Extreme cold = low oil pressure ?
 

So today is -23C here in montreal, i made a valve cover job a few month ago so no more oil smell since then. but today after driving a few minute a burning oil smell came... then i went home and the car suddenly shut down, i restart it and it didnt start.. i then start and press gas at same time and it start... could it be oil pressure .. or it have something to do with extreme cold ? that make something go wrong with valve cover , then oil leak, and then low oil pressure ?


EDIT: before i did the valve cover job, everytime is around -20C the car would never start , i went threw this situation a few time.. (battery wasnt the problem)


i suspect the same situation happen today... oil leak + too cold = low pressure ?



it seem like when its too cold (-20C), something blow the valve cover valve and make it leak, does it make sense ?

Could be your CCV system is involved. Have you done any maintenance there?
If you get the car to a warm garage does the situation change? Cold weather always seems to bring up issues that weren't issues when it was warmer.
I'd also check fuel pressure and vacuum leaks. Lots of o-rings and gaskets shrink or get more brittle when it's cold.

-yeah i did the ccv during winter a couple year ago, and didnt notice any difference at the time between the before/after lol...


when i use to have valve cover oil leak , the car wouldnt start at -20C but if i wait couple days when its warmer around 0 it would start like a charm...


i dont have tool to check pressure, i guess i have to make a tour to a garage, i hope its not the valve cover gasket.. as i just did it during spring... but i guess the chance are here since i smell a burning smell ... only today since the repair

If a car stops running due to low oil pressure, the engine is usually fucked at that point. So the short answer is if it restarted, I doubt low oil pressure is your issue.

It sounds like in extreme cold, you're running into gaskets failing and causing a vacuum leak. Which would cause the engine to die.

something like that ...




it stall right when i made a turn to the driveway so i was halfway of the driveway, wouldnt restart untill i turn key and press gas at same time, drive a few inch turn the key off ASAP lol

That's big vacuum leak behavior. Obviously not great, but more benign. I'd also investigate whether you have another vacuum leak. It's easy to check the intake elbow for cracks.

Low oil pressure behavior is spun rod bearings/seized engine and/or rods hanging out the side of the block. You might hear the lifters get noisy first.

what funny its it start when i first leave home (i guess at that time to gasket didnt fail).... sound like... start in extreme cold = make valve gasket fail ( start of burning smell after few miles)... so it mean vacuum leak and then car stall and wont restart..

When the car is cold, it runs in open loop mode. So the impact of a vacuum leak is much less.

Check oil levels and unplug the MAF and see if you get any satisfaction on starting.

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pretty much sure oil level its lower then it was this morning since i smell burning oil...

The amount of oil required to make a burning smell is minuscule. The oil level must go WAY down in order to impact oil pressure in normal driving.

good to know, actually my driveway is in a incline so it would not be accurate and i dont want to move my car in case it stall

Can the vacuum leak make it hard to start as colder as it get ? i mean in summer or -15C the car would start right away ...

Do you have oil driping out the exhaust,and black smoke?

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Ok I think i was wrong, its not burning oil smell, when i start this morning, there was ton of white smoke coming out of the exhaust and a burning smell, maybe plastic ? i dont know but its smell bad,m i immediately turn off the car and call a towing

Kinda like a hand sanitizer smell?

Possible coolant being burned in the cylinder.

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I domt know, i tow the car at the garage, the guy floor it the pedal, and their wasnt that much smoke, almost look normal, he think maybe i flood it when i start and press gas the other day.. he say ots not a big deal and the smoke its blue

Oil smoke is blue, Coolant smoke is white and smells sweet and a rich condition smoke is black and will burn your eyes.

Vacuum leaks don't come and go. Engine should go from open loop to closed in about a minute or less. A closed loop indicator is when the engine drops to a normal idle after a cold start. At an idle the loss of proper vacuum will be most prominent. Smoke test is the best practice to find a vacuum leak if it isn't obvious. There are several examples of how to make an inexpensive smoke tester on youTube. I made one from the video using a paint can and a propane pressure adjuster, has never failed me. I think it was made by the fifties guy.

If you aren't using a zero-20 weight oil in very cold weather that will cause the oil pressure to be low after a cold start but it shouldn't take that long to become normal. Must be sure the oil is not low. Don't assume it is low, verify one way or the other. Normally, if the oil is very low the engine will clatter especially after a cold start in cold weather. A valve cover leak would have to be huge one to lose a lot of oil in week or two.

Even though you addressed the CCV a few years ago it still could be a problem especially if you seldom drive more than 25 miles before it is shut off and not started again for several hours. The oil won't get hot enough to evaporate the condensation. Check the oil to see if there is an indication of coolant and the coolant for traces of oil. If it is very hard to remove the oil fill cap when engine is running that is a symptom of bad CCV.

I don't think the stalling has anything to do with oil pressure. Sounds to me like a air/fuel ratio issue. That would lead me to an MAF problem, O2 sensor or idle control valve, or certainly a vacuum leak. I don't think if is low fuel pressure or you would have the starting issue with cold start or otherwise.

Have you checked for error codes? The shop said it was not a serious problem when it could stall and not start when you are out in the boonies or on a busy freeway?

You are right might be air fuel ratio, bcause my fuel consuption is really high.

By not serious problem, he mean its not a blown engine or overheating, he just made a quick check by flooring the pedal as he was busy and i went i rush to his garage without a appointment, he would make a real check up tommorrow

bad news... he found nothing, he say everything look fine lol

So how does he explain the stalling? That's certainly not all right. Did he scan for codes?

he told me it might be maybe a electronic/ECU bug that make the car shut down, didnt ask about the code... i guess i gotta have to find out myself which is like looking for a needle in the haystack

You need a code reader.

Any code reader recommandation ?

A must have 'tool' for a DIYer is a code reader. That is the first thing to do when there is a problem. Though codes are often directional rather than definitive they will certainly narrow down troubleshooting to the core issue. I use the Foxwell 510 elite. 530 is the newer version and you can buy multiple software to cover other brands. The features are the same.
https://www.foxwellstore.com/service...0-scanner.html

Spark plugs don't lie. I would pull a couple of plugs and read them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVCs5gWLUyI