Hey Bryan, what's the date of manufacture for your truck?

 

DF - I'll have to check. Apparently, i didn't print the carfax report when I originally ran it before purchasing the truck, and now the link is no good.

Mike - when the pump begins to fail, is it a gradual process that could result in a sympton like I'm describing...or does it normally just completely fail at once?

 

Bryan-sorry that I did not see that you have a 2003. It was not in your original post and, well, I'm sorry.
Go and have the oil pressure tested.
The pumps fails slowly and if caught early you can "fix" it for alot less than a new engine.
If it gets bad enough the oil light will flicker at hot idle.

 

OK all. Thanks for the info. Wish there was an easy fix....but it's not looking like it. Just to get my wallet prepared, let's assume I have insufficient pressure at idle, is it possible to replace the pump on my own (I'm reasonably mechanical), and if so, any ballparks on total part pricing (pump, gaskets, whatever the heck else I'll need)?

Thanks,
Bryan

 

Last I heard it was around $1500 to have a shop do it.
Go to www.atlanticbritish.com and price a oil pump, front engine cover and water pump and front engine cover gaskets as well as oil pan.
I cant think of what else you would need.
Somebody else will chime in.
Test the oil PSI before you do anything else though.

 

I'll do a little searching for the pressure testing procedure. Can the fitting and gauge be pieced together at home, or is it tough to find the right fitting to rig up a pressure tester?

I see that the pump is integral with the cover, but the oil pan has to be replaced, too? And is the water pump replacement just b/c it's worth doing with all the other work?

 

Hey Bryan, download the RAVE manual and read through the oil pump replacement procedure then decide if it is something you can handle on your own. I'm guessing that since you are "reasonably mechanical" you can handle it. The gaskets for the front cover, water pump and oil pan have to be replaced with the oil pump, not the components themselves. Of course you may want to consider replacing your water pump while you have it off to save yourself headache later.

 

You will have to drop the pan to change the front cover. You can get a gasket for it, but you can also just use RTV to seal it back. You will need a new front cover, gasket, and a water pump with gasket, depending on mileage. (you may have posted mileage earlier, but it is on another page, and I am already posting, so this is why it is a good idea to put your mileage in your sig if you need help).

PS, Spike is wrong on the viscosity. The 0 is the viscosity when the engine is cold, and the 40 means it will not get lighter than 40 weight at operating temp. I run 5W30 all year long. Yeah, it might be a little thin, but on the other end of what Spike was arguing, a higher mileage engine has built up deposits. You add an oil that doesn't flow as well, and you will be starving parts for lubrication. I only use Royal Purple, and know it has a high film strength, so I can use a slightly lighter oil, but 40 weight is only recommended for high temps in mine. D2's recommend higher. Just don't use the country boy thinking and throw 15W50 in it if it starts knocking.

Check you oil pressure. Call around and find a shop that can do it. The fittings are a little tricky to find. There is a post with a parts list somewhere on here.

 

totally wrong..... and what you are trying to say about soot protection is an API rating, (like CI-4+) and has nothing to do with weight. You are also going to loose your oil pump running that thick in the summer.

 

Thanks again for all the above info. Even though there are some differences of opinion on various info, melding everything together provides a great resources to users of the Board. FYI, OKdiscoguy, I've added mileage to my signature as suggested.