A week ago I got a low oil pressure warning fault plus the sound of a poorly running engine. Stopped her and let her sit, checked the oil etc, all was fine. Fired her up, no problems and was able to drive home.

I finally found time to crawl under and take the oil pan off, and I nearly crapped myself... The pan had metal on the bottom. At first it looked like metal anyways . There was a tiny bit of metal but that is probably from the chain ridding the metal part of the tensioner when the plastic part fell off. The plastic cap of the tensioner got ground up real well, lots of bits and pieces. The other stuff clogging the catch screen puzzles me, it looked like metal and nearly gave me a heart attack but is actually rubbery. It did not look like the permatex that I used, and is just kinda strange.

So, question . I am trying remove that cap over the catch screen so I can remove all the junk. It is plastic so I'm afraid I might break it. Has anyone opened one up before? As always, thanks in advance!

 

Well, nvm. I was able to wash most of it out using hot water and soap. I let it dry and put it back on. There was a lot of junk, she runs much better now, no ticks!

 

Great job. I wonder what that was on the screen. I've seen quite a few VW's with clogged oil pick-up screens. I attribute those to the 10,000 mile oil change intervals and maybe inferior oil. If your screen washed off with soap and hot water, I guess it was not silicone or gasket material. Right?

 

What was on the screen was bits of exploded tensioner cap and rubbery metallic looking pieces. I did put permatex on the valve cover and timing cover gaskets to ensure a good seal, maybe bits and pieces of that found its way into the oil system. The funny thing is the stuff I used was very dark gray, this stuff looked metallic, maybe exposure to the oil made it look that way. Anyways, I'm just glad she is back on the road .

 

To set your mind at ease Scott, the bedplate is sealed with Loctite Ultra Grey sealant 5699. This is the stuff your found in the screen, it must be. To confirm this, look at the side of the block where the bedplate joins the upper cylinder block, you'll see the sealant pushed out all the way around the engine. No worries.