DENNIS O’SULLIVAN
Dennis helps solve oil pressure problems involving a half-centuryold pickup truck.
QUESTION
My truck is an old ’64 Chevrolet and I have lost oil pressure. I have taken off the oil pan and the oil pump seems to be clean and okay. I have had the oil pressure gauge checked and it is also okay. I replaced the oil pan and put in a can of oil thickener and still no oil pressure. It is getting pretty noisy now when it is started and I am at a loss for what could be the problem. I spoke to a couple of technicians and they told me it could only be the oil pump but before I go to replace the oil pump, could you suggest something else since the oil pump seems to be okay. I also made sure that the oil pump screen was clean. Is it also possible that the engine has no oil pressure because of internal wear and that it would need overhauling? Can you help me out? Larry from Paris
ANSWER
It is possible that the internal workings of the oil pump are worn out and it is also possible that the internal workings of the engine, such as main bearings are worn and it cannot produce oil pressure. Hopefully, you can solve your truck’s oil pressure problem by removing the distributor and see if the oil pump shaft, which is connected to the distributor, is broken. I am sure that you can still get a distributor oil shaft for that year of vehicle. When you do get the old oil distributor shaft out, replace it with the new one and then make sure that it will turn the oil pump. Some technicians will use a drill to turn the oil distributor shaft before they reinstall the distributor to make sure that it was not a restriction in the oil pump that has broken the shaft. Whatever you do make sure that before you remove the distributor basin, you mark the base so that you can put it back exactly as you had removed it. Also, remove the distributor cap and take note of where the distributor rotor is pointing and again make sure that it is in the exact same place as when you removed it.
QUESTION
Hello Dennis. I enjoy your column and thought that I would email you for advice. I live in Waterloo and have been driving Passats for the last six years or so. I love them and hate them. I have generally bought them used with high mileage. They seem to run beautifully but sporadically have different problems.
My 2008 Passat developed the common cam follower/camshaft problem at 160,000 kms. I did lot of reading and thought that VW would cover the cost since this had been a huge problem for them and was told, even though I was below the mileage threshold, that my car had been made with the upgraded “fixed” parts and was not covered. That repair left me out of pocket $2,500. Recently, the same vehicle had the oil pressure light come on and a local mechanic told me that I needed a new oil pump. This would cost me about $2,000 plus tax. Thankfully, I had the dealer look at it and they said that I had a leaky oil pressure sensor. The fix cost was $200. Do you think that the local mechanic, who works on mostly German cars, should have found this sensor issue? A year ago on the same car, the driver door latch was not working when it was extremely cold. It worked when it was warm and cold, but not when it was extremely cold. I could open the door but it would not latch again when I tried to close the door. This local mechanic sold me a new door latch for $500 and said that it was fixed. It was clearly not fixed as I have experienced the same problem in the extreme cold weather multiple times with this new latch. Do I have recourse?
My 2009 Passat was making a different sound when I started the car. It was a bit of a rattle. This car has a TSI engine with a timing chain. My other Passats had timing belts, which were expensive to change along with the water pump. My same local mechanic told me that I needed a new timing chain and timing chain tensioner along with five hours of labour or else risk ruining my engine. Is this possible? It cost me $900. I wonder if this repair was a make-work project for him. He also changed my transmission oil and filter when I asked him to. I thought that I had never done this before. A few weeks later, I realized that he had done this 18,000 kms ago when he told me that he had to replace my rusty transmission cooler lines. This was a $400 expense that he forgot to tell me he had just done earlier. I realize that I asked him to do this tranny oil & filter but I thought that I had never done it before. Does he not owe me a duty of care to check his own records so I don’t get over charged?
I appreciate any advice that you could provide. Jeff from Waterloo
ANSWER
It certainly looks like you have had your problems over the years. As far as the cam shaft problems, the dealer’s hands are tied as far as getting you any help from the factory if you had the work done someplace other than the dealership. I still would write a letter to the factory with a plea for help with the cost to see what happens. I do not know just how much time your mechanic took to diagnose your car’s oil pressure problem but hopefully and I suspect that when he went deeper into the repair that he would have found out what the dealer found and corrected his diagnosis. I know that the dealer’s door rate is generally higher but they do know their cars and you did do your do-diligence in getting another estimate. A timing chain usually lasts much longer than a timing belt but I haven’t any way of knowing the condition of your car’s timing chain so it would be hard for me to comment.
A garage that usually does all the work on your car should have had a record of what work was done and if the same mechanic did the work, he should have been able to tell you that your car did not need a transmission flush because it had recently been done. That being said, any other mechanic should have seen that a clean transmission oil pan and a new gasket had recently been installed and inquired as to why this was before he repeated the work on the transmission. I would definitely be looking for some type of relief on the second transmission bill but the ultimate onus is on you to keep a record of the work that has been done to your car.
I would certainly take the car back to the garage that replaced your car’s door latch and see why it is not closing. It either needs an adjustment on the door latch or the rubber door mouldings have hardened and will need to be replaced. Before you replace the door mouldings, I would saturate the mouldings with silicone to see if that softens up the mouldings, which would allow the door to close easier.
UPSET READER
Mr O’sullivan! You are getting this email because my neighbour is letting me send it to you through his computer. I am cancelling my subscription to the Spectator because I have sent you three letters all addressed to the Spectator and you have not had the courtesy to answer any one of them. I know that you are getting my letters because I delivered one directly to the Spectator office and still no help from you. I needed your help and you were not there for me, so thanks for nothing! Marie from Waterdown
ANSWER
Sorry Marie but I am not able to help everyone that needs it. If you had, however, taken the time to tell me about your car’s problem in this email instead of telling me about your disappointment, I might have been able to assist you. Now take the time to use your neighbour’s computer again and let me know about your car’s problem and I will see if I can help you.