Hey guys I am kind of at a loss. I have a 71 skylark with a 455. I was having low oil preasure issues and was convinced I needed a new timing cover (mine was not pretty to say the least). Got one from TA and a new set of oil pump gears. Put eveything on and when I start it, it takes a good 5+ seconds for any oil pressure to appear, you can hear when the pressure starts to build. It slowly creeps to 20 psi and then shoots up to 60 - 80 psi cold but once it warms up it drops to 0 at idle. I can rev to 2,500 rpms, warmed up and it will take a few seconds and slowly creep up to 20 again and hit about 40 but really wont pass that point the moment you let off the gas it drops instantly to 0. I have a TA pressure plate but was told with the new timing cover I wouldn't need it. What should I do next? I appreciate any advice!
Sounds almost like a some extra clearances in the bearings. How many miles on the motor, any history. With the new cover and gears that should had taken any issue there and any that might had been coming if the pressure regulator was doing anything funny. Is your gauge mechanical or electric. Might double check against another gauge. But pretty sure when you say you can hear it pick up oil that it's low. Assuming here. But when it starts. It's not knocking, but when the oil picks ups your idle drops a few hundred rpm. We had a motor do thus once but it was big chevy, found too much bearing clearances that was actually letting the oil leak past
Still have to assemble the oil pump correctly, the new cover will be of no benefit if the oil pump clearance is incorrect
Not sure how many miles are on the motor. It's not the original. No knocking when started. The noise of the motor, the best I can describe, smooths out when the oil pressure picks up. I have a mechanical oil pressure gauge and I have hooked up two other gauges that read the same thing, even tried changing hoses to the gauges. What do you mean by assemble the oil pump correctly?
X2 VERY VERY CRITICAL! Did you buy the TA cover assembled? Did you buy the TA cover and gears separately and assembled yourself? You cannot just slap gears in the cover and call it good, the gear end clearance HAS to be set up at no more than .002 as Hugger said. TA sells a shim kit to attain that clearance. The booster/thrust plate is pretty much a standard upgrade for the pump. It is NOT the same as the spacer plate which is used with the high volume pump/longer gears. The HV pump is not needed with a stock engine with stock bearing clearances.
See posts # 17 and 18 in this thread, http://www.v8buick.com/index.php?threads/oil-pump-clearance.270675/ You'll need the oil pump shim kit sold by TA, http://www.taperformance.com/proddetail.asp?prod=TA_1704
Ok so I need to measure how far the gears protrude out of the oil pump housing with a feeler gauge then add .002 to that and thats the shim I need in between the housing and the booster plate correct? No other gaskets needed in between the housing and the plate apart from the shim?
Yes, .002 added to the gear protrusion is the gasket you need. No other gaskets between the timing cover and the booster plate. The gasket gives you the end clearance.
Mike just set ours up he used plastic gauge. I will see if I can post pics. He said he had to machine the filter housing
So the .003 in the picture is how high the gear sat outside of the housing? So he used the .005 shim?
No, plastigauge looks like fine wire. You check clearances with it by laying it across a surface and then bolting the parts together. The wire gets flattened, you disassemble the parts, and you compare the flattened width to the scale that comes with the plastigauge. In the picture, the flattened wire width is being compared with the .002 on the scale.
I don't know if any shim got used, I don't have it in my possession yet, but the .002 us the clearance between the gear and bottom plate or filter housing if not using a booster plate. I'm sure those with more knowledge can anewer this, adding shims sets lower clearance, but doesn't adding a shim add extra clearance above the gears causing an area for cavation, and leaking oil by the gears.
It's called a shim kit, but what it really is is a gasket assortment of various thicknesses. Thicker gasket means more end clearance, thinner, less. The end clearance is the distance between the gear faces and the pump cover, or booster plate. (if used) Everything expands with heat, the aluminum timing cover pocket, more than the gears. That is the reason for setting the end clearance to the minimum without binding the pump. Oil bypasses the gears resulting in lower oil pressure.
Ok guys. I appreciate the responses! I going to order a new shim kit tomorrow and add the booster plate with the correct shim. I will let you know how it turns out! Thanks again
That makes more since, I have never setup my pumps always had them done, but never saw a shim where I was talking before.....probably for the reason I was talking about. The differance gaskets thicknesses answers thats. I have heard the steel booster plate help control, almost like a girdle, the expansion of the housing due to heat and helps holds its shape more truer
