[bufmatmuslepants]

Update:

I was concerned about the oil pressure being lower cold than warm, and the low oil light and blamed sludge. If it was parked nose slightly up over night it wouldn't build any oil pressure for 10 seconds, and would tick loudly. If parked nose down it would build quickly but jump right to only 20, but warm had 40. I decided to change the oil again after 1000 miles and went out and beat the snot out of it on a lot of 0-90mph runs to get it hot. On the ride home it only had 10psi. I changed the oil with castrol gtx 10w30 (stupid move) and fired it up quick and went to bed. Went to work the next day and it only had 10psi, and after 5 miles it wasn't coming up, so I got scared and turned around. 1 mile later it dropped to 0 and was ticking loudly, but it was 4:30am and 26 degrees out and I accepted the fact that I would be swapping motors and said screw it, please make it home. 5 miles of 0 oil pressure and ticking loudly, as I pulled into my neighborhood it started coming back to 20 but I parked and took the no heat camaro to work bundled up in winter clothes.

Got home, started it, 0 pressure, got it on ramps and drained the oil. It was nasty. I used a coat hanger through the drain plug hole and got 8oz of brownie batter out of the pan but no metal shavings with a fridge magnet dragged through the oil. I would poke and prod a at the oil pickup and bottom of the pan a bit, then pour a little clean oil in the top to flush it out. Then I filled it with 5 quarts of 5w30 super tech and 1 quart of marvel mystery oil.

Started it up, straight to 40psi, but still ticking loudly. Had it running just long enough to back off the ramps, get out and try to listen which side, them kill it through the window. I cracked a beer, stared at the truck, finished the beer, then started it, and NO TICK!

Drove it 40 miles that night and it was fine. Then drove it 70 miles round trip to work the next day and changed the oil when I got home, and it was gross. Put in fresh castrol gtx 5w30 and another purolator filter, started it, it sounded good, great oil pressure at 45psi, and made the executive decision to put the wife, baby and dog in and head out at night 200 miles to VA beach for thanksgiving. It made it, great pressure and quiet, and made it home fine.

So the moral of the story is CHANGE YOUR OIL. I only used the MM oil for 100 miles because that stuff is strong and can eat away at seals and sludge that was plugging leaks, but it did the job. Ill change it again after 1000 miles and call it good. I'm very happy that I didn't have to do a motor swap, and really have a lot of respect for the 5.3. I think a lifter was not having enough pressure to pump it up, causing the noise, but the idiot gage probably was not accurate as there had to be some oil moving because it didn't seize.

Unfortunately while I saved $600 not having to swap motors, I didn't get out unscathed as my iPhone 6 went through the laundry in my dirty pants, so I'm out $600 anyways. Pictures of oil to come later from my laptop I saved them on before the phone got destroyed.

I did take the camaro battery with me to the airport to swap batteries when I get home from Cali if the draining issue is still there.