juiSSed1172

My pan is dropped as low as it will go.. (hits the steering rack or whatever)

I'm using a 10mm gear wrench. I've tried some tape on the bolt to the wrench, some liquid gasket, everything.. Rotating the pump up, prying the tube down... Do you put the bolt in before you slide the pump on?!?


I'm going to take a baseball bat to this fcking thing next.

Mike94ZLT1

iTrader: (3)

No no no. Put the new O-ring on the tube. Start to slide the pump onto the crank, and when it gets close you can rotate the pump and insert the pickup tube into the pump. Once the pickup tube is inserted you should be able to start the bolt with your fingers.

AutomagicLS1

iTrader: (18)

Just got to fight it. get some wire thats real long or use some solder or somthing to tie around the bolt incase you drop it. You want to be able to retreive it when it falls which it probably will if its your first time. If the bolt falls in the pan with nothing attatched to it to get it out ou might have REAL problems.

Mike94ZLT1

iTrader: (3)

What is there to fight? Take your time, be patient. I've done it 4 times now, and I don't remember it ever being as hard as you describe.

Hell'sChariot

iTrader: (24)

And check check and double check that the oring goes in smoothly.

slt200mph

iTrader: (42)

Best thing is to put some rags down in the pan so the bolt will not fall very far you can also tie some thread on the bolt to retrieve it .. a magnet comes in handy too when doing this ... just get after it..patience is a vertue ..

eallanboggs

iTrader: (1)

Take the pump cover off. Remove drive and driven pump gears. Now you can wriggle the pump around enough to get the pickup tube into the pump port without pinching the "O" ring AND get the bolt aligned with the bolt hole threads in the pump. Reinstall pump gears and cover as they were removed. No baseball bat required. The shop rags are a real good idea too. Use a 10mm gear wrench to install the bolt and be SURE the bolt is going in straight before you apply any substantial torque.

juiSSed1172

By taking the pump apart, is there anything I can mess up in there? I"m so petrified of spinning a bearing....

MLavigne Z/28

I used a piece of kite thread, (borrowed from my son's kite) about 2 feet. Tied that to the bolt right under the head. Ran the other end up over the oil pump and just let it hang. Once I got the bolt in the hole, I could pull down on the string which would keep the bolt in the hole so I could get a few turns on the bolt. Just make sure to remove the string before you tighten it in the threads.

Krab

iTrader: (28)

This method is probably the easiest.

eallanboggs

iTrader: (1)

There really isn't anything to mess up. You need to take note of which face on the drive and driven gears are facing "outward" as you disassemble the pump. There is no gasket to worry about. One of the gears already has a tiny mark on it(looks something like an icon on a computer display) which has to face out. You can put a tiny scribe mark on the face of the other one just to be sure it too is facing out as you reassemble the pump. Having the gears out makes moving the pump around a whole lot easier when it comes to getting the pickup tube into the pump port and getting the pickup tube flange bolt started. You are going to have to wriggle and jiggle the pump and gears around somewhat to get the pump reassembled. Just take your time. Put some oil on the pump body and gears before you begin to reassemble it. It you are using a double row timing set for the first time be sure you orient the shim on the drivers side properly so that the hole in the shim is aligned with the hole in the block. That's important or oil volume will be severely restricted.

eallanboggs

iTrader: (1)

You can probably get the bolt in without taking the pump apart if you use enough elbow grease and curse words along with that baseball bat, but taking the pump apart makes getting the pickup tube into the pump and getting the bolt started a whole lot easier. You can't really mess that up. You should be sure the gear faces are oriented in the same way when you reassemble them as when you took them apart. One gear has a tiny mark on it(looks like a computer icon) which must face outward. You can put a tiny scribe mark on the other gear face yourself. Oil the gears and pump body before you reassemble it. You will have to wriggle and jiggle the pump body and gears around to get it to go together because it is a very tight fit. GM makes a "special tool"(sleeve) the slides over the crank snout that is supposed to make sure the pump sits concentrically around the crank, but I've found that there isn't a whole lot of room for movement when you get it back together. You will probably have the same experience. If you're the least bit worried about it you can partially snug the pump bolts(4 that hold it in place) and spin the crank a few times with the old crank bolt then tighten down the bolts. The pump is fully assembled at this point right?