Friend has a K04 1.8T A4 he just got back from the machine shop. New rods/pistons/turbo/oil pump, etc. It has horrendously low oil pressure.
According to the mechanical gauge he added, it gets around 100psi on cold start and goes down to 5psi @ warm idle. He's running VR1 20W-50 w/Lucas OIl Stabilizer (no idea how much of stabalizer vs. VR1). I told him to drain it and use 0W-40 as a baseline (no stabilizer) and see where it goes from there.
My theory is the machine shop set his clearances too loose, or re-used the old pump. However, I know jack E36 M3 about newer VWs.
Lucas is just stupid thick low grade oil with little to no anitfoam, antiwear, anti-anythingbads in it. IE garbage, though not the problem here. With pressure like that on that oil, the shop forgot a clean out plug somewhere, or he blew one out running such thick oil. That's my guess anyways.
forget the idle pressure. Never saw a spec for it.
What is the pressure hot at around 1500-2000 rpm ?
should be anywhere around 35psi to 65psi.
Also check the bypass valve, possible the shop didn't do that right if they aren't used to working on not American V8s, or that terrifyingly thick oil broke it somehow.
Had the same thing happen when the turbo died.
