A LOW TIME C177RG PVT PLT LOSES ENG OIL PRSSURE AND QUANTITY; DIVERTS AND MAKES AN EMER GPS APCH TO SUW; WI.

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ANOTHER PLT AND I HAD AN EMER IN A CESSNA 177RG. WE LOST ALL OIL PRESSURE AS WE WERE STARTING TO RETURN FROM DLH AFTER REALIZING THAT WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO GET IN (100 AND 1/4 ). WE WERE ABLE TO GET IT INTO SUPERIOR; WI ON THE GPS APCH. THE MECHANIC AT THAT ARPT BELIEVES WE BLEW A GASKET. THERE WAS APPROX 2 QUARTS OF OIL IN THE ENGINE AFTER WE LANDED. FULL DETAILS: WE WERE HOLDING OVER THE OM FOR THE ILS 27 INTO DULUTH. EVEN THOUGH THE OIL TEMP HAD RUN HOT THE ENTIRE TRIP (WE HAVE BEEN HAVING A PROB WITH THE OIL TEMP RUNNING AT THE HIGH END OF THE GREEN); IT WAS NOW IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GREEN. AFTER ABOUT 20 MINS OF HOLDING; WE DECIDED THAT IT WAS NOT OUR DAY TO GET INTO DULUTH; AND DECIDED TO TURN FOR HOME. LESSON ONE: INCLUDE ENGINE INSTRUMENTS IN YOUR SCAN: WHEN I CHECKED THE OIL PRESSURE; IT WAS READING 0; PEGGED AT THE FAR LEFT SIDE. I SAT THERE DUMBFOUNDED FOR A FEW SECONDS; NOT BELIEVING THAT I HAD AN ISSUE. AFTER ALL; THE ENGINE WAS STILL RUNNING WELL; WITH NO SIGN OF AN IMPENDING FAILURE. WHILE I KNOW THAT I CHECK THE ENGINE INSTRUMENTS SEVERAL TIMES ON EVERY FLT; I CAN NOT SAY FOR SURE WHETHER THEY ARE ACTUALLY PART OF MY SCAN. LESSON TWO: CONFESS: I LET APCH KNOW THAT I HAD LOST OIL PRESSURE AND DECLARED AN EMR. THEY IMMEDIATELY GAVE ME VECTORS TO SUPERIOR (CLOSEST ARPT) AND STARTED SCRAMBLING TO CHECK WEATHER AT ALL OF THE NEAREST ARPTS. SUPERIOR WAS NOT AT 400. WE COULD MAKE OUT THE GND BELOW US BETWEEN THE BROKEN CLOUDS; BUT NEVER SAW THE ARPT. THEY ALLOWED US TO TALK A FEW THINGS THROUGH WITH MY INSTRUCTOR OVER APCH FREQ. LESSON THREE: THE GARMIN 430 POSSIBLY SAVES OUR LIVES: THE SITUATIONAL AWARENESS PROVIDED BY THE GARMINS HELPED US GET THE PLANE ON THE GND. MY INSTRUMENT RATED PAX IMMEDIATELY WENT TO WORK SETTING UP THE GPS FOR A GPS 31 APCH INTO SUW. IT REALLY HELPED HAVING AN INSTRUMENT RATED PLT IN THE RIGHT SEAT. WE FLEW AN EXTREMELY HIGH APCH AND BASICALLY DESCENDED PWR OFF; RIGHT INTO THE FIELD. THE ENGINE WAS STILL THERE IF I NEEDED IT. WITHOUT THE GARMIN; WE WOULD HAVE HAD TO SHOOT AN NDB APCH TO BELOW MINIMUMS (1000 AND 1). WITH THE GPS WE WERE LEGAL TO 400 FT. WE BROKE OUT AND HAD THE FIELD ABOVE 600. WE DID NOT FLY THE COMPLETE APCH. UNDER PIC EMER AUTHORITY; WE USED THE MOVING MAP TO TURN FINAL INSIDE THE INITIAL APCH FIX. WE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO THAT NEARLY AS EASILY WITH CONVENTIONAL INSTRUMENTS. LESSON FOUR: FLY THE PLANE: WE HAD ENOUGH TROUBLE WITH 2 INSTRUMENT RATED PLTS ON BOARD. I WAS CONCERNED WITH BEST GLIDE AND FLYING THE AIRPLANE. OTHER PLT; PAX HANDLED SETTING UP THE GARMIN. I NOW UNDERSTAND HOW EASY IT IS TO BE OVERLY DISTRACTED IN THIS SIT. I DELIBERATELY LEFT THE GEAR UP TO DECREASE DRAG. WHEN THE GEAR WARNING HORN WAS GOING OFF DURING DESCENT; I THOUGHT IT WAS AN OM AND IGNORED IT. PAX REMINDED ME TO PUT THE GEAR DOWN. WE BROKE OUT AND STAYED HIGH UNTIL WE HAD THE RWY IN SIGHT; DROPPED FLAPS AND FLEW A PWR OFF APCH.