>>> On Dec 31, 2013, at 2:29 PM, Dennis Haynes 
|<d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM> wrote:
|>>> 
|>>> I'm here at Disney Epcot for New Years eve. I would begin by s 
|>>> Checking the wiring and sensors. A clogged oil filter can 
|also cause the low pressure light while the high pressure 
|buzzer may not come on as that switch is before the filter. 
|The symptoms you describe are indicative of the oil pump inlet 
|screen blocking with carbon or sludge. With the water boxer 
|this usually means rebuild.
|>>> 
|>>> Dennis,
|>>> From my phone.
|>>> ________________________________
|>>> From: Steve Cotsford<mailto:cotsford@AOL.COM>
|>>> Sent: �12/�31/�2013 2:44 PM
|>>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM<mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
|>>> Subject: oil light question
|>>> 
|>>> It seems very quiet in Vanagon circles today.    Probably 
|means that people are resting or socializing and generally 
|doing worthy things :-)
|>>> 
|>>> I have read some articles on Vanagon oil pressures and I 
|get the impression that its fairly common for older 2.1s to 
|have problems in that area.
|>>> 
|>>> I have seen other types of engines with low oil pressure 
|and generally the oil light will start flickering at idle when 
|the oil gets hot and thin.   I am unfamiliar with the Vanagon 
|system with two senders however.
|>>> 
|>>> My oil light will start blinking on and off at a regular 
|fairly slow timing and no changes in engine speed seem to 
|affect the blinking.   However when the engine is switched off 
|and restarted, there is no oil light.   However after a few 
|minutes, the regular blinking starts again.  And once again, 
|the speed of the blinking, on-off,on-off seems to be 
|completely unaffected by engine rpm.     My gut feeling is 
|that its not oil pressure or lack of that is causing this but 
|some other fault.     Engine is a 2.1 from a Syncro I think 
|and its installed in my 1989 Bluestar Vanagon.  I am unsure of 
|the mileage but was told its a little over 100k.
|>>> 
|>>> I can go buy a mechanical gauge and screw it into a 
|pressure switch point but which one?   The one near the 
|distributor or the one down between the pushrod tubes.  Which 
|makes the most sense?    Are they both connected by oil 
|passages within the engine?  Is this a common fault and is it 
|likely to be related to something in the gauge assembly and 
|not in the engine at all?
|>>> 
|>>> Thanks for any help.    Enjoy your new years eve :-)     
|Cheers    Steve
|>