3 cyl problems

[dominator]

hi all
i dont actually own a polo but my mrs dus, iv got a mk2 swift gti so i dont know much about vw`s
judging by some of the pics people have up im in the right section, she has a 02 5dr 3cyl polo, i dont know if it s a 6/12valve but its the most basic model, no lecy windows, c/locking etc
it runs perfectly but now and again the oil light comes on, its got plenty of oil in, infact it might have to much in judging by the dipstck
but the few times i have looked at the dipstick, the light go`s out, you can drive it and its fine but the next time you start it, up comes the light
shes put loads of crappy tesco`s oil in her, not happy bout that, so is it possable the sensor is a bit gunked up?
im no stranger to fixing cars, and the next dry weekend i get im gona do a flush and oil/filter change, but it just seems strange it go`s out after takin the dipstick out, it couldnt have an exess of cranckcase pressure could it?

also another light comes up in the centre of the clocks, its a circle with some small dashes around the outside, iv been told is the brake pad sensor?
if so it just needs a clean up i guess

im not with the car atm but i can get some pics up if needed

cheers
gary

[chewy]

It will be with having to much oil in get the oil dropped soon as possible

The other light is the brake wear indicator, the brakes will be worn down get them changed too

[RUM4MO]

The engine oil level monitoring system works but having two heated temperature probes, if they are the same then both are covered by oil, if the higher one is hotter then its out of the oil due to low oil level in sump. Its got nothing to do with possible crankcase pressure. But these oil monitors can fail. If the low oil warning system is "set" then it will not reset unless the bonnet is opened. There again, if the anti-theft bonnet switch is faulty then the car will not now that the bonnet has been opened and even if you added oil the light would come back on.

[dominator]

thanks for the replys
ok, i`l give her an oil change and if it still comes up then it could be a sensor fault
is there a link to a pdf of the factory manual for one of these?

as for the pads , they were suposed to have been changed shortly before she bought it, but i guess i`l find out when i do the oil change

gary

[dominator]

hi
another problem has come up, and im getting it right in the neck as im the one who told her to get a jap or german car, she wanted a clio
anyway, the wipers seem to have a mind of their own, they come on at any time during the journey, not full speed, only intermitant, sometimes not at all
is there a sperate unit that controls the wipers?, have they been known to go a bit funny?
could it just be a loose earth, if it is i cant find one loose anywhere

gary

[RUM4MO]

It could be a dirty contact in the motor housing or a dirty or faulty wiper switch, I've never had this problem on my wife's Polo, but my 2000MY Passat did once refuse to stop its wipers running after washing the windows, I tried switching them to "on" and "on fast" and "intermittant (rain sensing)" but it made no differance, luckily I was in heavy traffic so when it stopped for a moment I switched the ignition off then back on - problem gone. That was a one off and that was a couple of years ago in summer weather. I don't think that you will find that things are as simple as SUPPLY > SWITCH > MOTOR even including the permanent feed - I'd guess that there will be an ECU or controller that comes between the switch and the wipers - so maybe it is even a loose earth somewhere. But on the other hand if it was a Clio she would be happy if the wipers worked at all (just joking - I think!).

Can't you just pretend that its "rain sensing" wipers and they are getting ready for some really bad weather? On a serious note, do they work okay when they are switched on?

You should have really started another thread as it would get better visability of this problem.

[mikegti]

sorry to thread hijack a bit, but my sister's car has also started doing similar things with the oil light.

firstly the yellow oil light came on, so checked the oil and it was VERY low, so put about 1 litre in to get back to normal level. Oil light went away.
the light has since come on two more times in two days, but the dipstick shows the oil level is normal.

I understand the light will come on every 100km as a reminder if the oil isnt topped up? she's doing about 70 miles a day in it.

the handbook seems to suggest its a yellow oil can light for low oil level, and a red light for low pressure? Is that right?
I find it odd that the sensor worked once to advise low oil level, but now seems faulty?

cheers
mike

[RUM4MO]

Maybe consider this, that what you thought was very low oil level, was still not low enough to set the low oil warning, and that your level sensor has been faulty for some time now.

[mikegti]

Thanks for the reply... seems to have sorted itself out now, alarm not repeating. Could still be a faulty sensor so I'll make sure she checks the oil level more often!