Sudden Loss Of Oil Pressure - 2007 Chevy Silverado Vortec 6.0L 

I started out working at a local motorcycle dealership when I was in high school. Just entry level stuff, washing nasty atvs, cleaning around the shop, and assembling new atvs and motorcycles. and gradually worked my way up as I gained experience. Been doing it for 30 years now, still learn new things all time.

Ahhhh, another heroic shade-tree fix!!!! My auto machinist and I often assert that if auto manufacturers hired only engineers with dirty fingernails who had verifiable hands-on experience repairing cars, we wouldn't see nearly so many situations like you faced here. Way to go, man!!

Five videos later- yours explains it best, 10 minutes faster than some of those that didn’t even solve the problem. Thank you, quick, to the point and great improvisation!

No wind noise, no phones ringing, nothing to distract me from understanding your entire video. Thanks for a well made video. It may be of use to me with my Zero oil pressure reading.

I bought new 2004 GMC Denali w/ 6.0L. The oil pump failed the first year. It took the dealership a week repair it. They had remove front end. I have used only synthetic oil since first change & never had any issues with truck w/ 150k. Thank you for showing the reason why this failed 10 years ago under warranty. Never seen oil pump fail so early. This should have been recalled by GM.

Great video! I really appreciate the visual aids you made to explain how to fix this issue. I don't remember any other video (and I use them a lot!) on RU-vid that the videographer went through so much effort to explain the fix. Simply terrific! Thank you D-Ray...it's much appreciated.

Still getting mileage outta this video nine years later. That’s how you know it was worth making the video. Good stuff

i will say this video saved me a lot of time. i did this fix so i didnt have to drop 4x4 or pull motor up and it worked great. very impressive. thank you. this was done 4 months ago to my 05 tahoe 5.3 and still working great and now im having to do it to my 05 silverado.

I've never heard it explained like this before. I've learned so much from this video and you put so much time into this. Thank you.

You're a good mechanic. You actually think about what you're doing

"Kinda under .the gun and not very camera friendly at the time" That is a great description and one I can so much personally relate to. Thank you very much for taking the time to put this video together! Excellent info, hopefully I don't have to revisit this for my 2003 5.3.

I am new to being a home auto mechanic. This was really inspirational and I so enjoy and admire D-Ray Smith for taking the time to make a video for us. Thank you! DrJOR

this very thing happened to me today, after listing to a few people your video was down to the point and easily explained.nice job.and thank you most of these guys on here will give you a migrain

Hey, anybody that is sceptical of this info, don"t be. I had the same problem with my 99 2500 6.0 and fixed it myself saving several hundred dollars. Evryone I talked to about it acted like I was nuts, but I can tell you 1st hand , hey, it works ! Great big " thank you" to D-Ray for posting this.

Thank you for this video. When I first watched it I said "ahh hell no, ain't nobody got time for that..." then I came crawling back when I decided to rip it apart myself. Truck is purring like a kitten now after a sudden complete loss of oil pressure and replacing the oil pump. Thank you so much for your clear explanation on how to dremel that nub off.

I ran in to this problem today, thanks to your video I have and idea of what the problem may be, is great knowing some people out there is kind enough to show how to fix car issues.

This video is spot on. It is exactly how he explained it. I just replaced my oil pump and did exactly what I learned here. Thank you very much you saved me a lot of trouble. Also cut the little piece off to turn the flap around. This is by far the best and easiest explanation. Thanks again sir.

thank you very much for the info. my 2005 Silverado 5.3 had low oil pressure when it was cold at idle. pretty sure it was just the o-ring but I changed the oil pump while I was in there. the trick you showed about how to get the bolt out of the pickup tube and use the drimel to turn the hold down was a life saver!!! thanks again

You did a great job on this fix no music no distractions just informing us on your wisdom well done sir thank you for your video

all these things I learn about newer trucks make me appreciate my older trucks.

Thank you for the information as well as all the extra work producing the PVC display parts, Well done Sir

You just saved me hours of heartache and frustration, Thank you!

Done mechanic for 50 yrs still do. This is about the best explained and the most useful since just about every GMC, Chevrolet, or just Chevy light truck...maybe a car here and there uses this design and experiencing LOOOOW FOR ME TO TAKE TIME TO DO A COMMENT..

