Flashing oil light during idle after 30min freeway drive
 

Hey guys. Well, I was driving for about 30mins on the freeway today, and when I got off the freeway and was on the surface streets comming home, the light started flashing. I got home a minute later and checked the oil level. It is about 1/2 way up btw the low and high marks.

I am currently on Auto-RX and dino oil, but the car only gets synthetic otherwise.

I also had a small smoking problem that I posted about earlier. I am getting smoke on startup about 30sec after starting it up. Can't quite tell the color. Oil and coolant levels look okay. There is a slight film of white stuff on the oil cap, but it hasn't increased (or reappeared since I wiped it off) since.

Other than that, no CEL, and the car runs smoothly and idles normally. The only other issue I get is fluctuating readings from the Egnine Temp. It warms up fine, but at highway speeds drops down a little, then comes back up. Not sure if its the thermostat or the sensor(s), but just thought I would mention it, just incase it may help in the diagnosis.

I did a search and the common theme seems to be clogged pump/pickup/screen. If it were one, or all of these, about what am I looking at to replace them?

Thanks alot guys, I hope it isn't something too big.

Sounds like oil sludge.

Smoke is normal. Low OP is partly due to thinning from heat. Change the filter, top w/ oil treatment
 

and keep going. MaxLife Engine Protector, SynPower Oil treatment, or a strait 70 or 60 weight and continue treatment. I like to do a flush with some Kerosene before ARX to get it started dissloving sludge. Get a few cheap filters, keep changing them, run it at idle with kero and maybe let it soak overnight with a lot of Kero, like 2q. Otherwise, you need some engine work. Did you ever have a OP light before? If not, I would not worry to much. Truely sludged engines require 2 ARX treatments, perhaps the kero treatment inbetween would work.

Dumb question, do you use OEM filters?

I have never had the light before. I had a smoke problem ~7.5K mi ago, but it came back w/ the ARX
 

Let me get this straight: change the filter, and top off the oil with some other treatment? Before this whole fiasco, I was just going to change the filter and top off w/ more oil...?

Car is usually at the dealer near my house for oil changes, but at another mechanic for normal work
 

I had him change it this past time and he uses the non-branded OE stuff (Mahle or Mahn or whatever it might be)

Change filter, top with something thicker to keep OP up.
 

That's all. If you want plain oil, 60 and 70 weight is available. If you want to use an additive instead, no big deal, just a few $ more, maybe easier to find. After ARX do a normal flush, a kero treatment, another ARX treatment etc. I'd just buy a few big jugs of SUPERTECH or Havoline 10w-40 and have at it.

tick tick tick tick....
 

BOOOM!!!!

As long as it is same manuf. VW/Audis can't use the off the shelf ones, causes an oil light.

A comment....
 

Your temp gauge issues are probably coolant temp sensor related but your oil light is another story. It would be in the best long term interests(financially, car life)to install a new oil pump asap. You have lucked out in getting a sign, it could have seized the bearings up.