PLEASE HELP :How do i know if my OIL pump is going BAD

[BajaPantiEP]

oK Heres my situation guys, first off i do understand that the injectors on k20's are a bit ticky mostly confused for valve noises and vice versa, but sometimes when my car is at idle its as quiet as can be, like u cant even here the thing, and after a little while the engine will start the ticking, not super loud, but too the point where i have people saying yo you need a valve adjustment, then after a while it will get quiet again as if it were right out of the factory -NOTES: GOT A VALVE ADJUSTMENT which i got done at a professional shop about 300 MILES AGO,
RUNNING 5W30 ROYAL PURPLE, NGK IRRIDIUMS, K&N HIGH FLOW OIL FILTER,
Some one told me that it can be my oil pump not pushing out like its supposed too, is there anyway i can check that,? he said something about taking the oil cap off and looking at for something but i didnt really understand what he was saying, any tips will help thanks guys

[Tnhatch03]

i am not sure taking the oil cap off would tell you anything about the oil pump. that does not make much sense to me.

does your oil light come on?

[Ba82Ep3]

Lack of oil pressure is the easiest way to know.

I know of one k20a3 oil pump that has mechanically failed, and it sounded like rod knock. No faint ticking, but like the engine was about to chuck a rod through the block. I 'rebuilt' that engine and let me tell you... it was effed up. The oil pump housing had broken into several pieces, and there was metal all throughout the engine. The oil looked like metallic pearl paint...

[talonXracer]

Locate where the sound is coming from, it is not that hard to determine the location, use a screwdriver or a stethescope to track it down.

As the engine and oil warms up the clearance gets larger, what was the clearance set at by the professional shop?

And you say just letting it sit and idle it gets louder and quieter all by it's self?

[BajaPantiEP]

About the oil cap, he said to take it off and if the oil pump is good that some oil should spit out of there, and no my oil light is not on, and the @ TALON yeah like supposed you turned your car on, got out and stood right beside it, the ticking/tapping noise will just go away and the motor would just sound beautiful, like right brand new, incredibly quiet then after about to 3 minutes the loud ticking appears, the theory of it being the oil pump has some sense to it to me, because not having the right oil pressure being put out, the engine gets louder from all the parts not being lubricated right, but i just need some help and reassurance, to see if it is or is not the oil pump, before i go out pulling her out for nothing, PS : the quietness of the motor comes intermittently, for the most part the engine is a bit noisy

[talonXracer]

The oil pump wouldnt pulsate like that. Not to say there isnt a oil issue. You need to use a stethescope to identify the exact location that the sound is loudest and report back..

[BajaPantiEP]

ok got you

[sleepy ep3]

I agree. If it was a mechanical failure, you would hear it all of the time. Personally, I would ditch the Royal Purple. I don't think it has anything to due with your ticking, but it's not worth the money at all. If you want a bad ass synthetic oil, get AMSoil or Torco.