Awesome trick on the pick up tube. I recently had the same issue but jumped right in to the oil pan and cleaned about 3/4 of an inch of sludge from the pan, replaced the pick up tube oring and all. Now I'm changing the oil pump and really didn't want to take the whole front end back apart just for one darn bolt.

You perfectly described the problem I was experiencing with my 2002 Chevy Tahoe with about 213k miles. I had a local mechanic make the repair. That. Was about 3000 miles ago and it definitely solved the problem. Thank you for the video, it gave me the confidence to have the repair done. I couldn't be happier!

I've never run into this problem but it's good info to know. This video could save someone a pile of time and money. Thanks for taking the time to replicate what you you did to fix this the easy way.

I don't know is if this is my problem or not yet, but thanks for being awesome and trying to help people at home. Wouldn't hesitate to give you business if I was ever in the area. Keep being great.

Excellent Video! Good Fix. In looking at online information about such a common problem with General Motors low engine oil pressure, I can't believe how many garbage stories and time wasting suggestions are available. So far, your video is the only one that I found that explains the real problem and the fix. Great Job, thank you.

That is an excellent tip and your pvc prop worked very well. This will save somebody a lot of time or money. Nicely done!

I’m glad I watched your video 6 months ago cause everyone I talked to said it can’t be done without removing the pan. Thank you. I Just successful replaced the oil pump like this except I got the bolt back in the same hole. It was a bitch though. I ended up walking the bolt back to the hole with a pair of curved needle nose pliers. Looking at the front of the engine, I had to enter at the right bottom side of the oil pump then go left to the hole on the pickup tube. Then when the bolt was right at the hole, I used a standard screw driver in my other hand and picked up on the bottom of the bolt to keep it in the hole. Then I started threading the bolt back in using the needle nose pliers and finally tightened back with the wrench. The reason I did it that way was my pickup tube clamp was brazed on. You will drop the bolt on the first attempt but a good bore scope with a magnet tip will get it right out so you can try again. I dropped it 3 times but total time took about 10 minutes to get back in. Also great description on the oil pump pressure valve. Sure enough, the one I did was stick open. I touched it with a pick and it snapped shut. This was on a 6.0 GM with an Allison Transmission in a freightliner step van.

D-Ray, thanks a TON for this video! I have watched it many times and feel confident I can now replace my oil pump by myself! I’ll let you know how it goes.

D Ray Smith, thanks for making this video and taking the time to figure this solution out. Very resourceful and to avoid dropping the differential it’s sure worth a look !

mine ended up being the bolts on the bypass side of the oil pump. they were backed completely out. but i replaced everything and did it exactly this way! except i used fishing line on the bolt for when it drops in the pan :D worked awesome!

I have read this symptom in several forums before. Sounds like your oil pressure relief valve is hanging open (like mine did) but it doesnt stay hung. reving the engine or restarting it sometimes jars it loose and your pressure returns. I see a new oil pump in your future. Best of luck to ya.

Thanks for the video and tips. I just performed this entire job in under 4 hours, now I have oil pressure. The hemostats worked amazingly well, I even used them on the two bolts holding the pan onto the front cover. Another tool added to my toolbox.

this is a perfect explanation ...I have a neighbor with a 2014 with a 5.3 vortec with sudden oil pressure loss...I am going to do the repair now that I have seen your video....thanks so much for taking the time to make this video...I would not have takin on this job without seeing your video...great job and thanks from a fellow gear head...even tho I am up in Canada

Great video! Nice explanation - thanks for the help. I think this is the same problem I'm chasing on my 3/4 ton.

Simply, you are very easy to listen to... Easy to understand what you are explaining... Keep up the good work.. Al at Easy-Run Engine Test Stands

Hello, this video was a home run for me. I replaced the oil pump on my 2005 Silverado and modified the the flange on the pick up tube just like you did in the video. Thank You and God Bless!!!

Good thinking fella. Very efficient solution to the very common pressure loss issue that I know the 6.0 has been notorious for, especially when they got up to higher mileage. Thanks for the tip.

Very usefull info. Ive got 2 5.3 engines that suffered from this dropped oil pressure... i got them very cheap for that fact but i will make sure to incorporate your mod on the rebuilds. Thank You !

