Oil Pump Instal

Putting a new oil pump on my BB, do you all prep yours any any way?

Pack some grease or Vaseline into it. Helps prime it.

Why?

Clean it good. quick check of the (3) (IIRC) clearances with a feeler gauge, lube it & have the intergear installed before torqueing the pump mounting bolts to effect a dead on hex alignment.

Don't forget the 'O' ring on the part that slips into the block.

I take mine completely apart (including removing the O-rings)and check to make sure there is no loose metal chips, etc from machining. Then I port them like a cylinder head and remove any sharp edges the oil may have to pass over. I also check the pressure relief valve for proper fit and any machining irregularities to make sure it won't possibly hang up once assembled. I also check all mating surfaces for flatness and proper clearance for the gerotor pieces. Once I am sure all is good,I clean it up with brake clean. Then I lube up the inside with some Vaseline and put it all back together lubing all O-rings. Before I mount it to the block, I coat both sides of the paper gasket in a light coat of gasket shellac and then assemble right away. A little putzy, but it's the little things that will get you.

100%
NEVER EVER just bolt an oil pump onto an engine without complete blue print of the unit. Remember that this is probably the single most important component of your engine.
I use a small Dremel to de-burr and smooth out the passages then wash and rinse with hot soapy water. Then Vaseline or assembly lube everything.

Gus

A friend of mine had problems with oil pressure on a recently rebuilt motor. Oil pressure at warm idle was near zero. He claims the new Melling pump had the wrong spacer under the by-pass spring. He replaced the spacer with the one from his old pump and all was OK. Has anyone else seen this problem?

I took the cover off my Melling 63 HV before installing

Looked clean

Everything moved freely
A little oil
Put the cover back on

Superformance Gasket - Installed o ring on pump
A little black rtv silicone on gasket

Primed the engine before breaking in the cam 10w30w Comp Cams Break In Oil

75 psi at RPM's

25 / 35 psi at Idle

How many engine or machine shops on any make rebuilt engines would actually take apart a brand new oil pump and blueprint it before installing ?

I won't use vasoline or grease on the pump gear or rotor
The motor runs on oil, use that to thoroughly coat the insides of the pump, rotor, gears and the gear shaft up in the pump body and on the O ring and pump body shaft that slides into the block
No RTV on the gasket either, gasket cinch or gasket adhesive lightly on the gasket to hold it in place

There is absolutely nothing wrong with using grease or Vaseline in the pump. It goes away and is mixed with the oil almost instantly and creates a suction when the pump first moves. I have packed the pumps I've installed for better than 40 years and never had a problem arise form doing it.

permatex 99MA "high tack" the thin red spray in the purple can works well for these (& some other) gaskets. goes on real thin/super tacky/holds gaskets in place (its best quality).

I have never needed to glue any of my gaskets.
Flat, & clean, does the trick.
Replaced a few oil pumps and just bolted 'em on right out the box.
I fill oil pumps with oil.
Never an issue.
Results may very.
Do what ever makes you feel safe.

there are a few gaskets (timing cover especially) & intake side gaskets that need help staying put.

Good stuff here:
http://www.moparts.org/Tech/Archive/bb/51.html

^^^ agreed

I take every one apart. That was instilled in me in tech school in the 80s. You don't have to blueprint - I never do, But you need to clean them out, check things, make sure the relief valve functions, and adding a little grease on the rotors will pull the oil up a lot faster when you preoil.

I agree that blueprinting is overrated since I witnessed a scrap oil pump having zero effect on pressure once before.

It was after the 1st fire up on a 440. With 10w30 it had too much oil pressure. Probably due to tight clearances. Nobody was willing to change the clearances so we removed the brand new pump, easy job on a big block. Installed the high mileage pump that was in the scrap bin from before the rebuild. I was skeptic, not due to clearances but the obvious signs of scoring on the rotor.

Anyways after the pump swap there was ZERO change in pressure. This was according to a large sweep Autometer with 1 psi graduations.

Have you ever cut the oil filter apart after running the motor after you coated the oil pump in grease? If not, please do that on the next motor
BTW, most grease does not flow through paper very well It will make the bypass work quicker though

I use white lube or Vaseline as the grease and both will melt at normal engine operating temps so no problem clogging the filter.

Man,it sure can get complicated on something as easy as changing an oil pump !!

Some guys blueprint a pump and some guys don't centerline a camshaft.

As the engine rolled off the assembly line, did it even have a gasket? Chrysler was saving money everywhere they could and they would put machined surfaces together without a gasket, as in the exhaust manifold to head mating surface.

Vaseline is a straight petroleum product, while greases have non-petroleum thickeners added. Possibly Cab is half right. Vaseline should melt into the oil but the thickeners in grease won't melt or dissolve.

I seem to remember 30 years ago someone giving advice to use the grease but change the oil filter with the break-in oil That would take care of any excess grease.

I found out the hard way that looking at the oil pump before installing it takes little time and can save a lot of hassle.

R.

That's why I said white lube not wheel bearing grease.