

| Subject: | Re: Oil pressure light in 1.9l at idle |
| From: | Don Hanson |
| Date: | Mon, 28 Nov 2011 07:33:23 -0800 |
If you get low oil pressure indications shortly after switching to a thinner oil and you had none before that, I would think just go back to the thicker oil. If you're worried about 'cold start' or cold temp operating issues, take a little more care on start up...don't just hit the key and pop the clutch or floor it in drive...Take it easy for a few miles. I have Autometer gauges in my inline VW motor...both Oil pressure and Oil temp. Watching the two, I see it takes a few miles of running before my oil arrives at it's normal operating range...pressure and temperature-wise. I put in some thinner oil for a short time and didn't care for the way it behaved. I consider oil pressure a very important thing...I want it to be right...with the thinner oils I've seen my high speed high load uphill oil pressure below where I like to see it...60psi, more or less. My hot oil idle is about 18psi...with 15-w-40..with 10-30 it drops a few lbs psi at idle and like 10psi at speed. A long steep uphill at very high speed really does translate to hotter oil and a drop in oil pressure. I didn't like that with thinner oil... Oil temp is very influential on your oil pressure....On startup, my OP is very high no matter what the viscosity of the oil. Thick or thin, it doesn't seem to make much difference in how fast the oil gains temperature, either, but once up to operating temp..it does matter...thin oil gives you lower oil pressures..
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