Re: low oil pressure when cold

[Neil Trama <tramane@actonline.com.au>]

Andrei Kogan wrote:
> 
> Dear listers,
> a strange thing is happening with our 90q sometimes -- occasionally, when
> the car is cold,  we get a warning beep and the low oil pressure is
> signaled. The oil level is normal. Seems to happen more under heavy (>4k
> rpm) acceleration. Never occurs when warm/hot.
> 
> ??? any ideas ??? boy do I miss the oil pressure gauge.
> 
> THanks, Andrei
> 
> as usual, please cc: to abk@phy.duke.edu

Andrei,
      Assuming that you actually do have a pressure problem (check with
gauge). The most likely cause is a damaged oil pan which has moved the
pan too close to the oil pump pickup. The thicker cold oil has trouble
getting through the remaining gap when cold but is OK when hot when the
oil flows more freely. The other, less likely possibility is a leaking
pickup tube. In this case, more air bubbles get into the system when
cold because of the difficulty of picking up the thicker oil.
                                                       Neil