Red Oil death light and results of fixing the problem (pickup screen)

[Audi Skate Snow]

I have seen this topic come up a million times and have always given advice on what to do to fix it, well this time I took my own advice.

Recently in various post I have posted that my cam chain tensioner was making ticking noises leading me to believe it was on its way out or it was starving of oil, but never had the low oil pressure light. When driving on saturday I got the low oil pressure light, called up Jordan (co avant) and got the car to his house.

We already had plans to drop my oil pan and clean the pick up screen, but didnt plan to do it this soon and were going to do it down the line when doing my block. We put the car on the lift and within an hour we had the subframe dropped out and the oil pan off. Right when the oil pan came off, we then saw the oil pick up screen clogged like a mother ******! We tried to shine a light through one side of the pick up tube and the light wouldnt even come out through the screen. Thats how bad it was.

We then cleaned it out with various little techniques.
1) brake cleaner
2) brake cleaner and setting it on fire (burns all the deposits out)
3) soaking in diesel for a little while
4) more burning and using a pic to get everything out.

After doing all this the pick up screen was perfect.... if you shined a light through one side of the tube you can see every hole in the screen was free and clear.

Buttoned everything back up with the cleaned out pickup, new oil, new filter, cleaned the inside of the oil pan etc. Started the car up and it has never sounded this quiet. Cam chain tensioner noise completely gone, valve train seems a lot less noisy and overall the motor sounds a lot healthier.

Total time of the process was One hour for taking it apart, two hours for cleaning of the screen, one hour to install everything back on.

Not much more to say. If you get the red oil light, chances are this is your problem. I will be posting up a lot of pictures of the before and after, as well as dropping the subframe/oil pan and cleaning of the screen etc.

WERD!

[old guy]

Wow! Nice job in correcting the issue before major damage occurred! Any idea as to what was clogging the screen? I'm sure it wasn't sludge since I know you have been performing adequate PM on your car. Kinda scary!

[Audi Skate Snow]

Wow! Nice job in correcting the issue before major damage occurred! Any idea as to what was clogging the screen? I'm sure it wasn't sludge since I know you have been performing adequate PM on your car. Kinda scary!

Good point! Totally forgot to mention what I think caused the light to finally trigger.

When I installed my turbo last week and put the new oil in, I put a dose of AUTO-RX in with it. My guess is the Auto-rx did its job and cleaned out any deposits etc and then got sucked up in the screen. However im sure there was some build up in the screen considering my motor has 150k on the clock but not enough to cause low oil pressure.

No signs of sludge though and overall looked pretty clean inside. (besides the pickup)

[mnkyA4]

Wouldn't it be easier to just but a new pick-up screen instead of cleaning the existing one?

[Audi Skate Snow]

It would be a lot easier yes... however it was sunday (when finally working on the car) and dealers were closed. I had friends in town and needed a car ASAP! Also pickup cost about 100 dollars so it saves you a bit of money... but if the dealer was open I would have just bought a new one to save me time.

TIME IS MONEY!

[old guy]

Don't like hearing that! I have been using a maintenance dose of Auto-RX for several years and everything looked good last year when i replaced the valve cover gasket. Hope the red light of death isn't in my near future.

[ApexIt]

Great post man. I recently did the same thing on my car as well and it solved the oil pressure light as well as the ticking from the cam chain tensioner. Unfortunately for me, the previous owner didnt quite keep up on maintenance and I now have a sludge issue. I've been meaning to make a post about this but it looks like you beat me to it

[bwoy1981]

Great job! This is gonna help a lot of people out!

[Audi Skate Snow]

Don't like hearing that! I have been using a maintenance dose of Auto-RX for several years and everything looked good last year when i replaced the valve cover gasket. Hope the red light of death isn't in my near future.

I woudnt worry about it to much. My cam chain tensioner was making noise and slowly getting louder. So it was either on its way out or just not getting enough oil due a clogged pickup. I thought maybe a the auto-rx would help in cleaning it a bit, before I try and replace the chain tensioner or drop the pan to do the pickup. So really im happy this was the case... saved me 250+ dollars on buying a new tensioner, but of course i caught it in time so no damage was done.

[Dolphin18T]

I really need to do this soon. I don't have a garage though... I'm going to have to take it somewhere.

