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| Oil pump |
by Fred Di Matteo
Another call for help because his car suddenly stopped in traffic with no ignition (no spark at the plugs) only about 1000 miles after he overhauled the engine.
Not wanting to guess at what the problem was, I asked him if it was getting spark at the plugs. You won't believe this, but he said he got spark when he first tried it and for a few seconds and then nothing. He pulled off the distributor cap and noticed that the rotor was no longer turning when he cranked it over.
Yes, he had put in a new oil pump and yes, he bolted it in place, put the rest of the engine together and ran it for almost a thousand miles before it quit. Broken oil pump shaft was my answer and I then proceeded to tell him what he did wrong as well as how to set the shaft so the distributor rotor would point in the right direction. I've written about how to install the oil pump properly more than once I believe. Mounting bolts should be left finger tight until after the crankshaft has been rotated several times which allows the oil pump shaft to align itself in the bore, then tighten the bolts. Improper alignment breaks shafts easily and often. His car runs just fine now.
To make the pump maintain a proper pressure, work on the relief valve. While the oil pump is on the bench, open the pressure relief valve and hone the piston bore and smooth the piston so it is shiny-clean and moves freely in the bore.
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