Oil Pumps & Parts

Oil pumps are generally very durable, but nevertheless the pump should be replaced or at least inspected when an engine is rebuilt. Once the pump is disassembled, inspect the housing and gears for scoring, nicks or other damage. The clearance between the gears and between the gears and housing should be checked against specification. Make sure the oil pressure relief valve moves freely. Rebuild kits are available for some pumps that include new gears, pressure relief valve springs, and the necessary seals and gaskets. The pickup tube and screen should be thoroughly cleaned to ensure unrestricted oil flow.

There are several variations of crank driven oil pumps. On a direct drive pump the pump surrounds the crankshaft and the drive gear is mounted to the end of the crank. On gear drive and chain drive pumps, the pump is mounted to the side of the crankshaft and driven by a set of gears or chain and sprockets. The gears or chain and sprockets should be inspected carefully and replaced if necessary. On crankcase mounted pumps, the oil pump driveshaft should be inspected for damage, especially for rounding of the hex at each end of the shaft where it contacts the distributor and pump.

Oil pressure switches and sending units are threaded into the engine oil galleries where they are directly exposed to engine oil pressure. A switch is used with a dash light. If oil pressure falls below a predetermined pressure, the switch will illuminate the light, alerting the driver that oil pressure is dangerously low. A sending unit is connected to a gauge that displays the amount of oil pressure. Oil pressure will be lowest at idle, but should rise as engine RPM increases. Oil pressure varies according to engine design; check the vehicle service manual specifications to see what is right for your engine.

Traditionally, racing engines have been built with looser bearing clearances to allow for the crankshaft flex that can occur when a high-powered engine is pushed to the limit. If clearances were tight, this flex could result in metal-to-metal contact and premature wear. However, to accommodate the greater bearing clearance a high volume oil pump is required. Regardless of your engine’s oil pressure demands, we have the pump to meet your needs.

We offer both cast iron and aluminum wet sump oil pumps with various volume and pressure ratings, so you can get the pump that’s right for your application. In addition to increased volume/pressure, many pumps feature strengthening in key areas to withstand the increased stress, and modifications to prevent pump cavitation. Many of our pumps come with the pickups pre-installed, but we also have a large selection of pickups for stock as well as performance oil pans. We also offer heavy-duty related components like stronger oil pump driveshafts with steel sleeves. In addition to a complete line of performance wet sump oil pumps, we also offer performance dry sump pumps.