Tater wanted me to post this for him:

Is it normal for the low oil light and low oil pressure indicator to come on in a 3800 with 140k miles? The oil is at the correct level and the motor is not ticking. This occurs under heavy acceleration. The vehicle is an Impala LS.

thanks again for posting, travis. the motor actually ticks less than mine with 170000 ish miles. and it fires up on the 3rd compression stroke every time. im really thinking its just the sensors. but i left it just incase so i could get you guys' opinion.

other than that, the car is in immaculate condition. black on grey leather all power, dic heated seats. only downside is its going to need a new oil pan gasket and the brake/fuel lines have some kinda thick surface rust. not too crunchy where it would get me worried though. also the rear valve cover is leaking a decent bit. i saw some oil by the freeze plugs on the back side. good bearings, good tierods good balljoints, even has new struts.

from what i can gather, the guy owns a shop and buys cars with issues to keep his mechanic in a job. this car had a broken shifter cable, which i believe because the clips that hold the plastic around the shifter are broken. lol.

even gave me a quote on the labor to do a trans swap on my car. ($560)

It should not show low oil pressure under heavy acceleration. The lack of ticking would indicate it is a sensor issue, but you won't be sure until you change it.

im not sure what i wanna do. thinking back i should have plugged in my obd2 thing and looked at my torque app to see it it just dropped off, but i didnt think of that on the spot.

If the issue is the sensor, you will get the same reading no matter what means you use to read it.

just out of curiosity, couldn't the fact that i saw a pretty considerable amount of oil near the freeze plugs on the back of the engine indicate that there is too much oil in the rear valve cover? i cant be positive but i think it was ticking louder in the rear.

as for the means of reading it, if its clogged wouldnt it be all over the place? eg 58psi and then 0-2 etc

The leak off the rear valve cover is likely a sign of a failed gasket, or loose bolts.

Is the oil pressure higher when the engine is cold, and drops as it gets warm?

Causes of low oil pressure can be a worn oil pump (not likely on a 3800) and/or excessive clearances in the main and rod bearings from high mileage wear or neglect.

If this is a car you are considering purchasing, I would stay away from it.

The other possibility is the pressure relief valve located in the filter housing just above the oil filter could be stuck open.

ok, thats what ill do. i was just tempted by the fact that i talked him down to 2900 taxes and paper plate included. i guess after i get off work ill go look at another rendezvous in chicago priced at 3k.

rendezvous and vues are not good cars to own or work on, it took me an hour just to mess with the battery on this one at work. they got to small an engine and transmission for their weight. they dont get good mileage and you know if they are from a town or city the trans is going to have to be done