My car lost 5-10psi of oil pressure fairly suddenly, as in fine oil pressure and an hour later down. I found a small oil leak but my oil level is still full, I fixed the leak last night. I'm in thr process of removing the factory oil cooler and replacing the brand new Fram filter with an AC Delco PF1218.

If this still does not get my lost oil pressure back what else can I look at before I have to remove the engine for main and cam bearings n rings?

I've read about the pickups falling off on our cars?

This happened at the track BTW. Oil pressure was fine all day until on the way home I noticed that the pressure had dropped to approx 30psi at freeway speeds (Up to 2500rpm)

Recently installed a cam and new valvetrain but as I stated, everything up to this point was fine. No problems whatsoever. This was a sudden loss in pressure, no bleed off, just a drop off. Could the Fram filter be to blame? The oil cooler?????

 

Good question. I understand that the factory oil cooler just has coolant lines running through or around it and that an A-Market cooler actually has oil running through it. Dunno.

If that's the case, I don't see how a factory cooler could interfere with the pressure. Dunno.

Perhaps A-Market cooler could get clogged with debris. Dunno.

Maybe you dinged the cam during install and its getting set to go. Dunno.

I just dunno.

Let us know when you find out the problem.

 

Well, I replaced the Fram oil filter and removed the factory oil cooler. Oil pressure is now around 25psi @ warm idle and 50psi @WOT.

Going to keep my eye on it for a while before hitting the track again. Also want to hook up a mechanical guage and make sure that my sensor isn't bad.

So far so good.

 

A lot of guys have lost pressure on this board after cam install. My theory is because of the harder acceleration after cam install,oil is getting away from the pick up and the pump sucks air for a second.The oil will climb the back of the pan and uncover the pickup.
After the cam install everybody feel's racey and more pedal to the metal launches are preformed. It only takes one time to start brg damage and it goes downhill from there.
I have never seen a pickup just fall off for no reason and have never welded one on in 35+ years of building engines. Yours is probably OK but the factory location and height from floor of pan lets it become uncovered.The drop in pressure and recovery happens fast enough that the factory guage does not regester it to be seen.
The extra pull last's longer and you are taking it to higher RPM's through the gears and that don't help the oil settle down.
They make plates to go under the oil pomp that will stop it along with baffles. The best out is another oil pan and pickup.If you do go into the bottom end,or have the pan off,check ALL the brg's one at a time,if they are good put them back in and run them.

 

FRAM

Fram filter dropped my oil pressure 15 psi also, switched to ac delco, pressure back up