My oil pressure stablilizes just above 30psi now. It used to stay above 45psi.

When at a stop light it drops below 15 and into the red when I shift from N to D sometimes. It used to stay at 30psi at stop lights.

I am going to change my oil to make sure because it's about that time but it never drops like this even with old oil.

I ran over a rolled up tire tread on the highway the day noticed this but it didn't mess up my oil pan. The flat bottom of the pan just has a very very very slight curve inward now. Not enough to mess anything up at all. It just ripped the platic torque converter cover off the transmission.

How much clearance does the oil pump have from the bottom of the pan?

When I am under the car and it's running I think I can hear the oil pump but I don't know if they have a normal sound when they are running. It made this sound even when the oil pressure was good.

I recently bumped my fuel pressure to 50psi (5.7L TPI). Do you think that the extra gas is blowing past the old piston rings and "watering" down the oil? I guess I can smell the gas when I change the oil.

I am worried because many people say that they experienced a drop in pressure before something really major went wrong with their engine.

If anyone has any insight please tell me what you think.

Thanks.

sorry, long post

 

I'd start by replacing the gauge sending unit. They fail frequently. You may not have a pressure problem at all, just a metering problem.

The oil pump pickup clearance to the pan in a stock motor is usually between ¼" and ½".

You shouldn't be able to hear an oil pump, ever. They don't really make much noise.