ssm@cmu-ri-leg.ARPA (Sesh Murthy) (01/19/85)
Hello. It is me again with some more problems with my car a 1980 Volkswagen Dasher Diesel. I installed a Sears oil filter on my car. I then drove the car some 350 miles. When I tried to start next morning I found the oil light going on. On looking under then hood I found that the oil filter seal had bust open and that there was oil all over the place. I had the car towed in to Sears and they replaced the oil-filter and paid for the tow. However I think the compression is lower now as evidenced by the fact that the car takes longer to slow down when I take my foot off the accelerator. I suspect that this happened on the freeway and the oil light did not go on till the next day. I have several questions 1) What should I do to find out if the engine has really been damaged. If it has been will Sears pay me to get a new engine installed. 2) The guy at Sears told me later that this was a design defect with all Volkswagens and that the seal busts under some conditions. Is this true. Have others experienced this problem. In light of this what will Sears say if my engine is bust. Note that my Volkswagen dealer claims that it is the fault of the Sears filter. 3) Is 15W40 the right oil for the car. Several people told me that they used 10W40. Is this the cause of the problem. I doubt it but am looking for all possibilities. I have several unrelated questions. In the middle of the temperature gauge there is a red LED. When I drive my car on the freeway at 60 m.p.h. the temperature gauge goes to the middle. I was told that this is normal. However after about 100 miles the LED starts flashing. The problem disappears when I stop the car for about 20 minutes. I know that the radiator is not too hot because the water temperature is not too high. I can put my finger in the plastic container in the water. Also the hoses are not very hot. What does the flashing LED mean. It is driving me crazy and making me stop every 100 miles and nobody seems to be able to diagnose the problem. I would like to install cruise control on my car. Is it very difficult to do it myself. Also where could I buy the stuff cheapest. DOes anyone know of any mail order store. Lastly. I sent mail to someone asking about the price of new gasoline engines for my car. Does anyone know where I can get them. How much do they cost and how much is installation? Is it worth it. Thanks for taking the time to read me note. Hope I can be of help to you sometime. Sesh Murthy -- uucp: seismo!cmu-ri-leg!ssm arpa: ssm@cmu-ri-leg