Oil Pump: Is it broken???

[blurple124]

With the trans out of the car for a rebuild - Thank you, BEEK! - I have started investigating the low-oil pressure light issue that I've been having.

Symptoms:

Idiot light on dash is illuminated
Oil pan is dented and scraped
Drained oil is black, but oil in cam boxes is fresh looking
There was a substantial pile of silicone "hairs" in the oil pan (almost like the bits of RTV that were squished out when the valve covers were tightened down once upon a time....)

But I have driven the car a little bit, so it's not been bone dry.


Since I had to drain the oil in order to change it, it was also the ideal time to replace the oil pressure sensor and/or the oil pump.

So here are some pictures of the pump right now. Can any one give me any help on how I would determine whether this was broken or not??

[blurple124]

Okay, the I left the images a little larger so that you can see what's going on if you open them up in another page.

Another question: Is the baffle something that can be removed without causing problems? It just seems like that would make changing the oil pan much simpler.

[engineerted]

Did you remove the bolts that hold the pump together, because it looks like your are missing a few.

[blurple124]

Yes, I did. Haha.

I left one 13mm bolt in there so that it wouldn't come apart, but in order to get the pan off, I removed the others.

[vandor]

Does not look like it was broken. I'd take it off, check for crud inside, and measure the clearances inside.

The baffle keeps the oil by the pump during acceleration. Many new pans do not have the baffle. If you do not drive aggressively or on the track you can remove it.
BTW, I drop the oil pump to remove the pan, and reinstall it by putting the pump in the pan, sliding it under the engine, installing the pump and then the pan. Small hands help

[DanD]

I have seen pushed up pans cause a low oil pressure reading, as well as sheared oil pump drive gears, which are accessed from the aluminum cover on the side of the block. You need stout long nosed pliers to pull the gear out.

My guess is that if you inspect the pump and gear, they will be OK, and you will just have to pound out the oil pan. If the splines on the inside of the gear shaft look like they have a step or offset halfway down, you should consider replacing the gear. The splines should look good and straight from top to bottom.