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Back side of front cover



Oil pump disassembled





Front cover and oil pump parts

Thanks, Now if I could only remove the crank pulley bolt. My 1/2" impact couldn't do it. What kind of puller to use for the pulley/balancer? 3 jaw type that grabs around the outside or the type where 3 bolts are screwed in the balancer?

AJ

You can buy a harmonic balancer puller from you local auto parts store for around $10.

You need the 3 bolt type, but you'll need to go buy bolts. They use an M6 bolt, which doesn't come in any puller kit.

Not sure where you're buying them for $10, you can rent them for about that much.

My local Autozone has them for about $20. Thanks for the bolt size for the puller, I figured it was not normally found in the puller kits.

In the picture I do not see where a pickup tube would be??? I'm crossing my fingers that that is my problem.

I had to put the job on hold, My home A/C went out. When it rains it pours.

The pickup tube goes into the block inside the oil pan, and the pump sucks it through the filter into the pump, from what I can tell.

Hey guys, I need some guidance on what steps to do first when removing the front cover.

1) Does the water pump have to be removed before the cover can come off?
2) Does the water pump pulley have to come off before the water pump can be removed?
3) Does the power steering pump have to be moved out the way?
Anything else I need to know about before I start on it?
Special Tools? (I have a bottle opener.)

All this would be easier if I removed the engine and since I'm not sure what the problem really is that might not be a bad idea.

I don't want to back track too much here, but let's see.

If you have not done anything or not much yet to remove the front cover, I am going to suggest something.

Remove the pressure sender and oil filter. Next, remove the 4 bolts holding the oil filter adapter on. There will be a spring and plunger pushing it away. Once that is removed, inspect all the passages for any blockage and the condition of the spring and plunger. If the plunger is stuck in a recessed state, it will cause all the oil to be returned back to the pan.

The most you will need is a new gasket and there are plenty of those available around. This would also come off as part of the front cover if you were to remove it.

To answer your questions:

1) No, but the 4 large bolts holding it on also go through the front cover and must be removed
2) Yes, to remove the water pump the pully must come off toget the bolts out
3) Yes, there are holes in the pulley and one bolt on the top and one on the bottom. Should be a 13mm socket.

Thanks,
I started to remove the oil filter adapter but couldn't get to the top bolt because the power steering pump was in the way. It was late so I quit for the night. I will continue with your suggestion.

later

I moved the power steering pump and bracket out the way, took off the oil filter adapter and it was dry. I had left the oil filter on. It seemed like the pump wasn't sucking. The plunger was sticking out of the side of the front cover, it had spring to it. I didn't remove it.
I dropped the oil pan. It was clean. No grime. I dropped the pick-up tube, it was clean.
Next step is to pull off the front cover.
I haven't found anything to tell me I have bad bearings. No shinney stuff. The bottom end of the engine is clean for 120k.

What did the gasket on the pick up tube look like? If it was compromised, the oil pump would suck air and not oil.

I removed the bolts that hold it on and it took a few hits with a heavy wrench to get it off. The gasket broke when the tube came off so I can't really say but I believe it was good. It's just a paper gasket.

If you haven't gotten the bolt off the balancer yet, what I've done in the past is disconnect the fuel injectors, prop a box wrech or breaker bar against the subframe (front of car side) and hit the starter for a second.

Another method is to remove the dust cover from the flywheel, use a large screwdriver between the teeth on the flywheel and the case of the transmission. Do not pry the screwdriver, rather wedge it between the ground and the flywheel, so that the direction that it unbolts makes the transmission case act as a pivot or stop. If you try to pry, the case can crack and break the flange, so don't pry with the screwdriver. Once it's in position, use a breaker bar with a cheater if needed on the balancer bolt.

There is a lot of mechanical advantage on the screwdriver. As long as the screwdriver is mostly perpendicular to the transmission case, it can't break it. If you are trying to pry with the screwdriver, however, it will pull down on the flange and break it off.
ASCII art FTW!

Thanks for the tip. I haven't tried to take it off yet. Been working on my back up vehicle which is primary now.
Hopefully can get to it over the next few days.
AJ

I removed the balancer/pulley bolt with my $95 3/4" Impact, no problem.
SFQ: Does the pulley seperate from the balancer?
I'm going to buy a puller. Chime back soon.

68w46 wrote:I removed the balancer/pulley bolt with my $95 3/4" Impact, no problem.
SFQ: Does the pulley seperate from the balancer?
I'm going to buy a puller. Chime back soon.

I don't think it does on these, don't quote me though.

No, the crank pulley and the HB are all 1 unit.

Tonight I removed the timming cover. Disassembled the pump and its parts. Didn't see anything out of the ordinary, but this was my first time on a 3.8 and not sure what to look for. It and the oil passage ways all were clean with no evidence of wear or metal shavings.
Question: On the inner gear of the pump, facing out I saw a mark that looked like an alignment dot. I wasn't aware to look for this when I tore it down. I assume this needs to be lined up with the dot on the chain gear.
Correct me if I'm wrong.
As I was studying it and understanding how it works, I see that the little spring and plunger is the pressure controller, right?
Well, if the plunger were to stick in(depressed) it would not allow oil to leave the pump housing and go to the oil sending unit and to the rest of the engine. Is the correct? Or am I backwards on this?
Back when I removed the oil filter housing, the plunger should've been sticking out of the timming cover. It may not have been initially but came out as I bumped things around. I can't remember for sure. This would be the reason for no oil pressure.
Since I'm down this far I'm gonna replace the front crank seal, get a pump rebuild kit, etc...
Who thinks I should check the clearence on the rod bearings??????
I looked up into the bottom of the engine at cylinder walls, cam etc.. looked good. I just don't understand why it did this. I'd hate to put everything back together and still no oil pressure.
Feedback please.

I have OIL PRESSURE!
I really didn't find anything worn or not correct. I rebuilt the pump with a melling kit, and used assembly grease. I assembled the oil filter to the adapter to the timming cover. Filled it completly with oil, held it so I could fill the suction hole with oil as I rotated the pump gear until it pumped oil all the way through the adapter and started comming out the discharge. So I knew it worked before I put it all back together.
I took this "opportunity" to replace some hoses and flush out that Dex-Cool.
The only thing I have left is to try to lock the flywheel so I can torque the HB bolt. How to do this? I've tried to jam somthing in the FW but slips out.
What are the ways?

Another way to prevent the flywheel from turning is to remove the starter and use one of the holes in the flywheel to lock a bar between the engine block and subframe.