oil pressure trouble?

I have a 2L VW air cooled engine with additional oil cooler and oil temperature and oil pressure gauges [VDO]. Lately when turning on the ignition/engine, the pressure indicator moves right across to the right max. and sticks there until the igntion is turned off. It used to sit near maximum when cold, when warm it would indicate lower pressure at lower revs. The oil temperature gauge [VDO] used to sit steady at whatever temperature [from cold to 90C]. It now only indicates a temperature if reving above 2,500. below that the indicator needle is very unsteady and even drops below minimum. Am I likely to have an instrumentation, pressure regulator/line, or even an oil pump problem?

sounds electrical to me

Thanks Paul. What bothers me is that the temperature gauge seems to respond if the revs are up as if oil pressure is only building up at higher revs. Than again, the temperature gauge sits at the bottom of the sump and should always be submerged in oil. What would be the signs of defective/worne oil pump, stuck pressure release valves or any other blockages in the oil pump, filter, cooler, additional cooler or reticulation duct system? How can one tell whether oil is flowing as required?

Does the engine behave any differnt? smell?

Not that I have noticed. I am a bit nervous of course to run it dry.

If its both gauges, I wouls sya electrical..... but then again.

Do you have other guages? if you do, are they connected to the same earth as the oil ones? if they arn't i would check the earth. Otherwise, maybe dissconnect one and see what happens....

Thanks All.. I worked out what it was. It was eletrical. 1st: a cable providing power to temperture gauge had a loose connection. 2nd: the oil pressure sensor was defect and had to be replaced. 3rd: the power supply to the pressure sensor looked like it slightly short ciruited which may have killed the gauge.

johannes wrote:Thanks All.. I worked out what it was. It was eletrical. 1st: a cable providing power to temperture gauge had a loose connection. 2nd: the oil pressure sensor was defect and had to be replaced. 3rd: the power supply to the pressure sensor looked like it slightly short ciruited which may have killed the gauge.

thats much better than a new engine...

thats also the reason why many people don't run gauges as it scares the pants off 'em... lol

its a case of - when you don't know .....

Lee

yeah but more often than not they can save an engine
some ppl laugh at my dash being like an plane cockpit but about 8 years ago having an oil pressure gauge saved my engine

i had my old spare 1600 in for a trip to brissy and back
i noticed the oil pressure dropping on the way back so i pulled over to investigate and the main seal had blown out big time and had dumped alot of oil

if i hadnt had my oil pressure gauge by the time the idiot light came on at 5psi when i was doing 115 down the motor way at 3300rpm the engine would have been toast