Should I replace oil pump during cam swap?
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From: Fuquay-Varina, NC
Should I replace oil pump during cam swap? I'm getting ready to have the cam, valvesprings,retainers, ASP pulley, and double roller timing chain installed. Do I really need to put a ported ls6 pump in? Will it really make any difference? TSP has one for $129, everyone else is $149. I'll spend the $ if it's worth doing. I see so many with oil pressure problems after installing these during cam swaps. Don't want to cause problems.
Re: Should I replace oil pump during cam swap? im in the same situation as you; i picked up the TSP ported ls6 oil pump, 2x rollmaster chain, and bolt and gasket get while i was at it. $245 shipped which aint bad and TSP was an excellent vendor to deal with.
Re: Should I replace oil pump during cam swap? the problem with the pumps in 98-00 was a spring valve...that would get stuck....
If you have a 01+ then you probably have the updated pump(which is the same pump with the new valve). the other option is a "bluprinted ported oil pump from SLP or a few other manufacturers....just flows more oil....better psi...
stock I saw 30-40 at idle...45-50 at cruise...60 at WOT high rpm
SLP Ported I see 40-45 at idle...60 at cruise and 60-80 at WOT high rpm....
you need atleast 10 psi/1000rpm....
seems like a good upgrade to me...especially since I can spin up to 6800 at the track
If you have a 01+ then you probably have the updated pump(which is the same pump with the new valve). the other option is a "bluprinted ported oil pump from SLP or a few other manufacturers....just flows more oil....better psi...
stock I saw 30-40 at idle...45-50 at cruise...60 at WOT high rpm
SLP Ported I see 40-45 at idle...60 at cruise and 60-80 at WOT high rpm....
you need atleast 10 psi/1000rpm....
seems like a good upgrade to me...especially since I can spin up to 6800 at the track
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From: Derby, KS
Re: Should I replace oil pump during cam swap? I chose not to. I have a '98 with 61,000 miles on it now. To me, that pump has proven itself, and is no more likely to fail then a new, unproven, pump.
Re: Should I replace oil pump during cam swap? gm had a big factory letter that stated the "problem" with the oil pumps on 98-00 LS1 engines....
and the pumps randomly failed...meaning no specific thing set it off...
basically the valve would fail cause the spring that pushed it open would get stuck.....
they fixed the problem on 01+ LS1 and LS6 engines by replacing the valve mechanism....
a buddy of mine had his fail at 20000 miles!!! thank goodness for factory warranty.
its easy to do the swap to a new(preferably ported)ls1/ls6 pump. and If you do a timing chain swap(you should do that too... I went double chain) then you will have to pull off the pump to do that.
Its Easy, Fairly inexpensive insurance...
Just Do It
and the pumps randomly failed...meaning no specific thing set it off...
basically the valve would fail cause the spring that pushed it open would get stuck.....
they fixed the problem on 01+ LS1 and LS6 engines by replacing the valve mechanism....
a buddy of mine had his fail at 20000 miles!!! thank goodness for factory warranty.
its easy to do the swap to a new(preferably ported)ls1/ls6 pump. and If you do a timing chain swap(you should do that too... I went double chain) then you will have to pull off the pump to do that.
Its Easy, Fairly inexpensive insurance...
Just Do It
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From: St. Louis, MO
Re: Should I replace oil pump during cam swap? I replaced my working '00 pump (5400 miles on it) with a new ported pump when I did my H/C. Worth every penny, especailly when you see 45psi at idle when its hot. I wanted to be sure to protect my investment. You can never have too much oil pressure!
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From: Derby, KS
Re: Should I replace oil pump during cam swap?
I replaced my perfectly working '98 pump with a brand new '01 LS6 pump during a cam swap. Guess what, the valve got stuck almost immediately.
...with regards to changing your pump, consider the facts and then do what is right for you and keep in mind that an awful lot of what you hear on these boards are know-nothings just regurgitating what they read on another post....
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From: Beverly,MA
Re: Should I replace oil pump during cam swap? When I did my heads and cam I up-graded my oil pump, only because if you don't and some thing goes wrong, it's going to be terribly wrong 
. Not to mention on the flip side oil preasure stayes nice and high with the upgrade. I chose the ARE upgraded oil pump and my car loves it 
. good luck
. Not to mention on the flip side oil preasure stayes nice and high with the upgrade. I chose the ARE upgraded oil pump and my car loves it . good luck Re: Should I replace oil pump during cam swap?
