Hello experts, I have a few questions concerning a few big problems that I must address before a long drive in my 1983 242 ti B21FT (with camping gear in the back).

The first deals with oil pressure. The 5 Bar oil pressure gauge in my brick reads only 3 bars when I just start up my car after it has been sitting a few hours. As a start driving the oil pressure drops to between 1 and 2 bars. When I am stopped at a traffic light the gauge reads only one bar and sometimes dips into the red zone (at which time the oil light comes on). I know for sure that it has enough oil and I do replace it every 4000 kms instead of the recommended 6000 kms. I know it burns oil, but not to the point where it is visible or detected by smell. What do you think could be causing this low pressure? A bad oil pump? A bad oil pressure sensor (I do have a spare if need be)? Does the head gasket need to be replaced?

The second occurs, when I start the car after it has been sitting a while: It "chugs" for about 30 seconds to 1 minute. I mean the whole frickin car shakes. And if you decide to drive the car during this chuging you are in for a very lurchy ride. It almost feels like it is running on only a few cylinders. The car does calm down when it warms up (about 1 minute) and sounds great and maintains a constant idle after. What could these be a result of? Should I let my turbo cool down longer after a long drive before I turn off the car?

Could these two problems by linked? Do I have any hope of fixing these two problems in the 10 days remaining before my trip? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks ahead of time.

Greg

I have recently had to replace two oil seals to re-up my oil pressure in my B21FT - To get to them you will have to remove the oil pan (and engine mounts to remove the pan - exhaust section too!) and the oil pump.

Most likely the cause of your low oil pressure is a fault in one or both of the seals connecting a small tube from the oil pump to the engine.

It takes about 4-5 hours with air tools, floor jacks, etc. so if you're doing it on the floor of your garage you probably want to allow at least a full day.

Good luck!

-Chris

It would give you a hassle free vacation just to rent a vehicle for the trip...

I have done that and sometimes the cost - especially if you are putting on a lot of miles - is less than the wear and tear and possible hassle with a high mileage Brick.

Also - it is funny how after two weeks in a new N/A ride, it feels so good to climb back into the ole Brick.

Have a great vacation.

how many miles (km) are on the counter??

Between 200000 and 300000 the headgasket failure (blown) is an ever backcoming issue!!!!

Do you need to top much cooling liquid??

I noticed my headgasket was blown by:
the same symptoms as your car
and
1.0 litre (0.25 gallon) of cooling liquid I had to add every 20 miles!!!!

With a blown headgasket (or nearly blow) during start up, these cilinders (1 or 2)are completely WET!
So in the beginning your engine is only firing 2 spark plugs in stead of 4.
After a few minutes these wet cilinders start also to fire (now they are dry) and the symptoms are gone.=> 2 out of 4 cilinders causes a lot of vibration!!!


No idea about the oil pressure ...

succes
Kkurt



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240 '88 B200K wite sedan 255K km Europe virgo+all turbo gauges, Phoenix Gold + Kenwood ampli, Focal door speakers + tweeters, Kenwood 6'x 9', 10 CD changer in enlarged globe cabinet, dubble rear coil springs , hitch, fog lights, 2 extra rectangular pencil

These symptoms may be linked - but unlikely. Cold start roughness could be a number of things in the FI system, maybe just a bad temp sensor. But I doubt there's anything there that would leave you stranded on your trip...BUT: oil pressure is another matter! I'd be inclined to take it to a decent independent shop and get them to check the pressure with a mechanical gauge. Should be quick and cheap. This tells you if you have a real problem or just a wonky sensor. Vacations are for relaxing, not for wondering if the engine's going to seize.
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Bob (81-244GL B21F, 83-244DL B23F, 94-944 B230FD)