Oil Pump

[StreetDragster]

Good evening ladies and gents, TVR Chimaera 450, needs an oil pump, what sort of strip down is required for this job? Can it be done in situ?

Cars going into Automedon once an oil pump has been sourced, just trying to gauge the labour to fit it (and as such, the cost/overtime needed to be put in!)
New Vac advance module needed to, bugger.

Thanks

Matt

[Tahiti450]

Thats a pretty strange thing to need, what makes you think you need a new pump? The oil pump on a pre-serp is pretty frail and can need replacing, but if your is a 450 then it will have the serpentine front end and the vastly superior crank driven oil pump. I cant think of any likely reason to need to change one of these unless there has been a drastic engine failure resulting in metal debris being ingested by the pump and causing severe damage to the internals (but in that case replacing the oil pump would be the least of your problems). If the oil pressure is low its very unlikely to be down to the pump. As far as replacing a serp oil pump its a fairly major job involving removing the timing cover as the pump lives inside this.
The pre-serp pump gears and pump cover are quite easy to replace and this is sometimes worthwhile (provided all the other causes of low oil pressure have been addressed).
If this is advice you have had from a third party I'd be pretty sceptical....

[v8 racing]

As above

[StreetDragster]

I was experiancing low oil pressure and fluctuating oil pressure readings so took it into Dave@Automedon for diagnostics, he did some tests and told me the oil pump was failing so i asked him to have a look for a new one.

Thanks

Matt

[spend]

I'd ask him if your sump was clean, and if the pickup was clear and sealed first. Then you could ask about the oil pressure relief spring and plunger.. If they are done and a mechanical gauge is still showing strange pressures it may be justified I suppose.

Dave

[Tahiti450]

StreetDragster said:

I was experiancing low oil pressure and fluctuating oil pressure readings so took it into Dave@Automedon for diagnostics, he did some tests and told me the oil pump was failing so i asked him to have a look for a new one.

Thanks

Matt

I assume this was based on readings from an independant and properly calibrated pressure gauge - the gauge on the car is extremely unreliable and must not be trusted. These oil pumps dont just "fail" unless something drastic has happened, as i said above. If the oil pressure is genuinely low then I would put money on it that it is NOT the pump, there are a myriad of other more likely reasons. First you need to ask him WHY he thinks its the pump as opposed to all the usual culprits.

[StreetDragster]

Hi all, just an update, trusted Dave opinion and the car has now been in for an oil pump, vac advance and a timing check. Its now Miiiiiiiles better.
Oil pressure is 30-40 lbs hot idle and 55 lbs whilst driving normally, also part throttle responce is much much better with the vac advance now working properly.
Very happy, went out for a 3 hr night blast last night with the ice indicator on all the way and the roof off, just to 'bed her in' haha

Thanks

Matt