So I've got a bit of a snowball forming here. My valve covers are getting new gaskets as soon as I have a warm enough weekend. In the process I plan to throw on some new Magnecor 8mm wires I've had sitting on the shelf.

The oil pressure light started flickering today. So I plugged the oil pressure gauge back in to see what's really going on and sure enough, the pressure's nominal. Showing 6-8 PSI at warm idle. First I'm planning to pull the pan and check the pickup to make sure the screen's not all caked with goop before I start tearing schtuff apart.

Failing that, I guess I'm looking at an oil pump gear overhaul. Figure since I'm just about at 110K miles, I'm going to consider water pump replacement while I'm at it. Should I be doing timing chain and gears as well? Anything else I should consider?

Thanks,
Gavin

 

Well you NEED to drop the oil pan in order to do the oil pump so you have nothing to lose. Likewise for the timing chain, so you might as well invest the $125 + 15 minutes to do it while your in there. And why put on an old water pump, unless you know its age?

 

And rtv that timing cover gasket, as they are known to fail and look exactly like a blown head gasket.

 

ONE CORRECTION put a thin layer of black RTV on everything

 

Timing chain as well. Also, remember to disassemble and clean the oil pump bypass valves BEFORE you put the front cover back on. Don't ask me how I know that...

 

Thanks all!

Ordered:

PCI timing chain and gears (eBay)
ATX water pump (BPUtah)
valve cover gaskets (AB)
upper intake gasket (AB)
oil pump kit w/ all required gaskets (AB)

May just say "go for broke" (literally and figuratively) and throw the new Blacklisted engine mounts on the list while I'm crawling around down there...

 

do you really think that big 260 cu in motor is going to be ripping motor mounts apart.

 

Changing the oil pump is not going to get your oil pressure up. You either have serious crank and rod bearing wear, or a cam bearing is walking out. You can check the cam bearings with the valley open. You can check the crank/rod bearings easily with the oil pan off.

 

Okay, I was kind of afraid somebody might say something to that affect. But better to be prepared I suppose. So what I'm looking at is dropping the main and connecting rod bearings one at a time, reassembling each to check clearance around the journal with plastigauge? Based on that number/width I can determine which bearings might be needed for each journal, right? If there's an issue there, it should solve my low oil pressure I'm hoping.

Barring that, I'm digging into the valley pan I guess. And hoping for no spun bearings...

 

I'm not so concerned that the engine has the power to rip the mounts apart, more that the mounts are probably up to typical English production auto engineering standards. So 11 years and 110K miles have maybe done them in?