i took my 96 Z28 to the chevy dealership last week after 2 months of banging my head trying to figure out whats wrong with it. i got a call this morning and the guy told me the problems they found, a broken and malfunctioning temp sensor which is no big deal, messed up maf, and that my oil pressure is dropping down to 4 psi and the lifters start tickingwhen engine tempreaches normal. he said that they couldn't find any electrical reason why the psi is dropping so low and said that it may be an internal thing and that i might need to replace the engine, i think hes full of crap because i have more than good compression in all cylinders and i have no leaks, out side or in the water jacket. the only thing that i can think of that would make the oil psi drop is a bad sending unit or bad pump. is there any chance that there is something else that couldcause a drop that low in oil pressure? i really freaked out when he said all that cause i have no way at all to replace the engine.

 

bwahahahahaha
electrical reason for the oil to drop? u must have one of those new nifty electrical oil pumps [&:]

dealerships ALWAYS say you need a new engine.... "your oil is too dark.... time to replace that engine" [:'(]

2nd opinion ftw

 

We really need a "Don't take your car to a dealership for a repair" sticky...[&:]

A dealership is only trying to rip you off...tell the dealership you would like them to stop work on your car so you can take it to another shop to get a second opinion.

 

They may have been referring to the "reading" issue of your oil pressure....the electrical oil gauge. I really doubt the mechanic would have been referring to the oil pump. Anyone with an ounce of knowledge knows it's mechanical. The only deadly accurate way to know your true oil pressure is with a mechanical gauge. And good compression and lack of leaks doesn't mean diddly as far as oil pressure is concerned. To be on the safe side, I wouldn't totally rule out internal issues yet. It is a possibility since you hear the lifters clacking when the oil pressure drops. If it is internal, it would be excessively worn main and/or rod bearings. Loose bearing tolerances is what drops your pressure. Although some may say there's no such thing as a "cure in a bottle", you could put some oil treatment (STP) and/or run thicker oil in your crankcase, and see if that helps. Basically, the thicker oil could tighten the bearing tolerances (in a manner of speaking) and prevent such a drastic drop. If your engine is that bad, you have nothing to lose at this point. And if thicker oil does the trick, you'll know the issue is bad bearings.

 

i thoguht about that..... but then again, anyone with an ounce of mechanical sense knows you dont replace the engine for a little bit of everyday lifter tick..... brand spankin new lt1's do that [&:]

 

That may be so Spec, but when an engine gets noisy after the oil pressure drops way low....uh-oh is the first thing that comes to mind!

 

it was my opinion that his motor is fine. but my advice was that he get a 2nd opinion before he lets those guys charge him around 10k for a new drivetrain