So, as many other people have experienced, I too have gotten the "low oil pressure, shut it tf off" message come up on my dashboard (I refuse to call it the acronym assigned to it.)

I replaced the sending unit. No change.
Remove the screen (it wasn't that bad.) No change.
Checked the pressure via mechanical gauge. No change, it was dropping off as shown by the dash gauge.
Dropped the pan, replaced the o-ring, which wasn't great. Did a fresh filter and new oil. Thought it was okay, then a day later the issue showed up again.
Began to do a DoD delete job, and found some odd things as I tore it down.

As I started to pull the engine apart, I realized that someone else had this engine apart. Like, just before I bought it. I bought it as a trade-in from a local dealership June of 2019. The previous owner, or maybe even the dealership, pulled the heads off it, cleaned up the block and heads (did a hell of a good job, too!) and reassembled it with new lifters. I know that it hadn't been together long because the head gaskets hasn't been on there long enough to bite into the block. When I pulled the oil pump apart that there were scratch marks inside of it (I will post pics) which is why the pressure is dropping badly, but it only shows up once the oil was hot and thinned out sufficiently to get around the pump gears.

I ended up yanking the engine, because I need to have a better look at it. I'm certain that there is debris in all the galleys and crap, so I'll get to rip it apart and flush those, too. Way easier to do it on the stand than in the truck. I'm going to be ditching the DoD/VVT, too.

Pics of the pump will be posted up shortly. I'm wondering if there was a lifter failure, and some of the debris made it's way into the oil pump, and they just replaced the DoD parts but never thought to check the pump. Hope this helps someone else in their troubleshooting.

 

Let us hear if the cam is hard to remove...

 

Probably did the work right before they traded it in.

 

It was not hard to remove, actually came out with zero issue.

 

I would have been livid if I spent the coin on fixing it, just to get nowhere. I mean, all things considered, the truck isn't bad. The interior is very clean, the exterior is okay. I've been trying to hit the engine compartment with POR-15 as I have had time, to slow down rust.

 

Can you get a look at the middle cam bearing for the VVT oil feed?

 

I didn't forget about this. I'll try to get pics of the middle cam bearing today.

I finished up the engine swap on the truck on Sunday. Drove it down the street, watched it overheat (because I didn't tighten down the radiator cap ) but just a little bit. It hit like 225 or so, I cranked the heat and headed back home. Added coolant, started it, looked good.

Then, no start. Just nothing. This rail does NOT have a schrader valve on it, so that was awesome. Didn't hear the pump come on. Even went in through VCM Scanner and told it to go full tilt, but no noise. Removed the fuel line from the rail, firing it into an empty oil jug, zero flow. So... cool... dead fuel pump. WITH A FULL TANK OF FUEL. Instead of fighting with that, I just pulled the bed off (that was SO EASY!) After $250 on the new pump, $10 for a new ring, and now $60 in various fittings, it will probably live again today.


Surveying the situation

Rusted-*** pump.

New pump in the tank, with the busted fitting lingering around.