Technical Panda TwinAir slow to build oil pressure on cold start

[tadekk]

I noticed my Panda TwinAir is slow to build oil pressure on cold start. Unfortunately I don’t know when the problem started.

• The oil pressure light eventually goes off after about 2s
• The engine chatter quiets down when the light goes off, which makes me believe the pressure sensor is working OK
• If I re-start the car immediately afterwards (or whenever the engine is warm), the light goes off immediately
• The light never comes on during running (not even at low revs)
• The oil level is good, it was changed 3500 miles ago with correct Tutela 0W-30
• I put a fresh oil filter last week to troubleshoot, but it made no difference
• There are no errors lights or ECU codes in the MES

I have booked it into a Fiat specialist garage in two weeks time, but I’m a bit short of ideas I can try in the meantime.

Has anyone experienced this problem? A search of the forum didn’t yield anything.

 

[euroben]

I noticed my Panda TwinAir is slow to build oil pressure on cold start. Unfortunately I don’t know when the problem started.

• The oil pressure light eventually goes off after about 2s
• The engine chatter quiets down when the light goes off, which makes me believe the pressure sensor is working OK
• If I re-start the car immediately afterwards (or whenever the engine is warm), the light goes off immediately
• The light never comes on during running (not even at low revs)
• The oil level is good, it was changed 3500 miles ago with correct Tutela 0W-30
• I put a fresh oil filter last week to troubleshoot, but it made no difference
• There are no errors lights or ECU codes in the MES

I have booked it into a Fiat specialist garage in two weeks time, but I’m a bit short of ideas I can try in the meantime.

Has anyone experienced this problem? A search of the forum didn’t yield anything.

Are you sure the oil level is right? It is notoriously hard to read the dipstick on these because it is oil colour. Just because it was changed 3500 miles ago doesn’t mean it’s right. Some TA’s seem to burn through oil a bit- others don’t use any at all. The TA is very sensitive to the oil level not being correct.

 

[tadekk]

Are you sure the oil level is right? It is notoriously hard to read the dipstick on these because it is oil colour. Just because it was changed 3500 miles ago doesn’t mean it’s right. Some TA’s seem to burn through oil a bit- others don’t use any at all. The TA is very sensitive to the oil level not being correct.

Thanks, I check the oil level every month, and It’s currently at 3/4. It does not appear to be burning any oil. I only quoted mileage since last service, as I don’t believe the oil is “old/worn”.

 

[euroben]

Thanks, I check the oil level every month, and It’s currently at 3/4. It does not appear to be burning any oil. I only quoted mileage since last service, as I don’t believe the oil is “old/worn”.

Mine has oil pressure problems if the oil drops even slightly from full. You could try topping it up to full if you have any oil left and see if that resolves it. I would say to have used 1/4 of the oil in 3500 miles is quite a bit of oil consumption.