"Low oil pressure warning briefly appears in the driver information system (DIS) and then disappears/remains off."

Hello everyone,

I have a Volkswagen Passat 3C 2.0 TDI with 170 horsepower, manufactured in 2006.

"Yesterday, a warning message suddenly appeared on the dashboard – something like 'STOP Oil Pressure Engine Off' or similar – but it disappeared immediately after I drove just a few meters. I restarted the car and continued driving until I could safely pull over to check the oil level. The oil level was much too high!"
I then went home, and even today I drove a short distance, but the message didn't reappear, and there are no unusual noises either.

Regarding the car's history, it's worth noting that in August 2012, at approximately 100,000 km, a new turbocharger and a new balance shaft module including the oil pump were installed, all as original parts in a VW workshop. Hopefully, the "more stable" version was installed.

Could this be due to a software error, or could it somehow be related to the higher oil level (e.g., oil dilution caused by the DPF)?

Is there anything that can be checked here using VCDS? (The oil pressure is not displayed here, correct?)

I have extensively used the search function, but here I mostly found reports about the major disaster where the warning message remained on and it was often already too late.

Thank you very much and best regards.

Martin.

Hello,

The oil pressure is not related to the oil level, unless there is far too little oil in the engine.
Unfortunately, the oil pressure is not monitored below a certain minimum engine speed. It's entirely possible to completely destroy your engine without receiving any error messages.

Check:
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Tipp: Ganz unten bei allen Themen werden ähnliche Themen angezeigt.

Best regards, Rainer.

Hello,
First of all, thank you for the response.
I had already considered the hexagonal shape, but given the new pump's mileage of 100,000 km, as well as the module and the fact that it should be the "improved" version with the longer hexagon (part number 03G 103 295 AK), I think it might be something else.
I had also read about the speed-dependent oil pressure "monitoring," but after that, I still drove home and was running at speeds above 1700 rpm.
What makes me suspicious is the fact that the warning message only appeared for maybe two seconds and then disappeared, even though I hadn't even stopped the engine yet.
The fact that the oil level is too high primarily has nothing to do with the oil pressure itself; however, it's an indication of diesel fuel in the oil (I still need to determine the cause, possibly the tandem pump), since the last oil change was only two weeks ago and the level was definitely okay then. Now it's about 1 cm too high. That's why my assumption that "too thin" oil negatively affects the oil pressure, even if the pump is working, might be correct.
As I mentioned, I've already done a very thorough search, but I only found examples where the message remained displayed or, at the very least, the turbocharger was destroyed.

Therefore, my question was more about whether there are experiences with "false" error messages, and whether it's possible to somehow identify the causes.

Thank you very much.

Martin.

Loose connections on the oil pressure switch and its wiring are, of course, also a possibility .
By the way, the pump will also be unable to draw in oil and build up oil pressure if the intake pipe on the oil pump is blocked.

Best regards, Rainer.

Hello!

I would strongly recommend measuring the oil pressure using a manometer in the traditional way before conducting any further experiments.
Workshops usually have a kit for this purpose, which includes a pressure gauge, hose, and adapters.

Maybe you can borrow something like that.

Then you'll know what happens next.

You should also take care of the oil buildup.
It is also conceivable that if the oil consists of 20% diesel fuel, the viscosity may decrease significantly at high temperatures, resulting in insufficient pressure buildup.

But of course, that's not good for the engine. I wouldn't drive that car anymore.

Hello,
Thank you for the answers.

Okay, tomorrow I'll drain the excess oil and check the diesel filter to see if there's any oil in it. If there is, then the oil buildup at the tandem pump must be the cause, right?
I might remove the oil pan next week to check the hexagon bolt, but I need to buy some oil and sealant first.
I'll also have the oil pressure checked at the workshop next week.
Okay, I'll take a look at the oil pressure switch.
Is there anything else that could be quickly checked regarding this topic using a typical hobby workshop equipped with a lift?

Here's another question about the electrical system: If I understand correctly, the oil pressure sensor is not integrated into the control unit but sends its signal directly to the instrument cluster, which means I can't check anything related to it using VCDS, correct?
I seem to recall something about a relay being involved, which can sometimes cause "false" error messages. Does anyone know anything about that?

