Jeff 97 Formula

What are the symptoms of the pickup tube falling off? Trying to figure out if that happened to mine (although if it did, it happened years ago since I recently confirmed my oil pressure dropping briefly at WOT (which I never noticed until recently)).

wrd1972

iTrader: (12)

When the pickup tube falls off, the pressure will drop under hard braking and enough so that the engine light comes on. Its super easy to tell if the pickup has fallen off, smack the bottom of the oil pan with a mallet and if its off, you will hear it bounce.

Couple of years ago I unknowingly drove 200 miles to the tuner and made several dyno pulls all with the pickup off. Good thing the pan was full of oil. No damage done. Yikes.

Jeff 97 Formula

Maybe I'm starting to look too much into it.....but immediately after a cold start, PSI goes from 0 to around 55-60 at a fast idle (1200rpm), and the needle was "shaking" a few times for a period of 30 seconds (as if the PSI was going from 55-57 momentarily, about 3 times every 10 seconds. After 30-40 seconds as the engine is beginning to warm up, the oil pressure stabilizes.

Also today was a little cooler out. Still dropped but not as much. Another time I was kinda losing traction at WOT in 1st gear.....oil pressure did not drop at all.

Oil pressure does not drop any lower while braking (just drops as the engine RPM's go down).

Is the oil PSI at cold idle something I need to worry about (the shakiness of the needle)?

96LT1Z

Unless its really freaking out bad, or you have severe pressure issues. I wouldn't worry about it. You seem to be stressing a lot about this. I was the same way. Save yourself the grief and just not worry about it so much. Keep tabs on it, but like it has been said several times in this thread. It is a common issue. So just drive your car man!

ACE1252

Keep in mind that I think the Canton pickup alone will help it. If I'm not mistaken the stock and Moroso pan depths are the same. The Canton pickup is much more centered in the pan than the stock pickup. The depth is automatically set by bolting the tab to the pump. Just something to think on and maybe try at some point.

I did get my Dad to braze the pickup to the pump all the way around(and still using the tab bolted to the pump), but that was just me over killing it.

I simply didn't feel good with the RPM's twisting up and seeing that pressure drop(revving to 6300 at the track). I had to find out what was causing it....and with much good advice did nail it.