New Oil Level/Temp Sensor Doesn't Read Oil Temp???

[LongNosePete]

My oil level/temp sensor was working intermittently. When it quit working it would show an orange light on the dash indicating a bad oil level sensor and the oil temp gauge would go to 150 (the minimum temp on the gauge). So, I ordered a new sensor.

I was sent a new Meyle sensor. After installing it, the orange light never comes on indicating a bad oil sensor anymore, but the oil temp never moves off of 150 (the min temp on the gauge). I drove the car for a couple hundred miles over the period of a couple of weeks and this held true.

I got a second new Meyle sensor. After installing it, it does the same thing as the first new sensor... doesn't indicate a bad sensor on the dash, but doesn't read oil temp.

I installed the original Hella oil temp/level sensor again to make sure I didn't screw something up in the swaps. It behaves just like it did before, working intermittently, reading oil temp when it works (175+), but will show the oil level light on the dash when it quits working.

The intermittent sensor is a Hella (original AFAIK) PN 6PR 008 079 02, 1J0907660B
The 2 new Meyle sensors are PN 100 907 0000, K0124B1, 1J0907660B

I'm perplexed. If the new sensors behaved the same as the original I would believe I have a wiring problem. However, the old one works intermittently and the new ones don't read oil temp. Is there more than one version of this sensor??? The Meyle looks like a dupe of the Hella sensor, but I'm wondering if there are multiple versions and I have the wrong one.

The car is a 2001 6 speed.

Also, I have measured the oil temperature during the sensor swaps and it is 180+ (measured with a thermocouple), so I am 100% certain the oil is hot enough to register on the gauge.

Any ideas?

[Blue_S4]

i thought they were 2 separate sensors. I replaced the oil temp sensor and it works just fine now, never had a level problem.

heres the one i got. like 12 bucks.

http://www.ecstuning.com/stage/edpd/...viewimage.html

[RolledMySTi]

My guess is a bad sensor. Audisportb5s4 has the same issue iirc.

[LongNosePete]

i thought they were 2 separate sensors. I replaced the oil temp sensor and it works just fine now, never had a level problem.

heres the one i got. like 12 bucks.

http://www.ecstuning.com/stage/edpd/...viewimage.html

Hrm... nope.... definitely not the same as mine. Mine is on the bottom of the oil pan.

Your car is a 2000 S4 with auto?

[LongNosePete]

My guess is a bad sensor. Audisportb5s4 has the same issue iirc.

Interesting. I'm wondering if it is an issue with a batch of Meyle sensors...

[FrnkWhte]

OP, did you install the one on the bottom of the oil pan? I read about an issue with a certain brand of sensors for the 2000 models that actually didnt work. I'll try to find the post in a bit. Thing is that I have that sensor waiting right here to be installed when I do my next oil change but thinking I should return it for the one that has been working in the 2000/oem.

[AudiSportB5S4]

hey guys... I'll say what I can here... had the same issue, 2000MY and tried the Febi unit sold @ ECS... For 6 months no oil temps at all only if I cycled the key it would show it for a minute then go back down to 150... Next oil change I went with the OEM Unit manufactured by HELLA... Part Nmbr is 1J0907660B. Order it from http://www.trademotion.com/partlocat...?siteid=215021 to ensure you get the part correct. That site is the guy Carson@Riverside Audi if any of you know him from AW/QW. And in the end the Hella prevailed! Has worked like a charm for 6 months and counting since I installed it, literally the next minute I drove it was reading again.

[LongNosePete]

hey guys... I'll say what I can here... had the same issue, 2000MY and tried the Febi unit sold @ ECS... For 6 months no oil temps at all only if I cycled the key it would show it for a minute then go back down to 150... Next oil change I went with the OEM Unit manufactured by HELLA... Part Nmbr is 1J0907660B. Order it from http://www.trademotion.com/partlocat...?siteid=215021 to ensure you get the part correct. That site is the guy Carson@Riverside Audi if any of you know him from AW/QW. And in the end the Hella prevailed! Has worked like a charm for 6 months and counting since I installed it, literally the next minute I drove it was reading again.

Thanks for your help, guys. I have a new OEM one on order. I'll report back here when I get it installed.

[LongNosePete]

Thanks for your help, guys. I have a new OEM one on order. I'll report back here when I get it installed.

I got the genuine Hella sensor in today and installed it. Sure enough, within 10 miles of driving down the road it was reading oil temperature. Lesson learned... sometimes it pays to buy the genuine Audi parts. In this case the Meyle and the Febi units do not work.

