Polo TDI 1.6 Oil Light On then car dies

[ES1987]

Hi guys

I've had my Polo TDI 1.6 for just over 2 years now with 143k on the clock.

The car started slowly losing water last year December and as time went along it continued to do so rapidly. I managed to find the issues and replaced almost all the plastic housings like the thermostat housing etc. and then everything ran smoothly. As soon as I was done reassembling what felt like the entire engine, car started fine and I immediately had another leak. This time from the water pump. I changed the water pump and did the timing belt as well.

Car ran smooth but I now have an oil leak but nothing major. I replaced the seal on the camshaft when I did the belt but I'm pretty sure it's leaking from there. I have not yet replaced it.

This morning my oil light came on and then the car just died. I was about 300m from work (I drive about 36km to work). I started the car up, it was okay for a few seconds and then the oil light came on. Car dies again. I just barely made it to work.

I checked the oil, it's very very low so I assume it's the problem. Is it normal for the car to die like that? i.e safety measure or should I be very concerned?

[ES1987]

So somehow my sump plug managed to unscrew itself whilst I was on the highway and all my oil was purged. That's what killed the engine. Purchased a new plug and new oil, car now starts fine but turbo whistles a lot louder than I remember when I drive.

I've read horror stories about the loud whistling... could this mean the turbo is on it's way out?

[chucker02]

Hello, if the car died by itself while driving it means the engine is seized. You might be able to drive it a bit but I can promise you the motor is done for. The turbo whistle is also a concern as it ran without oil so it will be damaged. I suggest you remove the oil filter and check for metal filings. I garauntee you will find some

[Jetta2]

That engine will need a complete rebuild at the very least.

If it lost the oil on the highway, the motor is done for. If you are very lucky, the head and cams and such might have survived, but I seriously doubt it.

[ES1987]

Hello, if the car died by itself while driving it means the engine is seized. You might be able to drive it a bit but I can promise you the motor is done for. The turbo whistle is also a concern as it ran without oil so it will be damaged. I suggest you remove the oil filter and check for metal filings. I garauntee you will find some

Thanks

I didn't notice any filings coming from the oil that came out of the sump, though. I poured in new oil and that's how I found out the sump plug was missing. Will still check the filter, though - oil should be clear enough to see something. The engine idles normally and the card drives fine so I hope there is not major damage. I still have a damn oil leak afterwards as well.

My first thoughts were also that the turbo's bearings must be damaged with the whistling.

I have a feeling this is going to be very expensive.

[ES1987]

That engine will need a complete rebuild at the very least.

If it lost the oil on the highway, the motor is done for. If you are very lucky, the head and cams and such might have survived, but I seriously doubt it.

Would it still be able to drive though? The car seems to drive fine and the idling is fine too. I don't think I drove more than 300m with the car before I stopped and had it towed. I suppose the best way to know is to actually take off the top and head and check.

[ES1987]

So the engine seems to be fine. I had the turbo refurbed, the timing belt, and the camshaft seal replaced.

This seems to have done the trick, though, there seems to be an oil leak through the camshaft seal (again) after it was replaced with the turbo about 3 weeks ago.

I'm really starting to hate this car right now.

List of things I've had to replace since I got my car in 2018:

Gear selector cable.
Battery (wrong battery in the car since the day I bought it from the dealers).
Timing belt kit.
Thermostat housing + water housing on engine block.
4 Valves due to oil loss.
1 Piston due to oil loss.
Welding up of head due to oil loss.
Straight bending of connecting rod by engineering company due to oil loss.
Turbo refurb due to oil loss.

Issues I still have with the car:

My car is very heavy on fuel OBD2 reader gives an error P0101 Mass or Volume Air Flow Circuit Range/Performance Problem. I have the flashing glow plug light and occasional engine light coming on due to this. Could just be the MAF sensor that needs replacement.
Cam shaft seal leak.
Air bag light stays on (this could just be a plug under the seat that is loose).

[Callum229]

As suggested above, find a reputable shop that specialises in VW and TDI engines, get it all done at once, then have thousand of kms of no issues.

Everything seems to be oil loss, I find it very hard to believe that the engine will have so much issues with oil loss when it is low mileage, even the 1.6 tdi engines.

How did you bend a rod and then deduce that the bent rod is due to oil loss?

So many questions, but it can all be fixed if the engine, from top to bottom is rebuilt and done professionally and then hopefully you should not have any issues.

Otherwise monitor your oil level constantly as the last thing you want is to grenade your engine.

[Jetta2]

My reply above still stands.....

That motor needs to be rebuilt properly from top to bottom by someone who knows what they are doing.

[Callum229]

My reply above still stands.....

That motor needs to be rebuilt properly from top to bottom by someone who knows what they are doing.

I 100% agree!

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