i have a z28 4bbl 305 1986 camaro sometimes the oil pressure drops all the way to the line at the red and sometimes it holds steady at 30psi why does it drop down do i have a leak or is this just normal

 

oil preasure is dependent on engine speed. rule of thumb is 10 psi per 1000 rpm. the factory gauges aren't known for high accuracey or reliability. screw a mechanical gauge in the block somewhere and see what you have.

 

there was a bulletin about the 86 camaro's and oil pressure. on the gauge, the red line went almost to the 15psi mark. well, G.M.'s fix for this is a new gauge to put in place of the old one, red line didn't go up as far...(i tried to price the updated gauge, it is no longer avail.). GM says 6psi at idle is plenty. best of luck, tom