My vote is for checking the oil pressure with an external gauge but based on the comments it could well be that the engine is doomed.
Replacing an oil pump to cure an oil pressure problem is a procedure that I do not agree with.
The oil pump is the first thing to receive oil from the pan and if the pump is worn out then it stands to reason everything following the pump is worn out even more.
It could well be that dealer is leery of messing with a pig in a poke and they are correct about other problems not being known until after a pump replacement. This goes back to the external gauge check which they should recommend if it has not been done.
Pretty much agree with ok4450.
My guess is you’re gonna need more than an oil pump. Running the engine while the oil level and/or pressure is low could have fried your bearings (which can also cause a low pressure reading). And if you’re going through the trouble of replacing bearings, an oil pump, and whatever else is toast might as well go for a complete rebuild.
FYI, oil degrades over time and should occasionally be changed, whether or not you drive the vehicle.
I'm lost at what to ask to do at this point, i can't afford the nearly $1000 oil pump replacement. Any suggestions?
A bit of “tough love” here:
You failed to maintain the oil level in the car. As a result of this oversight, the car was run out of oil, and you were alerted to this fact by two separate alarms…which you ignored for a day. As a direct and proximate consequence, you engine experienced damage that is likely to turn it into scrap metal.
Now, if you were “rock star rich” and you can just drive the Rolls into the swimming pool without major effect, that would be one thing…but you say you “can’t afford” the repair, so you’re not Keith Moon. I’m a lot like you that way–I own a 20 year-old pickup with 167k mi on it. If anything happens to it, I’ve lost my mealticket! No ability to work, no credit, so at best I’d be looking at a humiliating trip to a family member.
Now, because of that, I take exacting care of my truck. I check the oil every fill up, and when (for instance) I got an odd sound in the transmission…I drop and check the fluid level.
Thus, my tough-love advice is: resolve to NEVER make the same mistake again! Check the oil, every fill up. It takes about two minutes, and filling up takes about two minutes, so you have no excuse. Read your owner’s manual, know everything on the ‘severe service’ schedule, and vow to “stay ahead of the car.” Also–even if you don’t ever care to do your own work, LEARN “what does what and why” about your car. Indifference to the mechanics of a vehicle is the dubious luxury of the upper-middle class…it’s not for you or me.
Good luck! (Today is the first day of the rest of your motoring life…)