it happened with some ls2 gtos I believe during hard cornering. The oil pan lacked baffles and the oil would go to one side and the pick up tube would run dry. The solution was to add an extra half qt or oil to prevent this. I do this in my ls1 gto also.

 

@grinder11 @G Atsma you guys misunderstood what I was saying. And I was not the one to make the claim about running the Sump dry with the high volume pump. I simply asked how you would know if you were close because it was stated that it was never close, indicating knowing how far away it was. All I wanted to know was how it was possible to see how close or far you ever were. I was not making a claim that it's possible to run the Sump dry, nor was I trying to make myself look smart or witty.

 

You're right. It was 66OldsLS who mentioned sucking the pan dry. Sorry if I misappropriated that.
I'm not sure there is any good way to detect if/when the oil level is close to gone short of some kind of float arrangement.

 

I was thinking about this issue with the front Sump in GTOs. Run an extra .5 to 1qt of oil to prevent it. Sorry, this isn't related to the issue you mentioned.

https://ls1tech.com/forums/pontiac-gto-2004-2006/1749675-road-racing-oil-starvation.html

 

Abs, I also apologize for assuming you were the OP. However, I stand by the rest of what I've been saying. The LSA engine and the LS9 BOTH use a much higher volume pump than the 10296, and I believe both also have piston oil squirters, which pump oil directly away from the pan. Neither, AFAIK, have any issues with pumping the pan dry. So if they have no issues with that using a 2 gallon/minute greater volume pump, I dont see how a 10296 could come close to pumping the pan dry.

 

Here's some info on the Melling Oil Pumps if anyone is interested. And their prices on rockauto for reference.

Melling M295 - Standard volume - $70
Melling 10295 - 10 PSI Higher Pressure Over Stock; Includes Optional Standard And +25 PSI Pressure Springs - $142
Melling 10296 - 18% Higher Volume High Performance Oil Pump; 10 PSI Higher Pressure - $189

Is standard volume enough for a cam swap?

Both 10295 and 10296 both say 10 PSI higher pressure. So maybe their PSI is the same but the 10295 delivers standard volume and 10296 delivers 18% more?

Last question. All of these are shown to include two oil tube pickup gaskets/rings. One is black and the other is lighter. I am colorblind so to me it looks tan. Which one do you use? For reference, I have an 04 gto with the ls1.

 

Hey Abs- On the O-rings, go by thickness. The difference is obvious.
If the pickup tube has a groove in it near the end that goes in the pump, use the thicker one. It rides in the groove.
If the pipe is straight tubing (no groove) then use the thinner one,
That's all there's to it. No black magic.
And the Melling 10295 is the hot ticket on pumps for the majority of LS engines.

 

That’s what I had heard, guess I learned that it’s not something that really happens.