Hello to all,

I have a 5 pot in my Fiat Marea HLX, and since I'm a bit of a fanatic for these engines (had Bravo HGT before), I had it rebuilt generally and all that, however a problem persists.

Upon a cold start after the car has been standing for longer then say 5-6 hrs, it starts right up, but oil pressure takes anywhere from 3 to 5 seconds to build up properly. You can hear the bearings and hydraulic lifters very clearly until the pressure builds up properly.

So why is that happening? Oil filter is new, oil is Shell HX7 10W-40 semisynth. I have a line of thinking that somewhere, something is not sealing right, letting the oil drain all back to sump while the car is sitting. Can that be the case?

On warm subsequent starts, if the car was sitting for less then 2 hrs, it builds up oil level instantly, less then a second when it starts.

Thank you very much for any info, and I hope I have put this topic in the right subforum.

Could it be the pressure relief valve in the oil pump not sealing ?

I am not completely familiar with lubrication system design in this engine, but by far on Fiat engines of similar design that I had, pressure relief valve (bypass valve) was located in the oil filter or am I wrong? I had a few problems with defective filters and valves which was resolved by changing the filter, could that be the case here?

Does the filter have a non drain valve in it?

Didnt really look in the filter that much while changing, sorry. But it should have one. I have a feeling it would be best to start from changing the filter for a new OEM filter, that should be the best quality possible, right?

Update: the problem is resolved! Fitted new Champion F103 filter as I could not get an OEM filter on short notice, and new Shell Helix HX7 10W-40 oil. Now even on cold starts from overnight, oil pressure is built up in under a second when she starts. You can still hear the slightest hint of lifter noise for a split second when it fires up, but that is normal, same as my old HGT was. No more clattering and rubbing for 3-5 seconds on cold starts.

I guess in the end the oil filter was defective, letting the oil drain back into the sump overnight.

So if this may help anyone with similar problems in the future, here it is.