oil pump setup

[haywire4130]

My lower end is all together and I'm planning on assembling my oil pump tonight... I bought a new gm front cover/pump kit from weber. my question is: the pump kit from the general only came with one spring, should I run it or is there a different one I should use? I read up a lot on vortexbuicks and other sites so I have all the other info to set it up
one axe to grind though, the quality of the gm casting was terrible! Looks like they just knocked the sand off it , skimmed the front back and bottom and threw it in a box! I spent about 7 hours deburring and porting all the passages, wish I saw the t/a performance cover beforehand, it was the same money. Oh well, lesson learned!

 

[forcefed3.8's]

yellow spring.

 

[johnny's86nash]

At least that's not the made in china cover. The one thing i would check with all covers, that are some times over looked, would be the the pump. I know in the original covers the pump shafts were not 100%.
An after market pump would be on order

 

[haywire4130]

So if I get an aftermarket pump kit it will have better quality gears and a yellow spring? That's pretty bogus, I thought by spending the extra cash on the oem cover that I'd be getting the best stuff What exactly should I be checking for on the pump shaft? do local parts stores carry pump kits? I'm pretty tired of the 3-4 day lag everytime I need to order a part! Hahaha

 

[turbofabricator]

3-4 day lag.....hahahaha.....Welcome to Buicks. If you want same day service, buy a Chevy 350 or a Honda Civic.:biggrin:

Carefully check the highth of the gear "stick-out" when they are installed in the cavity. Then choose the correct thickness of gasket to achieve a .001" clearance. While porting the passages, lower the inlet divider wall as far as you can (usually about .50") which helps make the pump more efficient. Check the variance of the pump pocket depth as the gears usually stick out of the cover more on one side than the other. If it's a big power engine, I'll mill the face of the pump parallel to the pump floor. (actually the top of the pump well when on the car) This is very time consuming, and I understand TA's timing cover is CNC machined so it will probably not need this work done. Also grind the little tab off up on the cam sensor boss on the inside to clear a doule roller chain. Sometimes a chain will grind it away. Better do it so you miss the opportunity to find shavings in your oil.

 

[haywire4130]

sigh, i wish i posted this last week, i already put on the front cover and sealed it up this subject would make a great sticky! looks like the "3-4 day lag" is on while i wait for another front cover gasket set hahahaha thanks for your time/advice i do appreciate it, even though it isn't what i wanted to hear!

 

[ek02]

How about a brand new genuine GM front cover that never had all the flashing removed on the inlet passage? I bought one from the dealer in the 90's. Put it on with no modifications, and could not get any pressure while priming it. I packed it with vaseline twice before I took a good look at it. NEW means never ever worked. If you pull it back off, I would invest in a booster plate and an adjustable pressure regulator.

 

[matcojoe]

Do you have a NAPA up there, my local store has front cover gasket set w/ lip seal in stock. Also if my memory serves a couple of the big three (autozone, advance or o'rieley) had the melling oil pumps, both styles in stock.

 

[Turbo-Archie]

If you pull it back off, I would invest in a booster plate .

Why??



..

 

[ek02]

A booster plate like the old Kenne Bell, with the filter adapter modified, decreases the load on the cam and pump drive gears due to the way the oil is returned from the pressure bypass. Idle oil pressure is increased also. I've always used them on Buick V6 and V8 engines. Any reason not to?

 

[haywire4130]

thanks all for the replies. i ended up using the new gm gears that came with my cover. i polished the ends on plate glass with 800 and 1000 grit paper to deburr them so they don't rip up the new surfaces, installed them with plastigauge and a thin gm gasket, torqued to spec and got just under .002 for clearance on both gears. i'll take it. all the bearing clearances in my motor are right on the money so i don't anticipate any issues with pressure. i was ready to buy a new pump kit just for the yellow spring, then i found my old filter adapter and sure enough had a yellow spring in it so i robbed that. it was considerably stiffer than the one that came with the gm pump kit. the autozone "hub" a few towns away had a front cover gasket set as well as the one pushrod that i needed to make a length-checker so i could check my lifter preload (big suprise it was way off, now for the "4 day lag" so i can get new pushrods hahahaha!) i'm nearing the finish line, if this engine scatters i'm going to cry like a little girl

 

[Turbo-Archie]

A booster plate like the old Kenne Bell, with the filter adapter modified, decreases the load on the cam and pump drive gears due to the way the oil is returned from the pressure bypass. Idle oil pressure is increased also. I've always used them on Buick V6 and V8 engines. Any reason not to?

EK,
Can you post pictures of the plate showing how or why it reduces the load on the cam and at the same time incress pressure at idle?


..

 

[turbofabricator]

The Kenne-Bell Booster palte was orginally developed by Jim Ruggles. He claimed it reduced pump head pressure by re-routing the by-passed oil away from the pump gears. Not sure it really makes any difference to be honest. I have used them for years, but do not anymore because they are not available. I now just make the pump as efficient as possible. I now spend time making the pump more efficient. Porting and also lowering the inlet divider wall down about .5" wich seems to help measurably.

 

[ek02]

Turbofabricator pretty much answered your question. The idle pressure is not raised a lot. Probably setting the gear end play when you install the plate is the reason for the increase in idle pressure. The main reason I use the plate is to re-route the bypassed oil. It is supposed to help with wear on the cam and drive gears, especially if you use a heavy weight oil. TA still makes the plate and puts it in their very high priced front cover. I dug out one of the old Kenne Bell instruction sheets and scanned it. Not sure if it will be legible if I attach it, but I'll try it. I have used TA's cam bearings with the groove on the block side. They do actually raise idle pressure, not that it means a lot except when someone looks at the guage that doesn't know Buicks have low idle pressure. All that really matters is the pressure at the back of the block at 6000 RPM.