96 1500 5.2L 2WD Auto 174k miles, original motor

Okay, I prolonged the life of the oil pump by using thicker oil, but now, even with the thicker oil, I am losing oil pressure once again... Yay... Meh, it was just a temporary fix I was hoping would pro-long just a little longer than a 2 months, but whatever. I'd like some opinions though. I'm losing oil pressure, but I've got no ticks, knocks, or anything else. I have a brand new oil pressure sending unit, and when the truck does have oil pressure, it's never over 40 psi. Even when it looses oil pressure, the engine runs smooth. In fact, the engine runs great all the time. So do you think I need a new oil pump?

Okay, so i need to know a few things. I am mechanically inclined, I've removed tranny pans before, done the alternators, belts, intakes, brakes, u-joints, etc. Never removed an oil pan before, never replaced an oil pump on a motor in a vehicle before. In fact, never replaced an oil pump on an engine that would ever run again.

So guys, besides the oil pump itself, and the obvious oil pan gasket, oil and filter, what else to do I need?
Anything else I should replace while I'm in there?
Do I have to remove anything to get the oil pan off?
Do I need a new oil pump screen?
Do I need new bolts for the oil pump itself or are they torque to yield?
Do I have to prime the oil pump after I have it all together?
Any o-ring seals or anything else I need for the replacement? Do I need to lube up any seals before re-installing everything?

Anyone done this before? How long does it take?

 

No need for a new screen, just un screw the pickup tube with screen and clean it out and thread it on the new one, you will need to prime the new one before you put it on. No O-rings for the oil pump, but I have heard of some using a gasket, but most do not (Mine didn't). Re using the bolts for the oil pump is perfectly fine. While you are in that far, it might be worth replacing the rear main seal. It isn't but a few dollars and can save you some trouble later on down the road when you may need to drop the pan again to replace that leaking seal. It doesn't take very long if everything goes smoothly, just take your time and do the job right.

 

^ +1.
prime pump by pouring oil into the top.
i think mine had a little paper gasket.

this guy had to drop his Y pipe. I did not.
the hardest part i experienced was removing the starter. mine was very tight, and required a couple of long 1/2 extensions and big pull bar.
http://www.pavementsucks.com/tech-article-31.html

 

I suggest using the melling high volume pump.

I've never once drained the sump dry either in the last 40K miles with a HV pump, if anyone claims that.

Pump replacement is the next logical step. The thicker oil trick really only works for worn bearings, it might actually kill a pump quicker as it must work a bit harder to pump the thicker oil.

 

I wish I would've went back with a high volume pump, I kick myself in the A@$ for not doing that. I was having the same issue with little or no oil pressure. My pump was simply worn out after 200,000 miles on the truck. I've used 10W-40 synthetic oil since the truck had 12,000 miles on it and have not had any problems. Because I did so many other modifications, I also changed the oil pressure switch. This might not be necessary in your case. Take your time it's not that hard of a job to do. I did replace the rear seal for some added insurance. I have mechanical oil pressure gauge now and I'm getting 25 to 35psi at idle and 55 to 65psi at 1500 RPMs and over. My dummy gauge in the truck never reads under 40psi and maybe reads as high as 80psi. Installing the mechanical gauges you get a true sense of what the engine is doing.

 

Thanks for the link. That's exactly what I need.

One more question. When I'm installing the oil pan again, with the new gasket, should I RTV on the pan, let it set, put on the gasket, and then install it?

On the subject of RTV, can RTV be used to make a new oil pan gasket or should I get the felpro gasket? Funny thing is the gasket costs more than a new oil pump...

 

I wouldn't use any RTV on the oil pan gasket. I would hate for a little excess RTV to eventually bake off on the inside of the lip and start mixing in with the oil and possibly clogging up the new pump. To line up the new gasket, get some light test fishing line, and tie down the gasket to the pan in a few of the bolt hole locations to get it all lined up. Once you get a few bolts threaded in, take some box cutters and cut the fishing line and pull it through. This trick works really well.

 

I used RTV at the "corners" of the gasket where it makes the 90* bends at the timing chain cover and in the back, there's really nothing there to really shove that gasket there and make it stay tight, those were the most likely leak points.

Don't make a gasket solely from RTV. It's hard to get a consistent amount all around the pan, you'll break the bead of RTV every time you bump it on something during the install, and if you ever have to take that pan off again, you'll hate yourself for adding an extra hour of gasket scraping you have to do.

 

Okay, I'm gonna try the fishing line method. I like that idea.

What are the chances of me having to lift the engine up? I don't have access to an engine hoist.

 

Didn't have to on mine, had 3-4" of room.

Beware the starter! That things heavier than it looks, don't let it smash a finger when you take it off the bolt.

If you don't have a creeper, it's a good investment for this job, you'll be on you back a lot and the cheapos at Wally World can make it through the job just fine. You might also want to put front end on jacks or ramps, as the extra height will allow you to extend you arms a bit more and moving with the creeper may not be possible without them.

Also, have a small stool or bucket to help pull your yourself up after you've been on your back a while. You'd be amazed how sore your lower back gets lifting from a lying down position. I'm only 34, but it's tough even rolling over after you've been down there huffing and puffing for a couple hours.