Should I swap out my oil pump?

[jakelandry]

Im planning on doing a timing job on my car this weekend seeing as ive put 20k on the one that came in the car and god knows what the previous owner did. I know it would be way more convenient to do it now while im doing timing but in all honesty i cant afford it. I really need to do my timing asap though because i drive 150 miles a day and my t belt can go any time now.

If I dont buy a new tensioner i can afford a new oil pump. There is nothing wrong with my current oil pump to my knowledge and I know there is nothing wrong with my tensioner which was reused when I swapped head gaskets. My main question is if nothing is wrong with my oil pump should I even mess with it? Are they known to fail on our cars? Should I even be concerned? Or should I not worry about the tensioner and get the oil pump instead? If I hold out a week or so I can get the oil pump and timing components but I just hate driving on the current belt and its starting to scare me cause im getting fairly close to 11's and i drive my car hard. Any input is welcome, thanks for your time.

 

[volcomsnow245]

A few questions. Do you have balance shafts, How many miles are on the tensioner and oil pump?

 

[jakelandry]

Yep still have balance shafts. Getting rid of them, yet another reason i cant afford oil pump. I have no idea how many miles are on the tensioner and pump. Im assuming around 75-80k cause the car had a jdm swap at 70k and its milage is about to hit 120. Regardless, the tensioner is fine and the oil pump seems to be. I know jdm motors came out of 89 galants if im not mistaken so yes they are old parts provided they are stock, however if they were damaged or defective in any way i can assure you i would have already swapped them out.

 

[volcomsnow245]

I would personally only do the tensioner now with the belt. When you delete the balance shafts change the oil pump then because you will have to take it off.

 

[jakelandry]

I know but i dont have the money. Basically i have just south of 400 bucks to do the timing and the oil pump. So i can sacrifice pulleys, or a tensioner or something and get an oil pump or say the hell with it and not do the oil pump. If they arent known to go out why would i change it? It doesnt leak or anything and i dont even know proper oil pressure for our cars.

 

[volcomsnow245]

Timing and balance shaft belts only coast around $100 on extreme psi, then get a new auto tensioner. If your pulleys are spinning well and not worn out no need to replace them. I would wait and do the oil pump and B/E at the same time.

 

[pauleyman]

Why does everybody automatically go to BSE kits? I've logged 200k mi with balance shafts. I've never replaced an oil pump as maintenance. No need to if oil pressure is good. I have never replaced a timing belt without a new tensioner. I've replaced a head or two for people that didn't.
25 years of mitsu, Yes I've broken a timing belt but thankfully it was a sohc and that was in 1988. Lesson learned. yes I typed that correctly. 1988.

 

[jakelandry]

I work at a bodyshop and get a pretty hefty discount on oem parts and i still cant afford both. Do tensioners go out often?

 

[pauleyman]

If you can't afford the maintenance you can't afford the car. Yes they fail, yes they should be replaced. 80$ or so. Cheap insurance.

 

[jakelandry]

If you can't afford the maintenance you can't afford the car. QUOTE]

Your right, ill walk 150 miles to school everyday. The question was centered around the decision of if i have to make a sacrifice and buy a tensioner or an oil pump which one.

 

[dsmboost84]

Tensioner. Do timing components now and as soon as you can afford it do oil pump/bse. 150 miles to school?

 

[jakelandry]

45 from home to school, 75 from school to work and 30 from work to home. And that is my plan as of now. I was wondering if anyone had a valid reason for changing the oil pump other than the fact that ill already be working in that area.

 

[bryanwheat]

I think that you are over thinking the whole thing. Just replace the wear items. If it isn't leaking oil, and has good oil pressure i wouldn't even consider opening it up. You would be taking a 2 hour job to a 10+ hour job, and spending alot of un needed money.

 

[jakelandry]

I think that you are over thinking the whole thing. Just replace the wear items. If it isn't leaking oil, and has good oil pressure i wouldn't even consider opening it up. You would be taking a 2 hour job to a 10+ hour job, and spending alot of un needed money.

I dont think im overthinking it so much as over reading it. Its easy to get on here and read "YOU better change your oil pump while your in there". I do agree with your logic though and thats why I make threads like these, for the people who dont know why they change some parts they just know theyre told to.


If anyone has any insight on this they can chime in also. I was just thinking about the fact that timing tensioners come pre loaded. Has noone thought that some of them have been sitting on shelves for long periods of time? Wouldnt that be as much or more wear than is applied to them by the belt? So why would a new one have a better chance of not failing?

