Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

I had a 3 year old BMW 323I back in the 80s and suddenly the oil failed, but I noticed it and on removing the sump, found that the oh so perfect Germans had not done the pick up pipe bolts up tight enough and after tightening the pressure was back.

The 944s Achilles heel is the pickup pipe, which cracks and lose almost all pressure. You can get home by over-filling until the pressure returns. I haven't ever heard of a partial failure, reducing oil pressure.

Another clue: does the oil pressure rise by a good two BAR when you accelerate the engine to 4,000+RPM (arbitrary figure, but you get the gist).