So, Friday evening I get my oil pump, timing chain and gasket set in from Scoggin Dickey and I am all giddy about getting it installed so that I can get the car back up and running. (I am in the middle of a cam install and figured why not upgrade the oil pump as well.) One of the first things I notice is that the new oil pump does not come with a new o-ring. I am a little miffed and bummed but figured I would just use the old one. So I go to "www.ls1howto.com" (God bless that guy.) and get all the torque specs. I get the cam plate on and the timing chain installed and now it is on to the oil pump. I read some stuff on the net and talked with a freind (John Norris) locally about it and figured well it can't be that bad; h*ll I own a Turbo Buick. Well, I a freind shows up and I get him to worm it on the crank from the top while I finagle the oil pickup. Well it just "pops" right in there. I am like HA !!! Who is the man now dog !? I figure I will be up and in no time at all. I go to put the bolt in the pickup and I notice that it is not quite seated all the way. I think "OK", it wants to be difficult . No problem, I've whooped worse. I started fiddling with it and realize that the friggin o-ring gasket that I wasn't overly concerned with is now it two, count em two peices. Right about this time I get pizzed and smack the car. It responds by throwing the tranny cooler down on my head leaving a nice little gash in addition to tranny fluid on my now bleeding nugget. I respond by taking my screwdriver and smacking it back only to bust the cooler and get tranny fluid thrown into my face and jumping back hitting my still bleeding head on the inner frame. I decide to just lay there and bleed for a while. Oil pump -1 / Big Geek - 0

Fast forward to next morning. I get up and head out to the dealership to get a couple of o-rings. I figure why take the chance; you know? I get there and I'm telling the guy what I need and he is looking at me like I am trying to explain thermo-nuclear fusion to him. We finally locate the o-ring on the parts diagram, he then tells me almost joyfully that they don't have any. He was helpful in that he checked the other dealership for me only to discover that they didn't have them either. I think he may have been hung over. Anyhow, he orders three of them for me and tells me they will be here Tuesday. I then go to see another freind of mine at the local speed shop and he tells me that he got two different sized o-rings with his oil pump. I asked him what the difference was and he wasn't sure. So to date the score is Oil pump-2/Big Geek-0.

The parts guy at the dealership told me that all of the LS-1's and LS-6's that use an o-ring on the pickup use the same one. Anyone know if this it truly the case or is it going to be Oil pump-3/Big Geek-0 come tomorrow? Thanks in advance.

Jim C.

 

They should all use the same o-ring since both pumps are interchangable...not a good idea to get tranny fluid in a cut then again not a good idea to take your anger out on a part that cost a good deal of money...

 

Yeah, unfortunately an angry emotional response does not equal rational logic or even a pleasant outcome most of the time. Thanks for the info, it is appreciated.

Jim C.

 

Some of the earlier 97/98's had a different O-ring. All the later models have the same style.

 

I have a 97 and bought a Lingenfelter oil pump. Should this o ring work? Should I get a new one anyway?