Patent ID: 7946388

Claim:
An oil pan apparatus having an oil pan cover, which has an internal space for storing lubricating oil for a lubrication target mechanism, and an oil pan separator, which is positioned in the internal space so as to form a first chamber and a second chamber within the internal space, the second chamber being adjacent to the first chamber, wherein the oil pan separator includes an oil communication path for permitting the interchange of oil between the first chamber and the second chamber, and wherein the oil communication path includes a valve mechanism for controlling the interchange of oil in the oil communication path between the first chamber and the second chamber in accordance with the operation of the lubrication target mechanism, the oil pan apparatus comprising: an oil temperature sensor configured to output a signal in accordance with the oil temperature in the first chamber and/or the second chamber; a judgment section configured so as to judge from an output generated by the oil temperature sensor whether any abnormality exists in the valve mechanism, the judgment section comprising: an interface connected between the oil temperature sensor and a warning lamp; and a CPU connected to the interface and configured to illuminate the warning lamp based on a maximum rate of oil temperature rise from an initial temperature of the second chamber after an elapsed predetermined time from engine startup or a minimum rate of oil temperature rise from the initial temperature of the second chamber, before the elapsed predetermined time from engine startup.