[BlkdoutS4]

hey guys... I'll say what I can here... had the same issue, 2000MY and tried the Febi unit sold @ ECS... For 6 months no oil temps at all only if I cycled the key it would show it for a minute then go back down to 150... Next oil change I went with the OEM Unit manufactured by HELLA... Part Nmbr is 1J0907660B. Order it from http://www.trademotion.com/partlocat...?siteid=215021 to ensure you get the part correct. That site is the guy Carson@Riverside Audi if any of you know him from AW/QW. And in the end the Hella prevailed! Has worked like a charm for 6 months and counting since I installed it, literally the next minute I drove it was reading again.

i have this same problem after replacing my sensor with the one from ECS. i have just been ignoring it but i guess now i know its a bad sensor. thanks

[LongNosePete]

i have this same problem after replacing my sensor with the one from ECS. i have just been ignoring it but i guess now i know its a bad sensor. thanks

I got my Hella sensor from PureMotorsports...

Good luck.

[Kruat]

Back from the grave, I just fell victim to this. Just installed a Meyle sensor, and idiot light went away but oil gauge doesn't work. Guess I'll be getting a Hella sensor. I did mine while doing an oil change, so did you guys empty all the oil out before you changed it? I'm just wondering how much oil I'll loose if I don't drain it first.

[AudiSportB5S4]

Back from the grave, I just fell victim to this. Just installed a Meyle sensor, and idiot light went away but oil gauge doesn't work. Guess I'll be getting a Hella sensor. I did mine while doing an oil change, so did you guys empty all the oil out before you changed it? I'm just wondering how much oil I'll loose if I don't drain it first.

You would need to be superman to do it.. It's not worth it... Either deal with it for a few months to make yourself feel like you got something out of the oil change, or realize this car can be a whore and you have to drain it all, put the new sensor in and order new oil!

I waited 2K miles before doing it... I felt I had to get something out of the oil change, haha. . I wouldn't recommend supermanning it either because you want to make sure the o ring seats nicely and you wont do that with oil dripping (actually pouring) out.

[Kruat]

You would need to be superman to do it.. It's not worth it... Either deal with it for a few months to make yourself feel like you got something out of the oil change, or realize this car can be a whore and you have to drain it all, put the new sensor in and order new oil!

I waited 2K miles before doing it... I felt I had to get something out of the oil change, haha. . I wouldn't recommend supermanning it either because you want to make sure the o ring seats nicely and you wont do that with oil dripping (actually pouring) out.

Ya I kinda figured that. Oh-well, I guess I'll just wait a few months...damn audis, if it's not one thing....it's another...

[LongNosePete]

Silly guys, you don't have to put new oil in. Just make sure your container is clean when you drain it and make sure the area around the plug is clean (also realize all oil will go through the filter before circulating through the engine again). If I had put new oil in every time I changed the sensor I would have had $300 in oil or had to wait for like 3 years to figure out my issues.

Oh yeah.. I wouldn't try changing the sensor without draining the oil. I'm pretty sure you will get a bath.

Good luck. I got it down to changing the oil sensor in 15 minutes as I did it probably 6 times. Just run the front of the car up on a couple blocks.. you don't even have to jack it up.

[LongNosePete]

if it's not one thing....it's another...

BTW, what year is your car? Auto or stick? I'm curious what years and cars this effects exactly.

[black_bi-turbo]

Victim too of a non oem unit. Just replaced while i had my car on the lift and it doesn't work either. Ordered through my father's shop from worldpac. Great parts for everything else except this sensor, it seems. Will have to order oem i suppose. Mine would move slightly during the key cycle just like AudiSportB5S4.

[BlkdoutS4]

Has anyone contacted ECS or where ever you got the bad sensor from? it seems that enough people have had this problem that we could get some kind of compensation...?

[LongNosePete]

Has anyone contacted ECS or where ever you got the bad sensor from? it seems that enough people have had this problem that we could get some kind of compensation...?

I got my bad sensors from Performance Cafe. That was a disaster dealing with them... the whole ordeal took me about 2 months by the time I got my money back. The funny thing is I never ordered from them before, but I specifically ordered from them because they showed the Hella sensor on their website. In the end I will never order anything from them again because of the crappy customer service (nice on the phone, but sent me used sensors, forgot to ship sensors, I had to call multiple times to get my money back, etc. I basically had to baby sit them the whole way). They seemed intrigued by the problem, but didn't seem to indicate they would do anything to warn others that they might have the same issue. Also, last time I checked they still show the Hella sensor, when in reality they ship a Bilstein or Mahle sensor.

I got my new Hella sensor from Puremotorsports. I have ordered parts from them before and have had good luck with them.

To anyone who is going to order a sensor, I would definitely call and talk to someone to place your order to make sure you are getting a Hella sensor and not an aftermarket one.

BTW, it's not really ECS's fault... you really need to take it up with the manufacturer (Bilstein, Mahle, etc). However, I think it is BS that the vendors don't warn about the potential problem on their websites when selling the aftermarket units...

[BlkdoutS4]

i'm just gonna get a new Hella sensor from JHM when my next oil change is due.

[Kruat]

BTW, what year is your car? Auto or stick? I'm curious what years and cars this effects exactly.

