95 civic, d16z6, stock, noturbo, freshly rebuilt bottom end

So ever since it got cold, I've noticed a problem.

Whenever I am starting the car and it hasnt been run that day, the oil pressure idiot light stays on for a god 10-15 seconds before going out after the engine fires up.

It is an oil pressure issue because for those first few seconds you can hear what sounds like a dry rocker arm doing a little tapping sometimes. It goes smooth as soon as that light vanishes.

Oil is still pretty clean, about 2000 miles on it since the last change at 500 miles when the engine was broken in, filter is new too.

Any ideas? Should I be worried? I never start it up cold and drive away, I always let it warm up at idle for a while first.

Comp test on the motor at about 1000 miles was 210psi on all 4. It does burn oil, but I beleive the majority of it is a valve cover leak, and its minimal. In 3 weeks of daily driving I burn about 1/2 quart. It burns it at first take off when its not quite completely warmed up, and i think thats about, cept for when it leaks from the valvecover, which I need to get fixed up.

 

depending on what u consider cold, oil gets really goopy in the cold sorta like honey and thicker so it takes time to go around

 

Run thinner oil in the winter.

 

you could get a block heater to keep the oil nice and warm

 

its almost oil change time, ill just go down to 5w30 and see if it helps.

im running 10w30 now.

 

NA = 5w30, year round, unless your in a desert.

 

even if you were running gear oil and it was minus 30 outside. the oil light wouldn't stay on for that long. The idiot light only comes on when you have less then ~4psi of oil pressure. Get a oil pressure guage, you most likely have some oil pressure problems

 

well i know there's obviously an oil pressure problem, I already said that, the question was what or why...It only goes on during that startup. The oil pressure gauge may very well be coming soon tho, cause this is disturbing.

 

Spenser, your saying 4 quarts of ---- thicker than lard is gonna pump through the motor right away?

 

with the freshly rebuilt bottom end was their a New oil pump? Put a gauge on it see how bad it is when warm.