Replacing Oil Pump

[RiverDog]

I have a 98 Windstar, 165,000 miles, 3.0 engine. The other night my wife came home and said the oil light was on. After the lecture about not driving with the light on, I checked the car and didn't hear any rod knocking but I do hear some valve clatter that wasn't there before. I think the pump could be on the way out so on Christmas I'm going to replace it. Even if it's just the sending unit, it will make me feel better to have a new one in place. Not the question, Is there a easy way to get the pan off? According to the manual I need to remove part of the exhaust and starter. I was told to remove the motor mounts and partialy lift the engine as an alternatve. Anybody have any good (and quicker) methods???

 

[Vette73]

So have you checked to make sure that is what is needed?

And no there is no easy to replace a oil pump, esp on a FWD car.

 

[RiverDog]

I haven't checked anything yet. It could be a bad sending unit but that wouldn?t cause valve clatter to start. It could be a blocked screen, plugged line, etc. The fact that the original pump has 165,000 miles leads me to believe that is where the problem is. There may be no easy way to replace the pump, but there are shortcuts that will vary from the manufactures method. That?s what I was looking for.

 

[Vette73]

Now is this the old style oil pump or timing chain version? Also it could be just the pump pressure spring. SOME chain driven pump I think you can change this from outside the engine.

But if it s the old style and the engine cradle doe snot block the pan then just move tghe exhust and remove anything in the way and have at it. I don;t like to jack the motors up to much and if you don;t then there is not much chance if anything else breaking and/or falling on you.

 

[CRXican]

push that poor thing off a cliff

 

[RiverDog]

It's definately going to need the pan off to get at. I was hoping not to need to mess with the exhaust if possible, Those bolt are normally a PITA without a torch. I have a setup in my garage to lift the engine but I'm like you, I'd rather not do that either. When I was growing up that would be a 30 minute job, now the labor estimating software shows over 12 hours. Maybe I'll get lucky and hit the lottery tonight!!!!

 

[PottedMeat]

How sure are you that it's the oil pump. Is it a common problem with that engine? I think I'd check the oil pressure with a gauge first before going into a really really messy job.

 

[Greenman]

I' think I'd check the oil first. It would suck to drop the pan only to discover that there was little or no oil in the engine.

 

[Bignate603]

Originally posted by: CRXican
push that poor thing off a cliff

Yes... because killing a vehicle that may have 40k more miles in it after one problem is a wise choice. If it meets his needs and doesn't have any other problems its worth fixing. Buying new cars at the first sign of trouble is a great way to be perpetually in debt.

 

[bruceb]

Check the oil level first .. next install a mechanical pressure gauge into the hole where the Idiot Light sensor is at .. look at the pressure and see what you have .. not sure about your exact engine, but I would expect about 15PSI or so at idle and around 40PSI or so around 2000RPMS

How to change oil pump on your car (from Autozone)

http://www.autozone.com/az/cds...02/repairInfoPages.htm

 

[RiverDog]

Checking the oil level was the first thing I did. I have around 15# pressure at 1800 RPM. While it could be a few other things, most likely is the pump. I have been around motors most of my life including two years technical training. I've rebuilt engines, transmissions, etc on everything from Davey drill rigs, boats, motorcycles, cars, and trucks. I will admit I never tried the "push it off a cliff" method to remove an oil pan. I must have been off that day. What size cliff is required, and is it metric or sae?

 

[Raizinman]

Unless you are the original owner, which I doubt, I would suggest another cheaper route first. I'm guessing that oil changes were not strictly observed and that there is lots of crapola in the engine. I would get a can of engine flush and flush the engine. THen change oil and see if that helps. I would also use 10w40 oil to see if the slightly thicker oil helps with the oil pressure. I think this will solve your problems.

 

[RiverDog]

I bought it with about 100k miles, change the oil every 3-4 thousand mile and have always run either 5 or 10w40. Last change was about 1500 miles.

 

[EvilHorace]

If you do have low oil pressure, the cause is RARELY a bad oil pump. You can waste alot of time and money by guessing.

The first thing you have to do is check the pressure with a manual gauge. You'ld also be wise in checking around at various Ford forums on that topic. On some cars it can be a clogged sump (due to sludge), bad sump to pump o-rings and/or even excessive bearing clearances. Oil pumps rarely wear out.

 

[BUTCH1]

Originally posted by: EvilHorace
If you do have low oil pressure, the cause is RARELY a bad oil pump. You can waste alot of time and money by guessing.

The first thing you have to do is check the pressure with a manual gauge. You'ld also be wise in checking around at various Ford forums on that topic. On some cars it can be a clogged sump (due to sludge), bad sump to pump o-rings and/or even excessive bearing clearances. Oil pumps rarely wear out.

This, if the bearings are worn a new pump won't build pressure either. I dropped my pan on my escort by unbolting the exhaust manifold and had it high enough on jackstands so could drop the pan and pull it out. Then you can check the condition of the screen/sump and see if there is any blockage..

 

[potato28]

If it is the oil pump you'll need to basically pull the engine, those Windstars have no engine bay clearance at all.