2005 1.8t Passat

Asked by vbtaylor Jul 21, 2017 at 11:24 PM about the 2005 Volkswagen Passat GLS TDi

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

So, my Passat has been running strong since we bought it
in March. Had a check engine light when we got it,
Advance Auto said something about sensors. Well, here
we are mid-July on a road trip and the oil light beeps,
flashes, and says Oil Pressure STOP MOTOR. So, we let it
breathe and it did fine. On our way home, after about 400
miles, it came on again. My husband changed the oil
before we left, put in a quart of Lucas and 5 quarts of
5W30. He had only put the quart of Lucas and 4 quarts of
oil before his father jumped in and said "add the last
quart, because you have to account for the oil filter." My
husband disagreed, but did it anyways. So, checking the
dip stick, we have too much oil. As long as we keep the
car at 3000 RPM and under, the light doesn't come on. Is
this a sensor issue or too much oil causing my pressure
light to go crazy? I've heard a lot of different things that it
could be, but every situation is different. We haven't had a
chance to go have the oil pressure gauged and I'm hoping
a mechanic can just give me some answers on what it
COULD be.

2 Answers

130

The v-6 requires 6.5 quarts of oil. You ALWAYS fill up the filter to nearly full before installing it because if you don't, the engine runs about 10 secs without oil as the pump first must fill the filter before lubricating the rest of the engine. This is true of all cars and trucks. How much oil to add to determined by the dip stick after you add the 4-5 quarts in addition to the filter. so if 4.5 qts is the amount of a complete oil change, then figure 4.5 minus what goes in the filter, then add the rest to the engine... start and run engine for a short time, then turn off, let oil drain back and recheck at dipstick. If you had 6 quarts in and tried to add one more, you would be a 1/2 quart over on the v-6, maybe a lot more on the smaller 4 cylinder engines. W-8 may take even more oil so check the owners book and felt tip marker the oil required it on some light exposed metal in the engine bay so no one screws up in the future. Filter sizes often very in capacity so the total amount of oil is not absolute, but close.

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