Modern Engine Blueprinting Techniques. Mike Mavrigian
and tube. Remove the pump from the block and tack weld or full weld the tube to the pump. This ensures that the pickup tube doesn’t move or loosen.
When interference-fitting a pickup tube to an in-pan pump, a special open-center tool is required for installation.
If the oil pump is crank driven, the pickup tube has a slip-in fit to the pump and is sealed with an O-ring. A mounting tab on the tube bolts to the pump body. If you’re using a stock-type oil pan, no adjustment is needed because the pickup tube assembly is bolted down in a fixed position. The tube has another mounting tab or bracket that likely bolts to one of the main caps. Regardless of whether the pump is distributor driven or crank driven, if you’re using an aftermarket oil pan with a deeper sump, you must use the specific pickup assembly recommended by the pan manufacturer.
Once the pickup has been interference-fit to the pump and adjusted for pickup depth (to suit the pan), the tube should be welded to the pump body.
Billet aluminum pumps, designed for racing applications, have an integrated pickup and screen that require no external pickup tube. Because the pump bottom must be immersed in the oil supply, pump body heights are offered for specific oil-pan sump depths. This style eliminates the possibility of pickup tube leaks or vibrational damage.
Depending on design, the timing set must be installed prior to pump installation. Pictured here is an LS2 short block. Note that the pump is mounted ahead of the timing gear.
Crank-driven oil pumps have a driven gear that have a series of broad teeth.
The pump’s driven gear slips over and engages the drive gear, which installs onto the crankshaft snout. This OEM-LS drive gear has an integrated timing chain gear.
Billet race pumps are easily disassembled for inspection and cleaning. As with traditional in-pan pumps, pressure adjustments can be made by changing pressure relief springs.
A crank-driven oil pump likely has a lone pickup tube that is necessitated by the location of a rear-pan sump. This type of pump has a pickup tube that bolts to the pump and is sealed with an O-ring, so no interference fitting or welding is needed.
If the pump is located far from the sump, the tube will be long and require at least one additional support bracket to support the weight and length of the pickup tube. It is usually fastened to a main cap bolt or stud. Here is a stock type pickup on a GM LS engine. The sheet-metal tray seen here serves as a windage tray, which protects the crankshaft from oil splashback from the pan. This reduces parasitic oil drag on the crank counterweights and rod big ends.
Another type of gerotor pump is the billet style. It bolts to the block and has a built-in pickup with no external pickup tube. This style of pump is available for certain applications in which a specific oil pan is to be used. A big advantage of this type of pump is that there’s no press-fit pickup tube that might loosen up during engine operation, so there’s no concern about sucking air into the oil system due to a loosened or broken tube.
If you’ve decided to use an aftermarket oil pan with a deeper sump, pay attention to the oil level dipstick. Don’t simply assume that a dipstick “made for that engine” has properly placed level indicators. With the engine upright and at the level to which it would be installed in the vehicle, add the specified amount of oil that your pan calls for. Allow a few minutes for the oil to drain into the sump. Insert the dipstick and compare the fluid level to the marks on the stick. You may place different marks on the stick, or you may find that you need a longer stick. Aftermarket dipsticks are available that can easily be customized for fit. Flexible (woven stainless steel cable) sticks have a swedged-on tip that can then be cut to length at the top end. The upper end is secured in a billet-aluminum handle with a set screw.
Billet oil pumps have a built-in pickup screen.
The big advantage of the billet pumps is the elimination of a separate pickup, so pickup tube damage such as loosening or cracking due to engine vibration is eliminated.
A screened windage tray reduces oil splashback while permitting faster oil drain to the sump. A built-in baffle/windage tray is also featured on this pan. Note the square passage hole for pickup entry. Vertical baffle wall(s) in the pan prevent sump/pickup starvation during severe acceleration, braking, and/or severe lateral turns, depending on design.
A “dry sump” system uses a more direct manner to supply oil to the engine. A belt drives an externally mounted oil pump that uses external plumbing to flow oil to the engine. For a dry