oil pump shaft

[Dangeranger3]

So now on my 2.9 it rarely wants to generate oil pressure. I am think the oil pump intermediate drive shaft is shot. I can get a new one at auto zone but am wondering how hard it is to do. Is there a way to do it with out removing the engine and dropping the oil pan? I am under the impression that it is driven off the distributor gear, so it is accessible from the back?

 

[holyford86]

if the intermediate shaft was shot it would not generate pressure, it would not be a sometimes deal. Most likely the engine is tired and too much oil is being bled out around components for pressure to be maintained. Try running a thicker oil and see if that does anything.

 

[Dangeranger3]

It is a sometimes deal. I can hear the difference distinctley in the valvetrain. as running lubed vs. running dry. Running dry sounds so horrible. Is there a way to replace the shaft easily? or what would be the another possible culprit?

 

[almostclueless]

LOL it's not the driveshaft......odds are the engine is worn out.

 

[Dangeranger3]

Yeah, its been worn out for a while. I don't have the money for a new truck and haven't committed to a new engine yet. I just keep trying to fix the 10-20$ parts to keep it running. But now, I don't know if its the cold or its finally nearly dead, it takes like 20 starts to get oil pressure.

 

[dirtsquirt]

you could have a bad oil filter ( i have seen that before)

 

[Dangeranger3]

you could have a bad oil filter ( i have seen that before)

I hadn't thought of that. Would that be intermittent? Its doing alot better now that its not like 4 degrees. The cold defenitely affects it, making me thing something with the pump.

 

[Dangeranger3]

After swapping the filter, oil pressure has not been a problem.

 

[Jspafford]

The pump shaft is accessable from under the distributor, but it would be a PITA to get out.

It is keyed alike on both ends. But everyone else is right, either it works or it doesn't.

The loud valvetrain is just from lack of oil, not from a part failing and causing a noise.

Glad you figured it out.

 

[grnrngr]

Hey! I'm having a similar prob with my '86 2.9 B2..one day had great pressure, the next it goes to normal but after running for a few minutes, starts dropping. The only thing I changed was the fuel pressure regulator...it would occasionally misfire or act like a clogged fuel filter, but as I was playing with the spark plug wires at the cap, I knocked the vacuum line off the regulator and a bunch of gas squirted out. I just assumed it was a hole in the diaphragm and replaced it. Messed up the O-ring when I did it so had to leavs it over night. Changed the O-ring the next AM and was driving home when it started feeling kinda sluggish and a little noisy. Looked at the dash and noticed the oil pressure was almost bottomed out. Got it home with out breaking anything but now when I start it, it comes up to the high side of the middle of the gauge, but not as high as before, then after about 3 or 4 minutes, it starts dropping...so there's no seals in the pump that can go bad and give a little pressure until they warm up? Changed my oil filter but it didn't help much...

 

[IMenriched]

No... there isn't any o-ring or seal on the oil pump mount to the block. OR internally in the pump. IF the oil pump has wear, internally....it is strickly remove and replace (R&R) there are close fit tolerances machined internal to oil pump. yes some types of oil pumps can have rebuild qualities...these are not amoung that group.

If you're having oil pressure issues...change the oil and the oil filter...expecially after haveing FPR issues. there maybe a chance that fuel has washed into the oil, thereby...reducing the lubercation ablity of the oil. yes a higher weight of oil can help like going from 5w30, to 10w30 or 10w40... generally the higher last 2 digits the thicker the oil...the thicker the oil...that comes with reduced flowability in colder air temps.
Unless you go with the far more expensive synthetic....but that tends to leak out seals that wouldn't normally leak.

ALSO....if your getting low oil pressure....make sure it isn't the factory sending unit giving a false/erroronious feed back. good set of mechnical guages go a long way to cureing that.

If oil pressure is still not up to snuff....then the internial componets of your engine are just plain wore out, like, cam bearing, and rod & main bearings to name a few.

 

[grnrngr]

Hmmm..hadn't considered gas in the oil as a result of the FPR prob...I'll change it. It did look really clean when I checked it although when I swapped the filter, that was nasty black. I usually run 20/50 so other than going to a straight 40 or 50wt there's not much more I can do that way. Guess I thought the fuel in the vacuum line would be sucked into the manifold but I guess it does make sense that it could end up in the pan.Thanks for the info..

 

[grnrngr]

Oh yeah...another friend had mentioned checking it with manual gauges, great idea.. although I'm sure there is a problem with the pressure, as you can hear the valve train get noisier as the pressure drops. However, before this current prob, for some strange reason, the oil pressure and temp gauges would occasionally peg to the top of their marks and stay there for a while even tho it's not running hot and the oil pressure seems to be OK, at least according to the sound of the engine and volume on the dipstick, and the oil pressure gauge pegs at the top instead of the bottom of the gauge..any known issues with the electrical system that controls the gauges?

 

[Dangeranger3]

The factory gauges are known to be basically an on/off switch (I think). I do know that they are highly innacurate and an aftermarket gauge should defintiely be used for any "real" numbers.