01 6spd

[AudiSportB5S4]

I agree this isn't ECS's fault or wherever you bought the sensor from. The company that makes the product probably said this works on 2000-2002 S4s figuring it would work on all, but it obviously doesn't!

I returned my unit to ECS and they refunded me the money once they sent it out to Febi for testing. I mean, they should just note that these sensors won't work unless you have an 01.5 or 02.

I was the first to bother them with this problem because it drove me nuts, but I'm glad that I've been able to help a bunch others with this problem.

[BlkdoutS4]

ok so my Febi sensor didnt work and i just replaced it with a Hella sensor and it is doing the same thing... wont read the temp until i turn off the car, put the key in the on position, and then it slowly falls back down to 150.

any ideas? this is starting to really piss me off since i just spent 75 dollars on the sensor and about that much to change the oil while i was at it and it still doesnt work...

[thegame]

ok so my Febi sensor didnt work and i just replaced it with a Hella sensor and it is doing the same thing... wont read the temp until i turn off the car, put the key in the on position, and then it slowly falls back down to 150.

any ideas? this is starting to really piss me off since i just spent 75 dollars on the sensor and about that much to change the oil while i was at it and it still doesnt work...

Ditto. I have the same problem. It only reads when the key is in the ignition and then falls to below 0 when the car actually starts.

[BlkdoutS4]

anyone have any ideas? could the oil pressure sender have anything to do with it?

[BlkdoutS4]

bump. any ideas?

[FrnkWhte]

bump. any ideas?

Have you figured out your problem? I'm having the same problem.. Oil temp didnt work so I replaced it with a febi from ECS which didnt do squat. Noticed the problems people were having and ordered one from the dealer which is a Hella and its still not working.

[BlkdoutS4]

Have you figured out your problem? I'm having the same problem.. Oil temp didnt work so I replaced it with a febi from ECS which didnt do squat. Noticed the problems people were having and ordered one from the dealer which is a Hella and its still not working.

i ended up getting a stock oil temp sensor from someone parting out their car and havent had a problem since.

[tike0rz]

I had the same problem. My OEM one went, ordered from PureMS or ECS or something, and it only worked when I'd turn the key to AUX power, and only for a few seconds then it'd go back down to minimum.

I even had Autospeed try and fab it to work, to no avail.

I ended up going to the stealership and ordering a brand new OEM sensor.

[MonroeS4]

This post seems to have died a long time ago, but no clear cut answer. I replaced my sensor about '09 and had the same problem of temp not reading but level problem fixed. Mine was a Meyle unit. No big deal I thought as my water temp works and I don't drive my S4 hard anyway. Well the sensor now is leaking and since the car is in the shop for new turbos I want the mechanic to replace it but....I don't know what brand is reliable. My S4 is an early 2000 AT. Any new information would be appreciated. I did find that ECS now states both the Meyle and MTC brands "May not read oil temperature in some models"

I had the same problem. My OEM one went, ordered from PureMS or ECS or something, and it only worked when I'd turn the key to AUX power, and only for a few seconds then it'd go back down to minimum.

I even had Autospeed try and fab it to work, to no avail.

I ended up going to the stealership and ordering a brand new OEM sensor.

[MLJS4]

Have the same problem , won't read oil temp and oil sensor light stays on, and my climate control stopped working ? Very confused

[Monty23]

Its very simple, spend the extra $40 and get the Hella oil level sensor and you won't have a problem.

[AudiSportB5S4]

This post seems to have died a long time ago, but no clear cut answer. I replaced my sensor about '09 and had the same problem of temp not reading but level problem fixed. Mine was a Meyle unit. No big deal I thought as my water temp works and I don't drive my S4 hard anyway. Well the sensor now is leaking and since the car is in the shop for new turbos I want the mechanic to replace it but....I don't know what brand is reliable. My S4 is an early 2000 AT. Any new information would be appreciated. I did find that ECS now states both the Meyle and MTC brands "May not read oil temperature in some models"

Get the OEM Hella sensor... I found this out back whenever this was discovered and told ECS about noting that the aftermarket units don't read temps.

Either order from dealer, or when ordering from ECS just be certain you're getting the Hella one.

[Corbett]

BUMP! I just replaced my sensor that was not working. It was a hella sensor. I just picked up a brand new hella sensor and it's doing the exact same thing lol. No temp on the gauge until I turn the car off. Then I key it forward and temp shows then falls back down to lowest setting. I'm thinking it's just a bad hella sensor but figure I would see if anyone has any other ideas. Thanks

[MacDaddy]

would also like to know, i got an oil change coming up and i want to change the sensor out at the same time.

[rollerton]

I have this same problem on my 4.2 S6. 3 sensors later and it's exactly the same.

How the FUCK are you supposed to verify you get the right sensor?

edit; After about 40 minutes of driving the oil temp started to read for some reason. Odd though, cycling the key will still cause the gauges to read about 1/8" higher for 10 seconds then it slowly drops slightly.
I guess as long as it works .