Ok here is the deal I have a 95 Dodge ram I got some money in and decided to do somethings the truck needed like installed a transmission cooler.intake manifold gasket , oil pressure sensor,oil change and AC dryer,vacuumed the AC system and re fill. And belt and tensioner. After doing all of this. My oil pressure will be around 38-40 when I start the truck cold. After it warms up to temp 180-200 oil light comes on and pressure drops to zero. Then it starts ticking. If u cut it off. And turn it back on pressure will be ok. Then drop again. I'm using 10-40 oil what could this be I changed the oil and put a solvent it it to dissolve all the trash if any was in there. And changed the PCV valve please help also after changing belt and tensioner everything was quiet but now its squealing and making alot of noise like a bearing but Alt is good and all pulleys seem fine. Please help oil is the main prob

 

need to drop the oil pan and see if there is any blockage on the oil pump pick up. my truck did the same as yours after a engine flush and i had bad main bearings.

 

Did you do the intake because of the plenum, or was there some other reason??

 

Yes it was changed because I had crappy MPG. Worse then usual for Dodge. It was sucking air in the gasket was basicly gone and super brittle. Yeah we stick a AC flush in the oil crank after we drained the oil to try clean the oil pan we got some stuff out my friend want to drop the pan too. Is there anything else it could be?

 

I changed the o2 sensor too BC that was broken throwing a code plus it was original equipment but that wouldn't do the oil prob just part of the poor MPG

 

Eh, mine did the same thing, bearing clearances are off, only way I could "fix" the problem without any thing too expensive was put a high volume oil pump and run a heavier oil.

 

What does a high volume oil pump run $$$ ? I'm running 20/50 now and its still doing it. I just started the truck to drive home from work. No light pressure at 38-40. Engine started warming up light came on at 190. At the light. When the truck was idling light went off but the trucks pressure was slowly dropping to 35 then 30 I got home before it just went strait to zero. No ticking this time yet. I guess I didn't run it long enuf I only work 3 miles from home.

 

Sounds like a blockage. Drop the pan and see what you find

 

Drop the pan, youve got trash in there. My dads ram and my brothers jeep would do the same thing. Had to pull the pan, we changed the pump just because the pan was off, but found lots of trash.

 

Oil pressure drops in an older engine because the oil can 'escape' where it is supposed to be due to the excessive clearances. Putting in a high volume oil pump pushes more oil thru the system, so the effects of worn bearings and such are compensated for.

The oil pump pickup on these trucks also is 'shrouded'. There is only a narrow opening for it to draw oil thru, and is easily plugged.