Q: Oil pressure light and the engine's max speed is 4000 rpm. After 2 days the car isn't starting anymore.

asked by on October 16, 2016

Car isn't starting after 2 days on a check on a scanner ( oil pressure sensor + camshaft sensor)

My car has 80000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

You have several problems and this makes things considerably more confusing. Jetta’s are known for having challenges with their oil pressure light switches. The important thing to determine is that your motor has good oil pressure. The surest way to determine an oiling problem is by listening to the motor. If the oil pressure is indeed to low, the motor will rattle like a sowing machine. If this is the case and you have driven it for two days, the odds are the motor will need to be replaced. So if this is the case, you have bigger problems than the oil pressure sensor and the camshaft sensor.

If the motor did not exhibit sounds that indicate a lack of oil pressure, then it is just a problem with the sending unit system on your GTI. But of course, your car is not running at this time, so oil pressure is irrelevant until we get it running again. The camshaft sensor could certainly cause a no start condition. So if you have a code for a camshaft sensor, I would inspect the wiring harness to the sensor, look at the scan tool data for the camshaft and crank sensors to see if one or both is not registering. If the harness looks good, and there is a code for the camshaft sensor, I would replace it.

When there is a camshaft sensor code, it is a good idea to make sure the timing belt is intact. The replacement mileage for your GTI is 110,000 miles. So it technically isn’t due, but that doesn’t mean something hasn’t caused it to fail. If your were not aware, the camshaft sensor is there to monitor the camshaft position relative to the crankshaft. The crank and the cam are timed by the timing chain. So if it has a problem, a camshaft code could be set. In the future please include the codes. This is valuable information to help us get a better idea of what is going on with your car.

A timing chain system is very complicated, I recommend booking and appointment with one of our experienced technician who can help you diagnose your no start symptoms at your home.

You will need to get the car running again to find out if you have an oil pressure problem or if it is just the oil pressure sensor.

Good luck!

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