Replacing oil pump

[Dachipsta]

Any of ya'll replaced the oil pump by jacking the motor in place rather than pulling it entirely out? I have a jacked up back (2 herniated disks) and can deal with an afternoon laying horizontal but dont have a chance of attempting a removal not to mention I dont have a cherry picker anyways.

Pump seized and turned the shaft into a twizzler before snapping it. May have lost some bearings but really wont know for sure until I can get the pan out of the way. Drained oil and didnt have any shavings or glittery stuff so there may yet be hope. Got a new shaft, dropped it down into the top of the pump and gave it a turn with a ratchet but all I get is a clunk that sounds and feels very very solid which can be heard thru the entire block.

Anyways, if anyone has any first hand experience and/or any little things that can make the deal go a bit smoother, I'm all ears. I know the best thing to do would be to go ahead and pull the engine but its just not a realistic option at the moment for a couple of reasons, one of which has alot to do with my injury.....l8r

 

[SVT32VDOHC]

1. Pull the trans. Drop the rack down. Jack the motor up. Pull the oil pan out. You can get to the pump very easily like this. I replaced my oil pan gasket and did a clutch at the same time using this method.

2. Pull the entire engine. Pull the pan off. Replace the pump. This is the other way. If you have the equipment....pulling the motor might be easier since you have a bad back. You could the the engine on a stand and flip it upside down.

 

[Fox8950]

Yeah without separating the trans. there is no hope of getting that oil pan out thats for sure lol. I had the same happen to me with my old ride ( 0 oil pressure and a twizzler in the oil pan) and kept the trans. bolted up so couldn't remove the pan completely even with the motor jacked up (which is necessary, as high as possible till you hit firewall) which meant I had to do all my work half in the pan. Wasn't as bad as it sounds honestly the pan tipped plenty far enough that I could get a clear view of what I was doing, although would be awful hard on that back of yours.

 

[jrichker]

Been there, done that - You can do it in the car, but it is hard to do. The best way is to pull the engine.

Disconnect the battery at the battery ground terminal, remove the fan and fan shroud. Both motor mounts will need to have the large nuts that secure them to the frame removed. The trans mount will also have to be loosened, and it is a good idea to remove the drive shaft.

I also had to disconnect the cat pipes at the headers to get the engine high enough to remove the oil pan. Be prepared to have to drop the steering rack and disconnect the steering shaft. Jack up the engine with a wood block under the oil pan and watch for things that bind or hoses/electrical wiring that may need to be disconnected. I put a couple of wood blocks between the headers and the frame to support the engine. You will likely need to jack up the rear of the transmission as well to get the required clearance.

Scrape the pan mating surfaces clean as possible - old gasket stuck to the surfaces are a source of leaks.

Get a high volume/heavy duty pump, and a replacement HD pump shaft. FMS makes one, and ARP does too. When you install the pump, the funny looking washer thingy goes on the part of the shaft that fits into the hex socket in the distributor shaft. It keeps the shaft in place when you remove the distributor, which you will have to do to prime the pump. Forget to put it on, and the pump shaft can come loose and fall down in the bottom of the oil pan.

There is a one piece oil pan gasket which will help re-assembly if you can find it. If you can't get this gasket, use weather strip adhesive to secure the cork gasket to the pan rails and the rubber strips to the bearing caps. Use lots of Acetone or MEK to clean the gasket surfaces so the weather strip adhesive will stick good. Read the instructions on the adhesive carefully to make sure the gaskets are permanently stuck in place and won't move when you slide the pan in place. Use lots of blue silicone sealer on top of the front and rear rubber seals where they mate with the pan.

Fill with oil, replace the filter. Reconnect the battery, switch the ignition on to enable the gages, but DON'T crank the car. Remove the distributor and use a 1/4" hex socket to turn the pump counter clock wise (same direction as distributor rotation) until you see oil pressure (an external gage is a great help long about now). And keep turning for about 30 sec after you see the pressure come up. A reversible drill is the best tool to use to turn the 1/4" socket. The pressure should come up to about 50-80psi with cold oil. Once you see good pressure, check for obvious leaks, and then and only then, lower everything back into place and bolt down the mounts and anything else you had to take loose.

Re-install the distributor and set the timing with the engine running using timing light (don't forget to disconnect the SPOUT plug and reconnect it when finished) 12-14 degrees BDC is good. Start up and check for leaks, let it warm up and look again for leaks. It took me 2 days plus, but I am old and slow, maybe your granny is faster.

 

[Dachipsta]

Thanks fellas for the responses. Not exactly what I wanted to hear unfortunately but the honesty is well appriciated...lol. Looking at things now, also being that the engine has close to 100K miles on it, seems as tho its time to go ahead and pull it, freshen up the short block and go ahead with the head swap I had been considering. Seems like a good time to replace the stock cam now too.

Ok, since we are on the subject now and I have hijacked my own thread....lol, what cam would sit well with a GT40 tubular intake and AFR165's? Is it possible to keep a fairly stock-sounding idle and at the same time have a large increase in airflow? I have always wanted a good increase in performance but not have the thing behave like a dragster. I want something that runs fairly smooth, has a great exaust note and can spank any yuppie in his new 07' Stang GT.....lol.

Back to the issue at hand, I know a fellow stanger locally that has a full race shop and has always offered his services if I ever need to do something that my back objects to. I think I am going to forego this particular job and get it towed to him and get the thing done the right way with the right equipment. It really doesnt make alot of sense given the circumstances to go thru what it's gonna take to change an oil pump on a now questionable engine. There are too many what if's right now and this is now a good time while things are apart to go ahead with some upgrades. I appriciate once again all the advice. L8r