Am liebsten würd ich mir ein dreier "Sport" Kombi Instrument, wie es sie früher im Baumarkt gab aufs Armaturenbrett dübeln, schön mit Öldruck und -temperaturanzeige zum warmfahren...
Aber das gibt´s ja alles nicht mehr...

Thank you for the helpful tips so far.

Martin.

Magnum wrote:

Here's another question about the electrical system: If I understand correctly, the oil pressure sensor is not integrated into the control unit but sends its signal directly to the instrument cluster, which means I can't check anything related to it using VCDS, correct? I seem to recall something about a relay being involved, which can sometimes cause "false" error messages. Does anyone know anything about that?

Hi!

I can't tell you how the electrical system works in your car.

But with my neighbor's A4, which is a bit older, ...
There was also that problem.

Ultimately, it was the instrument panel's fault.
I checked the oil pressure, and it was fine.
The neighbor is an industrial electrician and he took care of it himself.
It has been frequently reported online that there are known issues with this particular vehicle model.

I think he sent it to the AI repair shop.

It's probably been about 2 years since then, the "false error messages" have disappeared, and the engine is still working.

Even the improved version of the hexagon is prone to failure and could be the cause of problems at 100,000 km. I wouldn't drive the car again until I had visually inspected it and confirmed its integrity, or replaced it altogether.

Rüdi wrote:

Auch die verbesserte Version des 6-kant ist anfällig, und kann bei 100tkm die Ursache sein, ich würde erst wieder mit dem Auto fahren wenn ich den per Augenschein als intakt gesehen oder gleich ersetzt hätte.

Hi Rudi,

"Have you really had a car like that before? I already had to repair the hexagonal part on my BRE engine (the old hexagonal design), and it failed around 220,000 km. Online, you mostly find numbers closer to 150,000 km, which in my case might be due to long-distance driving."
So wie ich es sehe, ist die verbesserte Version ja rund das doppelte Maß im Eingriff, sollte also auch mindestens doppelt so lange halten?

Best regards, Rainer.

A friend has an Audi TT TDI Quattro, and he was cutting it close. He had the engine rebuilt by Motoren Wild at 130,000 km, but according to AKTE, the long hexagonal bolt was supposed to be installed, although it turned out to be the short one instead.

With the Passat 3C, the engine is also mounted transversely, and the oil pan can be removed without disconnecting the driveshaft. I personally wouldn't experiment with that; instead, I would investigate what's going on to rule out this possibility.

@Ruedi: Okay, thanks!

@Magnum: In the technical article about the 6-point problem with the oil pump, there is a link to the list of affected engines on Wild's website. It appears that your engine is unfortunately included in the list.

Hello,
Here's a quick update:
The issue kept bothering me, so today I decided to take the oil pan off.
"The good news: The hexagonal shaft was slightly worn, but nowhere near being round. It was actually already the 100 mm version and had the AGM with the gears installed. I'll still get a new hexagonal shaft and reassemble everything tomorrow."
Theoretically, the pump itself could still be the cause of the problem. It was pumping oil when I turned it by hand just now. Do you think I should replace it as a precaution? Are there any experiences regarding the durability of the pump itself? This one has already been used for 100,000 km.
Otherwise, I will probably continue to monitor the oil level and the indicator.
But it's good that I looked it up, at least now I won't panic when the warning comes again.
Thank you for the advice and tips.

Martin.

Hi there,
An oil pump can potentially last for a very long time, exceeding 600,000 km, or it can fail relatively quickly due to wear and tear or contamination.
The only reliable method is to measure the pressure using a manometer; everything else is just guesswork. There are also other factors that can affect oil pressure besides the pump itself.

Best regards from Berlin.
Okay, please provide the German text you would like me to translate into English. I will only provide the translation.

Better late than never.
A few weeks later, after another drop in oil pressure with a rising oil level, I replaced the tandem pump. It was probably due to oil dilution caused by an internal leak, and it's been quiet ever since. Hopefully, this will help someone someday.

Best regards,

Martin.