One to Remember

I have a 1987 Blazer with 2wd and a 2.8 engine. I do not have a cherry picker but i am getting rattling noises due to the oil pressure being to low. I want to replace the oil pump and i wonder if anyone has successfully been able to jack the engine up so far that they were still able to get the oil pump off? I am not sure if i am replacing bearings yet, but im going to look at the rod and main bearings and want to know if ill have the clearance to do it if a method can be found that doesn't involve full engine removal?

I have read some people have pulled the job off in unorthodox ways and if you have please state in depth here what your methods were and how much you were able to accomplish. I need to fix this engine quickly, the full pressure gauge keeps prompting the engine to turn off in traffic.

skruzich

ehhh don't count on getting it done without pulling the engine. Do you have a cumalong?

You can take three poles and a chain and make a lift several options here. get creative.
two 4x4's x8' long, cross them at about 1' below the edges. bolt them together or tight them really well with a rope. Take another 4x4 attach a chain to the engine with a bolt, wrap other end around the end of the 3rd pole. make sure that third pole is lifted up high enough on the opposite end so that you can pull it downward and lift the engine right out of the car. WHile its in the air, have someone push the car back a bit and set the engine down.

One to Remember

get creative? im already illegally occupying some 90 year olds yard as the garage for all of my vehicles, ive gotten creative enough lol. i might be able to get a hoist though. have to call a friend of a friend though. but i have in fact heard of people doing it without the hoist i just was curious as to the specifics since they never really go in depth. Have you attempted it yourself skru or have you just always done it the official away?

sledge.impy

I ordered a cheap host from Harbour freight.
Was like $250 shipped back 12 years ago.

skruzich

i've picked em up for 100 bucks at harbor freight. Not sure what they are today
1 Ton Capacity Foldable Shop Crane

skruzich

LOL. I've done more ways than you could know.
Pulled a 400cc engine out of a grandprix with nothing but a comealong and a tree branch, pulled many a engine with tripod 4x4's i've even taken the fender fenderwell, wheel and spindle off one side, unbolted the engine rolled it ovrer out of the car and done my work and rolled it back in and hooked it back up. Thats when i barely had a pot to pee in and no way to break it.

Like i said get creative. Best way is tree branch and comealong if you can't get a cherry picker.

another option is to nail up a 4x4 to the end of a building as high as you can get it, and support it at the end of the 4x4 with another 4x4 and use a comealong or block n tackle to pull it out.

Yes i have utillzed all these options as well as a cherry picker.

One to Remember

im gonna attempt to jack it up and see how much clearence i can get but i never thought about the comealong on a tree branch. if i dont get the clearence ill try that method. i know of several thick branches. i was going to just put the pump in but the bearings might be bad and the crank may need to be taken out to see if oversized bearings need to be put on.

skruzich

Well quite frankly, i just got under mine, and its a 4wd, and your not going to get the clearance unless you undo the motor mounts and transmission. If i were to do that i would just pull the motor. Secondly, just replace oil pump and bearings? IF the bearings are shot, then i would do a rebuild. IF Your bearings are shot your crank is probably in between the original size bearings and the next size bearings and would need to be turned to get it the right size for new bearings. IF i went to that kind of trouble, it would be done completely. A master rebuild kit isn't that expensive. A master rebuild kit from summit racing, and they are high, is 499.00 plus another what 150 for a crank? I wouldn't waste my time on a new oil pump or bearings.

You get all that in a rebuild kit. I think the oil pump might be extra.
and its 20 bucks a hole to bore out the cylendars so thats another 120 bucks. Still cheaper than a crate motor. The other option is to buy one from japan cause they are required by law to replace theirs after 40k miles if i remember right.

That engine is easy to rebuild imo, and i can rebuild one in 2 days. 1 day to disaseemble and take heads n block and any misellaneous parts i want cleaned to the vatter and have them bore out cylendars and press bearings, etc, and another day to build.

