[Es2] still no progress with oil problem

[Ben Klumper]

Well I'm getting quite frustrated now...after determining that the oil pick-up tube was good and having removed the unecessary oil baffle, I replaced the pan, filled it with fresh oil (a litre of which leaked on the garage floor because I forgot to connect the turbo return line) and cranked it up. Same problem - no pressure and frothy oil on the dipstick. Interestingly, during the 30-45 seconds that I let the engine idle, I removed the filler cap to see if there was oil splashing around, and there wasn't. However, the engine did not stall. Pulled the dipstick and it kept running. I thought that when the filler cap was removed, the engine would die. Isn't that what normally happens? Is this a clue of some sort?
Incidentally, I also checked the compression today:

cyl. 1 - 134 psi
cyl. 2 - 135 psi
cyl. 3 - 138 psi
cyl. 4 - 134 psi
cyl. 5 - 135 psi

Well within the normal compression. So now I'm stuck. Not sure what to check next. Perhaps I'll try a replacement oil pump. Anyone have one that is known to be working?

Ben