I am On a astro forum. Oil gauges are notoriously inaccurate on these vans. Check the pressure with a mechanical one as shadow suggested. There is a 30 dollar oil sender in the back of the engine. I had to replace it on mine.
The motor mounts allow the engine to sag when they wear. Check the bottom of the shroud they have been know to hit there.
These vans have non-adjustable valves and they are set loose. There was a service memo called morning sickness. Where they valvetrain is noisy upon start up. It is a harmless thing. They make rocker studs which solve it.
It sounds like the oil just has some deposits in the engine starting to break up. In the oil pump there is a high pressure relief spring. It may be getting stuck. Sea Foam it and change the oil. Then all that junk breaks up and is washed out within the next normal changes.
Factory service manual says 8 LBS at idle is the acceptable low oil pressure limit for these 4.3's. Basically the red zone.
There is a counter balance shaft in them that rattles as well as they age as the gears that drive it wear.
There are several on the site that have over 300 thousand miles so they are tough. But this is a common issue. Just keep the oil changed and watch it a while.
That about it for the know issues I know about.
Last edited by chevymaher; 10-26-2014 at 04:51 AM.
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