oil pump replacement

[fordkrazy]

oil pump replacement(updated with pic)

id like to replace my oil pump. can i do this by lifting the engine up slightly or none? or do i have to remove the engine.

 

[fordkrazy]

does any one know??? i would really like to be able to do this without removing the engine.

 

[SteveVB]

Engine Out.

Sorry, but you have to get the engine out. With the front crossmember there is no way to get the pan off with out removing the engine. Even with a substantial body lift I doubt you could raise the engine high enough to get clearance for the pan.
I wish the 4.0 OHV had a two piece pan like the SOHC so we could clean the inlet screen and get to the pump if needed but no such luck.

Whay do you want to replace the pump only? I think that if the pump needs to be replaced quite a few other areas would need attention also, and when the engine is out it would be a good time to rebuild.

 

[fordkrazy]

well the reason i want to replace the pump is that the oil pressure guage is really low and there is a lot of lifter rattle. other than that the engine is in great shape as of now. it has 110k mi. and i think it could go alot longer if i could just replace the oil pump. how long do you think it could last with the pump going out? id really hate for someone to screw up the engine by rebuilding it since it is in such good shape.

 

[SteveVB]

Did you put a good mechanical gauge on it to check? or are you using the indash? What kind of pressures you run, and what do they look like cold and hot? Do a comp test see what the rings look like.

I took my 160k engine out due to some noise and low gauge pressure. The bottom end was well within specs, but the top end (push rods, rocker arms) had a bunch of wear. The cause as best I could tell was a clogged pick up ( I think I knocked some sludge loose after a hot engine ran through some close to freezing water) . The pick up could flow some oil but not enough to feed the top end. IMO. Once I got the oil pick up off the pump pulled well( replaced it anyway since its a pain to get to)

You may want to try and do one of the flushes that are offered by dealers, oil places. I think I read of one that back flushes through the oil filter adapter and then out the drain plug. That may clear the filter screen( if its clogged) and restore some pressure. If you have air you might try it with air, take the filter off hook up air to the supply, see if oil pressure improves.

I would take the valve covers off and check the rockers, push rods for wear, and replace the lifters, at that point you have taken the engine down to a short block.

 

[SteveVB]

Clarification

I made it sound like you can replace the lifters by taking off the valve covers- I wish- you need to remove the intake and heads.

 

[fordkrazy]

yea i think mine is doing exactly what you are talking about. it really gets to me that you have to spend a pile in labor to get at 20-40 dollar part that has a major influence in how long your engine lasts. i was looking through the repair manual and noticed that the tranny bolts to the oil pan and there are alignment plates to measure and get right. how screwed up is that? well i guess ill try a flush. i have main seal leaks...will the leaks be worse after the flush? do they use a cleaner or just new oil? i think it would be ok if its just oil.

 

[mattadams]

fordkrazy - let us know how it turns out! In moab I noticed that mine started showing low pressure as well, not sure how accurate the guage is though. I looked in the manual to see how hard it would be to change the oil pump, said no way in heck that was a moab repair . It fluctuates a lot (sometimes it shows below N in normal, sometime around the O and sometimes around the R or M), and from what I've read that's more then likely just a bad dummy guage.

 

[fordkrazy]

yea it is. i went to the dealer to have the oil system flushed and that helped alot. it runs smoother and less lifter rattle. the sending unit i think is the culpret. anyway i installed some mechanical guages last week and i believe im getting good pressure. the guages are autometer 2 1/16"auto guage so theyre not real accurate but max pressure is arround 50psi and at idol after it has warmed up is between 0 and 25psi so you can make your own estimates. ill have to post some pics of the install. they fit perfectly where the ash tray used to be.

 

[fordkrazy]

here are some pictures of my guage install....oh yea and i painted the black on my dash silver.

Dead Link Removed

 

[curlej]

91 xlt lifter clatter oil pump prob

I have had lifter clatter for about 2 years now, off and on to start, now it is constant. Occasionally at idle it will get quieter, then louder, then quieter. The last few months I have had an oil pressure guage that reads normal if I rev or am driving, but at idle it hovers at the low side of the guage. I thought I had a faulty sending unit and was not worried about it. I wish I had worried a bit more.
One night when I started it up to come home from work, almost immediately after starting the engine I heard something spraying out under the X. I looked under to see, in horror, that it was engine oil. I shut it off immediately (after crawling under I found that I had lost all but about 1/2 to 1 quart). I found the filter was where the leak (spray) was. I tried a new filter. When I started it, the filter bulged out and I heard a pop, followed by more spraying oil (from the filter to engine connection). My best diagnosis is that the lifter noise was caused by low oil pressure, and that eventually the pressure relief failed and/or outlet on the pump became completely clogged, and the pressure buildup popped the filter off the housing.
I am in the process of yanking the engine to replace the pump. I hope I do not have too much damage to the rest of the engine.
Watch that guage! Get a real one installed for safety. I wish I had known that lifter clatter was often indicative of low oil pressure.
Any comments or suggestions welcome.
And I thought my X was more reliable than my ^%^%$ SHO (love the car, but has left me stranded twice many miles from home).

 

[fordkrazy]

man thats too bad.....you prolly need to tear it down to the bare block and have it cleaned out...sounds like you have an oil passage problem and not a bad pump....its building up so much pressure that its bending the oil filter and causing it to leak

clean it and replace the lifters....and i guess it wouldnt hurt to replace the pump if the part is not to expensive.

oh yea...and my problem is that the lifters are just wearing out....my pressure is fine as noted by the real guage.

 

[curlej]

Pump is fifty bucks, lifters are 500-600 for a set, if I remember correctly. I can get a lower mileage engine out of a wrecked X for that price.

 

[fordkrazy]

wow!!!...that sounds really high for lifters...lifters for a small v8 are arround 50-100 bucks and i would expect them to be higher for an X since the demand isnt there but not 500-600.....ive never priced them for an X though....where is that price from?

 

[curlej]

Dealer only part, I think. It was a year ago I priced them, then decided to live with it. There are 12 of them, and they are 50 or so bucks a piece. I about choked. I take it back, they are not dealer only, but they are pricey no matter where you get them.

 

[SteveVB]

Lifters

Lifters 200 or so- you can get some take offs from Stevensparts.com.

The ticking may not be the lifters- the rockers and pushrods on these engines wear badly and can be a problem. I would check them first since they are easier to get to, just pull the valve cover.

Also want to check the pick up on your oil pump- use a new one if you replace the oil pump. They clog and really cant be cleaned that easily. Take offs again are worth a look.

Good Luck