I have a 2008 Chevy Silverado 5.3 Liter truck and got the P0521 code recently. The error said that the oil pressure was low, but the engine sounded fine. The gauge read about 20. I checked and verified that the oil level was good. I had about 10% left before the oil needed changing according to the display. After much research I found that most pointed to debris in the small filter underneath the oil pressure sensor. Most people replaced the filter as well as the sensor. I also found one post in which it was said to add a little transmission fluid in with the oil. After research I found that this acts as a flush to the engine. I added about 1/2 quart of transmission fluid to my oil, ran the engine for about 10 minutes, drained and replaced the oil. I used a free app called Torque to clear the code. After doing this the oil gauge went back to normal which is near 40. This is my experience, but I encourage you to do your own research and proceed with caution. A couple days have past and everything is still working normally.Hope this helps someone.

Hands down best, most informative, thorough and simple to understand how to I ever watched. I'm a visual person. That's why I watch and learn from RU-vid. Most how to just explain it with camera on their dumbass instead of the parts or process. Thank you.

I don't own one of these vehicles, but I found your video so informative I had to reply and let you know how good it was. Great work man.

Great video, well informative and good narration. Two thumbs up.

Best info on RU-vid on how to do these nightmare oil pumps! For that my friend You get 2👍👍 and a 12pk 🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺 Thanks a Bunch.

Had a similar problem about seven years ago with suddenly disappearing oil pressure in my 2003 Z71 Tahoe at about 125,000 miles. My son was driving it on the Interstate out of town when the engine stopped at the bottom of an exit ramp; he had the low oil pressure messages and lights, etc. and to be safe we had it towed to the Chevy dealer in that area. The cure - $1,500 worth of new, installed oil pump. Wish I had known then what you taught me in this video. On the other hand, my son is still driving that same vehicle every day and it now has over 250,000 miles. The low oil pressure incident has been the only engine problem we’ve ever had with that vehicle, which is amazing, since we have worn out one rear axle and numerous non-engine parts over the years. D-Ray, you are a genius for finding the “Plan B” solutions to these myriad problems caused by poor GM engineering and quality control.

It's now the year 2020! I have experienced what happened to you. Wow, your video was right on the money! Lucky me, I found your video among the many. Your video was exact what I had to do, even the vehicle except newer truck.(2017 Sierra 2500) Thank you for your time to share and teach the rest of us!

Great video, I can easily see this making my year if I needed it. thanks for the information and I hope I never have to use it

Great video and technique to avoid a lot of extra work. One suggestion ... instead of cutting the top of the retaining tab, make the cut at the bottom. This allows you to rotate the bolt flange, but also allows the tab to still keep the tube from rotating.

I had the same on my 2005 2500 hd. I also watch a truck load of videos. Your was the best. I no long have any problems of tackling this job. I will keep you in my favorites . Great job. Thanks

you're ability to create a replica like this is pretty awesome. I'm impressed

Hay D-Ray Smith... Outstanding on the mod sir, I hope to use this in the future. P.S. There is still some good guys out there, Thanks Again.. GDH.

Very interesting, I had problems with my 5.3 in a 2000 silverado 1500 4wd. I had 225,000 on it so I didn't dig into it. Had 20 to 25 psi on the highway but oil light was on at every stop light. Bought a salvage yard motor with 107,000 on it for $500 when I started having the problem and just drove the old one til it dropped. Ran for about a year that way but ran into problems during a January cold snap. Up here in ND it can get cold, got to -25 and would build very little pressure. Dropped a rod out the bottom of the pan, time for the other motor. Replaced the suction o ring before I put it in, there was some sludge in the pan. I have heard these motors can buildup with sludge. Cleaned it out, put in mobile 1 high mileage oil and it has good oil pressure and is nice and quiet. The old motor was always prone to lifter noise when it was fairly new.

Huge respect for your clear presentation of a problem and determining its solution....you must be one of them rocket surgeons! Thanks for the info you saved me $!

Outstanding video. You are among very few who get right to it. Clear and understandable. Very much appreciated. Thanks

be sure and note the orientation of the pickup tube FIRST. It is now subject to movement with the lock tab removed.

