As the days get colder here in VA, I'm noticing something that I'm not sure I should be concerned about and was hoping for a little confirmation from you all in the colder states.

A little background:
I've never been one to let my car sit and warm up. I start it up, put my seat-belt on, put in a CD, etc (i.e. I give the car 10 or 15 seconds to idle) then I drive gently at low RPM. The thought is that I want ALL of the drivetrain components to warm up at the same, not just the engine. I think letting the car sit and 'warm-up' is bad to an extent because while the engine may be warm, the tranny and diff are still cold, so if you go out and lay into it with your nice warm engine, you're putting additional, excessive wear on the drivetrain behind the engine.

So, what I've noticed is that even on just 'cool' mornings (temps in the 50's), my oil pressure will shoot up to or above 120 if I go over about 3K rpm. I have synthetic oil in the car (Mobil 1), and I'm wondering a few things....

a) are the brief periods of high oil pressure dangerous or at least detrimental to the engine?

and

b) are the high pressures the result of the viscosity properties of synthetic oil?

Thanks for any replies!!!

 

Let the car warm up for a few minutes, and even when you do that, take it easy and keep the rpms low until you are in the normal temperature range.

If you would rather not sit that long, waiting at least 30 seconds should be fine, just take it easy, as mentioned above.

The cold does prolong the warm up a little, and cause the oil pressure to remain higher until it heats up, which is due to the viscosity at colder temps. It really doesn't make much difference if its Dino or Synthetic, they both react similarly to cold temperature.

 

there is a cold weather oil that is out that could help with this problem. quakerstate makes it.

 

You're from Chicago and I know it gets damn cold there, do you experience the problem? It got pretty cold here a couple of times (once it hit 11degrees) and I haven't noticed any problems with the oil. I also use sythenic mobile 1.

 

I guess my questions are still, does anyone else experience these high pressures when it's cold, and are they detrimental to the health of the engine....

 

Just don't floor the gas and drive like crazy when the engine is cold, and you'll be fine. Keep the revs low until the engine oil pressure is within the normal working range.

 

not only that...dont idle for too long...you start to get more **** sitting around the pistons i beleive...i just heard its not good for the engine if it is sitting at idle for long periods of time....like the morning warm up of the car...puts alot of work on the engine..better off driving the car slowly after u start it up...its winter you should be driving slow anywayz...everyone knows that tires get rock solid during the winter...soo be carefull no summer enthusiast driving....

Ben

 

Kelly...(right?) I'm trying to remember the VA names when I see them...Yeah I experience the same high oil pressures when it's cold. Definitely noticed this morning. And, I'm not an expert but I don't believe it is not detrimental to the engince as long you drive conservatively. (experienced the same with my Probe and it was always outside)

 

Well that's comforting to hear, thanks. I drive as conservatively as possible when it's cold. Seeing that pressure needle climb just makes me nervous, so I keep it down as low as possible. This car seems to take an exceptionally long time to warm up. My Probe seems warm in a matter of minutes.

Oh, yeah, you got the name right!

 

It was 27 degrees this morning and my oil pressure was very high to at first. I would rev to 3,500 before shifting and it would be around 120, but after 5 min it gradually warmed up until the oil pressure was back to normal. I wish our z's had what the e46 m3 has. It has lights that light up along the rpm band in different colors from green to yellow then red and it gradually goes away as the car warms up. Basically telling you how high u can rev. Pretty cool.

 

My suggestion, drive slowly at first and just keep driving until you reach the West Coast. Once you arrive, send for your belongings and never go back to the frigid East.

 

Letting the car idle for more than a couple minutes is pretty shitty on your engine. I usually give it about a minute, then take it easy for another 5-10 before I even think about doing anything else

 

Ohhhh there's always one joker in the crowd.

 

i notice the oil is kind high when start up in early winter moring. i have the same problem as you but i am not worried about that as long as i warm it up and take it slowly my z would be fine!!if you don't want to wait in the morning, so just not to past 3500 rpm until the temperture is up to normal level.

 

I have the same problem with the oil presure going up past 120 on cold morning, which really ruins my 1 mile commute to the train station...did i mention i always run late in the mornings? driving fast to the train was my only way to make up time, but now that it's cold out, i expect to have to drive slower and miss more trains...and drive into work. Good thing I have heated seats!