Oil light and no power?

Evening to all,

Everything has been going well with my disco 300tdi until today and now i need something confirming so if somebody can help me that will be fantastic.

Right then here we go... the disco was fine no smoke, uses very little oil (although it has a leak from the rear of the top rocker cover) drives very well in fact it fly's 90mph no problems, that was until this afternoon when i came to start it and the oil light came on.

First thing i did was check the oil all ok plenty in, then checked the oil sensor wire again all ok, i removed the wire and the light went out replaced it and came on again.

Anyway i was not to far from my place of work so i drove it with the light on and whilst i was driving it i found that there was no power/turbo and it struggled to go over 2500rpm. (there was no smoke coming from the back)

I got to work and had a good look around the engine bay checked hoses wires everything. Nothing although there was a slight sound coming from the turbo area so i turned the engine off went up to the office to have a look on the tinternet to see what i could find.

1/2 hour later i go back to the disco i fire it up again and the lights still on so i give it a bit of revs and a pop/click sounds from the turbo area and bingo all ok light went out (well the light ended coming on whilst ticking over only)

So i think sod it if its going to go its going to go in style so i jump in it and drive it back home 75 miles via back roads and motorway. 90mph fine turbos working no smoke nothing just the light coming on when ticking over.

So i stop the disco at home and try it again, back to square one oil light on no power, so i drive it for 5 minutes and it clears.

So am i right in saying that the seal in the turbos gone thus the reason for intermittent power and the low pressure oil light coming on?

If not that what is it please?

Sorry about the rant just like to get all the facts down in one go

Thanks for any reply's in advance

Regards

Steve

Oh yes the disco is a 98 300tdi with 140000k on the clock just had a full serviced with new cam-belt 2k ago

erm i wouldn't drive it if i were you (unless you like rebuilding engines)

oil pump?

juiceyv8 said:

oil pump?

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could be or pressure relief valve sticking (common on V8s tho) or it could be the pickup pipe

oil light comes on switch the fooker off pdq mate dont do to take chances , not good driving 1 mile let alone 90

had a 59 plate RX8 turn up at Halfrauds recently - woman had driven from Andover with oil light on. Injun was a "tad hot"

The Mad Hat Man said:

had a 59 plate RX8 turn up at Halfrauds recently - woman had driven from Andover with oil light on. Injun was a "tad hot"

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Your ment to check the oil in them every time you fil up with juice

I'm mechanically minded, well in fact i use to fix planes for a living so engines don't bother me in the slightest, so its looking like a oil pump then? but if it is the oil pump why the hell have i got a loss of total turbo?

oil lubes the bearings in the turbo. 2things kill turbos 2much boost or no oil!!!!!

Right then oil pump it is, time to get out the trusty Haynes manual but before that i better get out my waterproofs and start the motorbike up so i know i can get to work in morning.

Check the oil pick up aswell. Quite a few peeps with audi a3 turbos have done 2/3turbos before the oil pick-up is found to be useless.:doh:

Would it not be a good idea to check the oil pressure

Thats the first thing i'm going to do, i have a strange feeling that its not the pump don't know why i'm thinking that but just am.

Shaagar said:

Thats the first thing i'm going to do, i have a strange feeling that its not the pump don't know why i'm thinking that but just am.

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when did it last have an oil change? could be as simple as a blocked strainer.

TBH, sounds like a classic Turbo seal failure to me.
No power - Turbo
Smoke - Turbo
Light on, on tick-over, - if Turbo seal is gone all the oil pressure will be lost through the blown Turbo seal & that's where the smoke comes from.
Also in the aviation industry & had several, aviation, Turbo failures.

Oil was done around 2/3k ago along with a full multipoint service cam belt etc by LRR in London, i agree with airhook i think the turbo seals gone hence the lack of power drop in pressure and there was a rattle/slight noise from the turbo, the only thing is that theres no smoke.
I just don't fancy crawling around underneath removing sumps, well not yet anyway