Thanks for watchin' my video, I hope it helps ya'll with your project. The way I installed the new pump was to disassemble it just like I removed the old one, and install only the pump body first, and leave the attaching bolts loose to allow you to install the gears. I coated the gears with lucas oil treatment prior to install so they would seal and pick up oil pretty much after start up. And I reused my crankshaft bolt. Have a goodun'!

You are by the best that really showed the problem and the best fix. I wasted about $300 on unnecessary fixes.

Your video is THE BEST showing this operation. To make sure you don't lose that bolt on the pick up tube...tie a string on it after you back it out some. Tried and true. This method came from a 69 year old guy to keep from pulling the engine and removing the oil pan. Extra safety. Great video.

I don't know if the valve is replaceable, but due to the large number of failures with the oem pump, I went with a melling pump. The design of the valve is different, and I have yet to hear of any problems with them.

GM and their infinite wisdom...lmao!! my solution for the engineers would be to have them work on such as they design,in the real world...like we have to do.then,i think,they wouldve put that lil 10mm in the top hole.. great video hoss,i enjoyed it!

24 Dec started my 07 truck. lifters loud and warning of no oil pressure and shut engine down. found other videos pointing to the pump. All looked like a nightmare until i found this one. Thanks so much for sharing this and spending your time. Wish i had a gauge.

Wow sir, I appreciate you sharing your knowledge of this oil pump psv and oil inlet tube seal problem. This was one of the best videos I have found. Great job, God Bless you.

Told my ex wife the same thing once lol This hole or that hole it's all the same thing 🤣

My truck is at around 40 when I'm on the freeway then at idle, like at a stoplight, the alarm will kick on and my lifters start making noise. Revving the engine to 2-3,000 rpm restores the oil pressure. So for a permanent fix, it looks like I'll be crawling under my pickup and cursing at it here in the near future!

D Ray! Thanks so much. You saved my butt. Awesome video. I thought I was going to have to tear my truck apart. Still a pain but you really help save me. Thanks again.

Thought you did super job for us do it yourself guys. Thought that was really Smart on your part!!!! Need more people like you to help all of us out, again, Thank you, Jerry Norton Memphis Tn.

GM lack of common sense is the culprit to begin with. On-going engineering improvement during production runs is alien to these people. After the problem is known they continue to do the same thing over and over. I realize no one is perfect but this kiind of thing is why they have engineering and development departments. Ford is similar and so is Dodge in their stubborn approach to problems. Much more testing should be done prior to the first build.

Ahh shit I'll just drop the pan man. Very innovative though.

Thank you DRay for the video on the issue of the oil pick up tube problem. I have a 2005 with the 5.3 with the same issue and this is great info. I appreciate it! !!

Thank you very much! The time you have taken to explain and show us this information has helped us out hugely!!

Thanks, just tryin' to save a lil $, lol

All it takes is a little nick in a 10cent rubber ring to blow up a $15k vehicle.

Followed your video and everything went smooth. Well, it took some time to get the pick-up tube bolt off but that was it. Thanks!!! Great video my brother!!!

I was glad to see your video ,. My pressure relief valve has stuck,. JUST LIKE YOU SHOWED. No one but you have diagnosed this to be the problem,. I went down 10 lbs all of a sudden,.From 40 to 30 at idle ,. Called by dealer service guy he didn't know what I was trying to explain ,. Thank you for confirming my diagnosis. Chevy man

lol you aint got no damn oil pressure fool

Awesome video, I haven't got to the point where I'm working on it yet but my truck as no oil pressure and it's clattering at the lifters also, so Ima pick me up an oil pump tomorrow and get to work and with your info and the effort you made to describe everything and the extra effort you took to remake the items, I give a straight up 100% A++++ I'm sure this video gives me all the info I need, thank you very much man. I look forward to putting my 2006 GMC Sierra 5.3 crew cab 2x4 back on the road and rolling, she's been a good truck up until now, 181,000 miles.

