300TDI Oil warning light

[ausrrc]

Hi
I was driving my 300tdi discovery 1 the other day.
Whilst driving i noticed the Oil warning light turned on, I pulled over, checked the oil and it was above low, however I topped it up to the full mark, regardless the light still comes on.

The warning light appears to come on when under load, anything over 1100 rpm and the warning light illuminates, and sometimes on idle where the light seems to flicker?

I have no idea what this issue is, any help would greatly be appreciated.
I did read somewhere it may be a faulty wire earthing on something nearby turning the light on, however consistently at 1100 rpm the light illuminates, which gets me thinking this isn't the case.

Thank you in advance.

[rick130]

Get a mechanical gauge, even if it's in a garage situation, then you will know for sure.

It's not unheard of for the switch to fail, but the Tdi can also do big ends and sometimes cam bearings.

How many km on the engine ?

Most Tdi's need big ends replaced somewhere around the 300,000km mark, (wear) except a batch around late '98 that seem to just destroy the big ends. (delamination, stress fractures, etc)

[ausrrc]

The car was imported from the UK, and it has 102,000 Miles, so around 165,000 KM.
I'll see if i can get a hold of a mechanical gauge, does anyone have any suggestions as to which ones? and where to get one from?

Thanks

[Nomad9]

Hi Ausrrc,
Does the engine seem abnormally loud, any clatter, banging or excessive rattling? Could be the oil pump bypass valve sticking or stuck or damaged. How long since the last oil change?
As mentioned above put a pressure gauge on the engine somewhere, where the oil pressure switch is is a good place. Try Repco, Supercheap, or any performance shop they usually sell gauges, easy to plumb up and give you peace of mind.