[Audi Skate Snow]

yea, thankfully Jordan has a lift in his garage. It is possible to do on jackstands, but life was a lot easier having the lift!

[mrbacardi35]

Charlie and Old Guy, did you guys perform the basic application? If so, which conventional oil? Or just did the maintenace program? Thanks

[Audi Skate Snow]

This was my first time with auto-rx. I have done seafoam before though. On this one I did the full thing so went with dino oil, GTX 5w-30. Didnt even make it over 50 miles when i got the oil light.

[Dirty]

Great info! I have the same cam chain tensioner sound you speak of, I hope this isn't my prob.

[old guy]

Charlie and Old Guy, did you guys perform the basic application? If so, which conventional oil? Or just did the maintenace program? Thanks

I have just been adding a maintenance dose with each synthetic oil change. Since I purchased the car new I know the maintenance performed (5K synth oil and filter) so I really haven't felt the need for a full treatment. With that being said, I have run the full treatment on numerous other vehicles that had an unknown service record.

[Sales@RAI]

no pics?

[Audi Skate Snow]

Pics are coming. my chick took a bunch of pics while we were doing it and I am going to post them soon as she uploads them. the pics will do all the talking.

[Audi Skate Snow]

I have just been adding a maintenance dose with each synthetic oil change. Since I purchased the car new I know the maintenance performed (5K synth oil and filter) so I really haven't felt the need for a full treatment. With that being said, I have run the full treatment on numerous other vehicles that had an unknown service record.

Yea, adding it from day one, im sure your motor is good to go. Auto-rx is great and I have nothing bad to say about it. It did its job on my car, however my pickup was just to backed up to pass the stuff it cleaned up.

lot of success stories with auto-rx. i am now going to do the 3oz dose with every oil change.

[pkny]

What is this noise that you guys are speaking of?

[Audi Skate Snow]

noise is a loud ticking noise coming from chain tensioner (back of the head by firewall)

mine was like this... but not nearly as loud http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toO2nP9UjDk

[mrbacardi35]

Thanks Charlie and Old Guy.

[mrbacardi35]

i am now going to do the 3oz dose with every oil change.

thats what i got in mind too since i have been using the seafoam treatment.

[pkny]

noise is a loud ticking noise coming from chain tensioner (back of the head by firewall)

mine was like this... but not nearly as loud http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toO2nP9UjDk

Thanks, i wish i can give you rep because i always wondered what that sound was.

ANother question would be; how would i know if the cam tensioner needs to be replaced or if the screen picks need to be changed?

[audinaut]

Good catch by you. Very much looking forward to pics and info on dropping subframe and getting to the oil pan.

[sean1.8t]

yea, thankfully Jordan has a lift in his garage. It is possible to do on jackstands, but life was a lot easier having the lift!

yeah a lift and air tools makes it for an easy 1 hour job. but on jackstands with hand tools, i'd guess it would take at least 3 hours to get that damn pan off

[Audi Skate Snow]

yeah a lift and air tools makes it for an easy 1 hour job. but on jackstands with hand tools, i'd guess it would take at least 3 hours to get that damn pan off

for sure... this job on jackstands is possible, but just plan on it taken fuckin forever! ahahahha Guess if you gotta do it though. Air tools are not necessary, but just like a lift makes life easier.

[pkny]

Looks like i should get myself a good set of air tools.

[[email protected]]

Pics por favor?

[Matt C]

Pics would be great. My oil pan has a moderate leak that I need to get on. Now I am dreading doing it on jackstands, or even worse shelling out the cash for 5 hours of labor!!

[Audi Skate Snow]

Pics por favor?

workin on it... have some trouble with the camera, for some reason the firewire will not go in.

[nananana4k]

If you have email on your phone you can email it to yourself and host on an image site. Great work on this btw.

[Audi Skate Snow]

If you have email on your phone you can email it to yourself and host on an image site. Great work on this btw.

Took the pics with a real camera no on the phone... would be sweat if a camera could email though ahah

Thanks man, I have tried to help a lot of people with this issue and finally had to do it for myself.