Its just me though. i don't like doing things half way. I just got through rebuilding my 4l60e tranny, and i took it down completely, every nut bolt bearing, hole. Everything got reamed cleaned and steamed. Put it back together and its ready to roll. Took the radiator off, screwd in my fitting to the tran line and oil line cooler on it and put the air compressor to it to push out the old fluid, blew out all the lines, run kerosene through it and blew that out. I got a new clean just about virgin clean system and new oil. Drilled a hole in my torque converter and filled it with kerosene, and rained it, tapped the hole and put a plug in it.

I've got to replace the rear calipers next so what i will do is buy 4 calipers replace them all, check the master cylendar, and then blow all lines clear of fluid, and put new in.

Saves me money in the long run.

One to Remember

well the reason for the bearing purchase was twofold. one, I was told that no one just has bad oil pressure from a worn oil pump. They seem to always go the "its a symptom of a larger problem" route when answering why just getting the pump wasnt the right move. then i was usually told the bearings are a factor in maintaining pressure and a clank indicates bearings. I just bought the pump to begin with. I dont know why i can buy all these parts separately with such ease if they are all intertwined and interconnected though.

I was going to get the crank journals looked at and adjusted accordingly but even then i only intended on rebuilding the lower end at max. I dont want to nor do i have the resources to redo the whole engine. I can get the pump, the bearings, and fix the crank. I just want it to stop turning itself off due to low pressure while im driving and i dont wanna have to bypass the engine kill switch like i know i can. I just want the bulk of the problem shut down. I already have this dumb ford i have to fix simultaneously.

skruzich

Symptom of a larger problem? LOL. that means they don't have a clue.
Oil pumps go out because your oil is dirty as heck for the most part I've never had to replace a oil pump unless i rebuilt a engine. you gotta remember that anything that gets into the pump is going to tear it up. AND you get valve seal bits, dirt, carbon flakes, anything that washes back down to the pan will be and can be sucked up by the pump. That screen isn't going to stop it all. and if the screen plugs theres a bypass that draws the oil directly up into the pump. SO thats why real mechanics will tell you change the oil every 3000 miles or 3 months whichever comes first. Most of us don't care that they "refined" the oil so you can use it 6k miles. Thats not the problem. Yeah it gets expensive too but its still cheaper than replacing a motor.
And if you think thats bad, try transmission. LOL. i just rebuilt one put new oil in, ran it for about 15 min shut it off, i got a code on the tranny that i had a short to ground in my pump solinoid, so i went back in took pan off and drained oil, and even after rebuilding my transmission, blowing out the coolant lines i still had burned particles of fiber in my oil. thats 40 bucks again in oil but yeah i replace the brand new oil again. LOL I don't want to drag that transmission out thats for sure again.

Oil pressure is created by volume of oil flowing through the journals and getting resistance along the way. So yeah it is possibly the bearings and crank. But i'll tell ya, your not that much money away from a full rebuild. You don't necessarily have to rebuild the heads. but a full kit carries the seals for the heads, all you do is disassemble the valve and look at the seats and if they look fine, slap it back together and move on. IF they look chipped and deteriorated at the edges or pitted, you can regrind them or take them in to get reground and pressure tested while your there.

I don't have a exact cost on the vortech 6, i do know how much a 350 4 bolt main runs me. it runs a min of 600 dollars to do the rebuild. that includes vatting boring and master kit along with oil pump and crank and waterpump.

I feel for you on the ford problems, they are 2x the price of fixing. i have a 63 f350 out here that is down. haven't felt like getting into it its a fuel system problem unfortunately. Need to clean out tank, new line, fuel pump and rebuild carb and then i think ihave a issue with the coil now along with my rebuilding of my blazer tranny which still isn't off the jackstands cause i had to go back in and replace the flexplate.
I totally understand the PITA factor.

I just can't see anyway your going to jack it up and get to everything you want to get to to replace the pump. I can't get to mine thats for sure. And like i said if its got that many miles on it i would do a rebuild just because of the work factor on pulling a motor

Oh and i just checked with summit racing, and their crank for it is 150 bucks. You will spend that much getting a crank turned and ready for new bearings so i would just buy another one just like you would with a rebuild. UNLESS you got a buddy with a machine shop that will turn the crank for you for free.