Wanted to say thank you for the very informative technique I'm in the middle of replacing my oil pump and am very grateful for your video

D-Ray, I have been very frustrated my our 2007 GMC Yukon 6.0L. Changed the oil sender (twice), then put on a new oil pump. AGAIN, the oil pressure goes to near 0 and the warning light/tone comes on (BTW, still had 'some' oil pressure and engine did not make noise or overheat). However, once the engine warms up, you can get back in it and drive without issues...until once again it totally cools off. Based on the slow but deliberate loss of oil pressure I believe your theory on the spring/bypass valve is what is happening. Great breakdown and you were very clear on your words. Thank you very much brother.

Thanks for taking the time to make this great video. I wish I had found it before I dropped the engine in the truck!

Big thanks for sharing this information. I am going to try it out. Most videos that tries to show this makes the job harder than it should be. Thanks 😊

Great video of a fairly skilled craftsmen at work. The art of the work around is what the pros are looking for. Thanks for sharing your American craftsmenship. All the best.

Thanks D-Ray. I have an '05 Silverado with the 5.3. I have been there 2 different times. Unfortunately I wasn't camera friendly either. One episode was on Christmas Day. Never the less when a "little" upset it never crossed my mind to do this trick to mine. Hopefully never again but if I do I will remember this video. Keep the vids coming.

I have no questions at the moment..But I like the way you explain pretty straight forward

Good video! Oil pump seems to have gone out on my 2002 Suburban. So I’ll be prepping to that job in a few weeks. This is a good start to show the oil pump assembly. Good job and thanks!

Well dang... lot to digest. You may have saved me a lot of work on my 2012... thanks, buddy.

This is a perfect example of why "Old Guys Rule" Thanks Brother! 💖💪😎👍🇺🇲

You're quite welcome! I do my own repairs by simply google searching the problems.... each vehicle has their own inherent characteristics, and it's guys like you that save me money on labor! Found and ordered the Melling M295 Oil Pump at Amazon for $64.99 + $8.25 shipping for $73.24 total.

GREAT work-a-round, I just went thru a similar problem, mechanic wanted to charge me 1200 to do a pump job. Turned out to be the belt two pulleys that were making noise. Took $60 bucks and 1/2 hour to fix. Mech swore it was the pump making the noise. Guess the mortgage payment was due this week!!!

I've been looking for your video again after doing this mod to my 05 Tahoe 5.3. This video helped a lot and I'm running on 70k miles after the install no problems. I give this hack 2 thumbs up😜

This explained a lot of what happened to me yesterday. I was in a rush and hammered down to pass a car right after I lost all oil pressure and was definitely some knocking. I parked it and was concerned that I did some serious damage but had just figured I had taken care of the aluminum head problem leaking coolent. Started the truck up this afternoon and had oil pressure again but still did some wearing on the motor. And just couldn't understand why I had lost pressure and I believe that the oil pressure blow by did it as I ran it hard never even knew they built that in to the pump. Great video easy to follow for this shady tree mechanic

I had this issue and parked my truck. Finally swapped out the pump yesterday with a new Melling. Hardest part was getting the harmonic balancer off. I had a posi-lock 103, or maybe a 104, but still needed to heat up the hub of the balancer to get it moving. Before putting the balancer back on, I sat it on the grill for 20 minutes, got it upto about 250 degrees and it went on really easily. Cranked the engine and had 60psi pressure immediately. I didn't take out the Rad or AC. Thanks D Ray!

"You ain't got no damn oil pressure ya fool" Dammit that was funny dude 😂

One of the best made videos I've ever seen. Excellent job. Good on you sir.

Very well covered, and made the instructions as simple as possible.Heck of a nice guy too!

Thank you for the vid. I anticipate doing this repair in the next week and this has been the perfect educational video for my task And please tell you tube not to put a 5 min ad in the middle of a 13 min. vid.

wow, finally found the guy that explains my intermittent oil pump problem. 2004 8100 on a Workhorse chassis, Safari Trek Rv . . looks like im dropping the pan and replacing in pump . 90k plus miles, 2 nd owner. saved me taking it to GMC at 150 bucks an hour!

First video I have seen of yours and I must say very well done. Great PVC mockup and explanation on the fix for this problem. I'm sure that you will save MANY people a lot of hard earned money. I can't wait to see the rest of your videos.

Man what a useful hack for this issue. I knew there had to be an easier and cheaper fix to this. Thanks so much for the video!