[CO AVANT]

I knew for sure even before Charlie's red light of death that this thing was clogged to hell. Just did my GF's on her B6 with 1/2 the miles as Charlie and it was even more clogged. Oil light never came on with her car, but just by looking at the sludge under the valve cover when I did her VC gasket a couple months ago, I just knew there was no way it wasn't clogged. The last 5 B6's I've dropped pans on have all had clogged pickup tubes. Only one I've seen (out of 7) without a clogged pickup with over 50K was my car when I broke it down to go 2.0L in 2006.

[davkav]

I hate Reading this shit.

Always makes me think "what if"

I think for safteys sake I'll tackle this next month along with a treatment of autoRX

curious to see these pics too

[MikeWire]

So to drop the pan you need to drop the front subframe too? Will that mess with the front alignment?

[vintagespin]

I knew for sure even before Charlie's red light of death that this thing was clogged to hell. Just did my GF's on her B6 with 1/2 the miles as Charlie and it was even more clogged. Oil light never came on with her car, but just by looking at the sludge under the valve cover when I did her VC gasket a couple months ago, I just knew there was no way it wasn't clogged. The last 5 B6's I've dropped pans on have all had clogged pickup tubes. Only one I've seen (out of 7) without a clogged pickup with over 50K was my car when I broke it down to go 2.0L in 2006.

Lol well I'm at 53k and you've got me worried. I'm going to do my VC Gasket when I do my next oil change in 2k miles, so that should let me see if I have any sludge buildup.

[CO AVANT]

So to drop the pan you need to drop the front subframe too? Will that mess with the front alignment?

Not necessarily but it will take a lot of time off the job by just getting the subframe out of the way. A/C line can be moved by hand so you can wiggle the oil pan out without having to take the A/C line off. The front engine mount bolts have to be lowered down (not taken all the way out) to get the subframe to wiggle out. A big pry bar helps get the control arms out. You will also need a high jack stand to support the trans/engine while the subframe is out. The part of the secondary subframe that connects to the trans needs to come off. You can just pull it back toward the rear of the car over the exhaust so you don't have to pull it all the way out and take your exhaust off. These are just a few good pointers on this job. Next one I do I'll definitely do a write-up on it.

Yes it will mess with the front alignment. Sometimes you can get it close though if you know what to look for, mark, etc.

If you have had your car for its entire life and have been doing regular oil changes every 3-5K with a new filter then you "should" have a cleaner pickup tube than most.

[dougyfresh]

Lol well I'm at 53k and you've got me worried. I'm going to do my VC Gasket when I do my next oil change in 2k miles, so that should let me see if I have any sludge buildup.

It will be difficult to determine if the oil pump pick up is clogged by just looking at the valve cover and cylinder head.

Why? The valve cover and head may be clean looking with no sludge present, yet the oil pump pick up would be pretty clogged.

If you have sludge build-up in the valve cover than you better clean that oil pump pick up ASAP.

If you have had your car for its entire life and have been doing regular oil changes every 3-5K with a new filter then you "should" have a cleaner pickup tube than most.

I remember doing the oil pan gasket on my original, bone stock, motor (we dropped the subframe to get the pan off). That was with 110k on the odometer and motor. I bought my car at 36k and did oil changes ever 5k with a new filter (oversized) and synthetic oil. Had no idea what the previous maintenance records were beyond the dealership 10k oil change with the small filter.

When we had the pan off at 110k the oil pump pick-up was spotless. Never did seafoam or auto-rx either.

[MikeWire]

^^ great info!

I got my car w/ 102K miles and don't know the oil change history. I use RP and the big filter, but who knows what the OP used.

The only real info I know about it is that it's a Colorado car. A kid owned it who went to CU Boulder, and made frequent trips back home to CT, and @ 90K the dealership replaced a shit ton of parts...turbo, CAT and TB job, brakes.

Anyhow, I digress...back OT. I'm gonna do some searching on dropping the pan and inspecting the pickup tube. Possible DIY in the works, unless there already is one.

[vintagespin]

It will be difficult to determine if the oil pump pick up is clogged by just looking at the valve cover and cylinder head.

Why? The valve cover and head may be clean looking with no sludge present, yet the oil pump pick up would be pretty clogged.

If you have sludge build-up in the valve cover than you better clean that oil pump pick up ASAP.

Yeah, that's what I figured. At least I'll know if the engine is in deep shit or not. I bought it with 33k and have no idea how the car was treated previously, but I have been doing 5k changes with a new oversized filter since I bought it.