 

[bryanwheat]

The shaft will be moving in and out of the tensioner as the engine runs. It also is exposed to extreme heat and cold in the winter. There is a rubber diaphragm in the side of the tensioner that will eventually rupture and lose all the fluid. There will be absolutely no wear on the new tensioner from sitting not doing anything.

 

[WES_393]

If anyone has any insight on this they can chime in also. I was just thinking about the fact that timing tensioners come pre loaded. Has noone thought that some of them have been sitting on shelves for long periods of time? Wouldnt that be as much or more wear than is applied to them by the belt? So why would a new one have a better chance of not failing?

The tension isn't what wears them, it's preloading them multiple times or incorrectly. Some people crank it down quickly when you should actually do it very very slowly.

But I would save up until you have enough cash to replace the entire timing belt assembly. Pulleys, belts, tensioner, etc. And unless the oil pump is non-OEM or actually going out, I wouldn't touch it at all.

 

[pauleyman]

I dont think im overthinking it so much as over reading it. Its easy to get on here and read "YOU better change your oil pump while your in there". I do agree with your logic though and thats why I make threads like these, for the people who dont know why they change some parts they just know theyre told to.

The disadvantage the modern dsmer has is information overload and much of it conflicting. Every post likely has some opinion in it and some fact. Why you should or should not do something regarding maintenance should probably be accompanied by some objective facts to back it up. I wasn't making a shot at you by saying you can't afford the car. My point was you have a relatively maintenance intensive car because of what it is but also because it's older now. You'll need to plan for those expenses. If they don't fit your plan you can't afford the car. It's a financial statement, not a personal one. I've never had to change an oil pump in any of my cars. They simply did not give me any reason to do so. I've seen them wear and go bad etc but there was always a root cause and mileage wasn't it. I'm not a big fan of BSE kits just for the sake of doing the kit. I always replace the hydraulic tensioner because I've removed too many of them off a car and it was toast. That tells me they are failure points. Oil pumps, not so much from what I've seen. I like to replace the pulleys also but at least those give you some warning before they fail completely. The tensioner doesn't.
Your original question is what to replace. I would say the bare minimum is the belts and tensioner. The kits that include both belts and the pulleys are pretty cheap too. I no longer use OEM belts as the gates or equivalent have been satisfactory for me on a daily driver. To each his own concerning brand. I won't use generic parts. The tensioner I've always used OEM. Again to each his own on brand. Hope this helps.

 

[CODE4]

Pauleymann, I could not have said it better myself.

OP, do not take it personally. True, tensioners sitting on the shelves may have been around for some time, but consider the number of heat cycles and vibration the tensioner on your motor sees. That is a very different type of wear than your theory of remaining under tension and having the same wear, whether on or off the car.

Goodyear Timing Key #GTK0167A = $85.79
Dorman Tensioner #420107 = $40.79

What kind of pricelist at your body shop are you using that 400 cannot cover your timing job and maybe one other part?

 

[jakelandry]

I apologize Pauleymann. I did not see your first post, only the one where I assumed you were taking a shot at me and now I see you werent. Its just the fact that literally EVERY dollar I make goes into my car ( wouldnt have it any other way ) and the one time I cant afford what I need someone calls me out on it.

MY problem was never that I couldnt afford the timing components, it was that I couldnt afford the oil pump AND the timing components. After discount my timing job consisting of belt, tensioner, tensioner pulley, idler pulley, and idler pulley bolt come out to be 230 and I can have it brought to me within 24 hours for free.

The entire thread was about why I should replace my oil pump and if so which of the timing components are not needed as much where I could take a shot on them to get an oil pump. Thanks everyone.

 

[josh1095]

i dont know as much about dsms as i do other cars, but i would have to agree: dont replace the oil pump. they hardly ever go bad. i would check the timing idler pulleys and def replace the tensioner but thats about it. your fine bro. good luck

 

[pauleyman]

THose prices sound high unless you're talking OEM parts.

 

[jakelandry]

THose prices sound high unless you're talking OEM parts.

Yes they are all oem.

 

[pauleyman]

You can save some money with a gates kit or the like. There are 100 opinions on use or dont' use those kits but I like them. Tensioner go OEM. You should not need an idler pulley bolt. There was a TSB to replcae the bolt when replacing the pulley but that was because of an early design change and wouldn't apply to your car.