You aren't alone by a long ways. There is this myth that magical design changes were made, 01+ pumps are better, blah blah blah......fooey, it's the same dang pump, and all model years are equally well represented when it comes to oil pump failures. It's another one of those urban legend things that gets repeated enough, largely by the posers and some how is now considered gospel....
When GM sent the motors to Lingenfelter to have the cam swapped, tuned, tested, and then packed up to ship out to the Grand Am teams in 1999, during testing, several pumps failed. When the pumps were disassembled, the internals were wiped clean
(no gear lobes to pump oil left). GM went back and changed some tolerances and hardened the gears to make them hold up better. From the outside (and even "looking" at the inside), you can't "tell" there is any difference but the materials are much better in the 01/LS6 pumps.
Now, having said all this, there are 1Ks of people who have 97-00 cars (oil pumps) who have never and will never have a problem. The failures tended to be under high RPM/high load (race) conditions so the "average" daily driver (stock/slightly modified) is in pretty good shape. But if you’re already in the motor and it would take you 30mins more to change to a new pump, why not? People have had new LS6 pumps "fail" (bypass valve stick open) but if they are ported correctly, then all the flashing is removed from around the valve area and the valve CAN NOT stick.
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Re: Should I replace oil pump during cam swap? The gears and internals may be stronger but in most cases the failure is because the valve gets stuck because of debris. It does not look there has been any design improvement with the valve.
I'm not saying you should not replace the pump, but considering the mild RPM range I have I would not necessarily do it again. If there is going to be significantly more RPM then you better replace the pump.
I'm not saying you should not replace the pump, but considering the mild RPM range I have I would not necessarily do it again. If there is going to be significantly more RPM then you better replace the pump.
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From: Fuquay-Varina, NC
Re: Should I replace oil pump during cam swap? I'll be shifting around 6600. The guy doing my swap said he hasn't seen enough evidence to warranty replacing the pump with the "improved" one. I'm up in the air about it. At this point, it could go bad after being replaced (which would really suck) or not.
Re: Should I replace oil pump during cam swap? the guy doing your swap is an idiot if he tells you he doesnt see any reason to change the pump...he just doesnt want to do the work....and its not hard.....took me an extra 10 minutes to do the pump...just make sure to get a pump that has been "blueprinted". Ported just means its been done by somebody...."blueprinted" means its been done properly with machining tolerances followed to a very specific amount.
and the new ones..the gears have been hardened to help prevent failure from those getting screwed up.
and the new ones..the gears have been hardened to help prevent failure from those getting screwed up.
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From: Boring Green, Kentucky
Re: Should I replace oil pump during cam swap? Someone help me out here. I got a h/c swap in the works with parts on order (see sig) and my mechanic said he would have to drop the engine to get to the oil pump. That being said, I realized I don't have the $$ to get an upgraded pump. Please tell me about this install although I cannot do it myself. My mechanic said "4 hours" to do th install. Is this on LS1howto.com?
Re: Should I replace oil pump during cam swap? The reason he has to "drop the engine" is because in order to get the oil pump and timing chain (two things that I feel should be replaced) off, you must drop the oil pan. In order to get the oil pan off, you must either drop the K-member away from the motor, or lift the motor off the K-member (I always lift the motor off the K-member). It’s not "hard" to do (just pull the motor mount bolt, put a jack under the transmission bell housing, and lift) and it only takes about 30 minutes TOTAL.
Your mechanic is either REALLY lazy or is completely miss-informed about how to work on the lower end of these motors.
Your mechanic is either REALLY lazy or is completely miss-informed about how to work on the lower end of these motors.
Re: Should I replace oil pump during cam swap?
The reason he has to "drop the engine" is because in order to get the oil pump and timing chain (two things that I feel should be replaced) off, you must drop the oil pan. In order to get the oil pan off, you must either drop the K-member away from the motor, or lift the motor off the K-member (I always lift the motor off the K-member). It’s not "hard" to do (just pull the motor mount bolt, put a jack under the transmission bell housing, and lift) and it only takes about 30 minutes TOTAL.
Your mechanic is either REALLY lazy or is completely miss-informed about how to work on the lower end of these motors.
Your mechanic is either REALLY lazy or is completely miss-informed about how to work on the lower end of these motors.