P15A1 Engine oil pressure lower than the reference value

[LedZep]

This came up in highway when i accelerated.Service light and repair needed in dash.When i stopped in traffic light, shut down engine and start again and everything gone. In diagnostic report as follows. The oil i use is Raxol 0w30 https://www.raxol.eu/en/product/tiger-c2-psa-0w30/390/ and genuine PSA filter (Made in Tunisia..). 7.000 km on clock.Car has 133.000 km. There was another code P208E which i didn't know in 130k but i had already treat it with adblue additive. My hope is on oil pressure Control Solenoid https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPY75WRL_dE known to fail but i had nightmares about oil pumps last night. My VIN is VF3**************[VIN obfuscated, can be read by forum staff].

[GiveMeABreak]

Your oil grade is correct (0W30) and should meet the following PSA specifications: B71 2312.

Descriptor:

Fault Code:	P15A1 21
Description of Fault:	Engine oil circuit pressure: Value lower than setting. Description of the diagnostics: Oil pump pressure regulation fault: Engine oil pressure lower than the reference value. Conditions of activation of the diagnostics: Engine running.
Conditions for Fault to clear:	After switching the ignition off and then back on
Downgrade Modes whilst Fault is active:	Forcing of the control to place the oil pump at its maximum capacity. Switching on of the warning lamp and/or warning message: Engine oil low pressure warning lamp.
Symptoms:	Lack of power Engine hesitating, cutting out Starting problem Vibration
Suspect Areas:	Electrical harness Connectors Engine oil pressure and temperature sensor Oil sump Engine oil pump Oil pump regulation electrovalve Turbocharger lubrication circuit Oil filter Coolant/engine oil exchanger Engine oil level Engine sealing Main supply (Relay ; Fuses...) Power supply (Relay ; Fuses...)

[LedZep]

Thanks Marc.Car is well maintained from previous owner and me and in excellent condition without engine oil leaks or loose or wear connectors which i'll inspect again with fuses and relays.My guess is on solenoid i mentioned above or engine oil pressure sensor. I'm about to change timing belt which I was late to replace because i returned to part dealer the INA kit i bought, which water pump is known to fail and i'm waiting the new Continental kit. Maybe an old and slightly loose timing belt, caused an instant break to chain driven oil pump.It is not usual but i have to inspect it.
Hopefully not the oil pump or turbo lubrication circuit.There is no reason to fail because i change oil every 8-10k Km, but you never know as Murphy's law says. "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. If there is a possibility of several things going wrong, the one that will cause the most damage will be the one to go wrong."
Thanks again.

[LedZep]

Update.Low oil pressure is one of these things that nobody wants to see on dash and requires to fix it ASAP if you are lucky.So after checking the obvious things like oil filter good fit, oil regulator solenoid, oil pressure sensor e.t.c, i found where the 1 bar loss of pressure went after accelerating. Connector plug of oil temperature, level or whatever is it, nice and oily with 0w30.

https://streamable.com/sg88je

[GiveMeABreak]

It's your oil gauge - info replied to on your post on the parts thread.

[LedZep]

It's your oil gauge - info replied to on your post on the parts thread.

Thank you Flash..

[LedZep]

Update #2.
I'm updating the post cause i'm pretty sure that oil gauge wasn't the main reason. I changed the oil gauge. Car starts and everything looks ok. But i didn't test a ride in highway cause of tight schedule and i have other daily cars. I pressure test yesterday the faulty gauge and it seems ok.Nothing bubbles in connector plug pins when pressurized. Maybe it happens under increased engine temperature. After second thought i couldn't figure out how a small loss of pressure in oil pan (which isn't under serious pressure) can cause a dash oil pressure warning.The pressure sensor measures after oil pressure solenoid in oil filter passages. When i unplugged the oil gauge plug connector, it was some amount of oil that seemed to be there through penetration of oil gauge into plug connector resin and maybe cause a short to pins and trigger the warning. But it wasn't the only "smoking gun". The oil pressure solenoid, which was the main suspect seemed defect from high temperature coil as shown in picture. But it passed all the tests! I tested the ohms which was 11.1~3 (normal values 8-12), ground test and shorts and energize it with 12 v. Everything o.k. So it looks like show goes on..

[gwest]

I have had defective dephaser oil control solenoids in an EP6 turbo petrol engine that electrically tested ok but were mechanically defective. I cleaned the hydraulic component in an ultrasonic cleaner ( solenoid standing in a Vegemite jar half- filled with kerosene, bath filled with hot water). Had to change the kero several times). They have worked fine in the months following.

[LedZep]

I had the same thought that's why i did a good clean to oil regulator solenoid with brake cleaner.It was already in mint condition without oil dirt or metal swarf and tested ok with clear clicking when i energize it with 12v.But i didn't like the look of metal enclosure.It looks like defective from something. At the first opportunity i'll change it with an original one because they are known to go bad. I did around a 1k Km trip last days and everything looks o.k. I even simulated the driving conditions when the warning happened and nothing. So it looks that the oil gauge was the problem.

[MattSVK]

I am having identical problem but currently without any warning on the dashboard only in the Ecu Fault memory... Difference between actual and reference value is about 1 bar.

I would imagine that the part number is 9815631580?

[LedZep]

Update #3.
As a conclusion and final update for this matter, i confirm after continuously P15A1 fault more and more often, that the defect item is the oil valve solenoid/regulator 9815631580. A known issue in these engines with turbo and engine fatal damage just from this critical part. So, have in mind.

[MattSVK]

Well to be honest I never had any light on my dashboard.. Only few times saw it in Faults reading.

But it will be the next thing I will change for sure.
Thanks for the Update anyway!!