Is there any way to check to see if my oil pump is still in good working condition without taking it apart? Will there be some kind of check engine oil pump light that might go on?

 

The only way to know if its bad or going bad is if it leaks, makes noise or you have low oil pressure. Be careful, if it breaks and the gears lock up, your timing belt will almost certainly jump a tooth causing major engine damage.

 

dude....if your oil pump goes out....be ready to replace your bottom end. A spun bearing will result for sure. Your heads will probably suffer damage as well.

You need an oil pressure gauge.

You should get low pressure warnings on the instrument cluster though if it starts going out.

I blew an engine in my 280zx for this same reason.

 

i will be getting all necessary gauges but in the meantime how can I tell its leaking?

 

Oh, that's easy. Just get a hammer, lift it high above your head and let it go, because you should NOT be going anywhere NEAR that engine bay.

The oil pump is belt driven. It is a simple gear that spins based on engine RPM and fills the engine with oil. If it is leaking, you will see it leak, but my suggestion to you is to take your car to a reputable shop and let them take care of it.

I don't know what else to tell you.

 

I agree

 

what is the chance of a pump going? with oil changes every 3000 miles or 3 months
and if i were to get a oil pressure gauge
how high of a psi r u suppose to see on the oil pressure gauge?(at idle)

 

the chances have been seeming pretty good lately, i have heard quite a few horror stories about them lately including personal experience the other month. i would reccomend everyone to order an oil pressure gauge for thier car as soon as possible

 

damn
did it happen to u?

 

Do they just fail after a certain time and what causes the failures?

 

Hey Derek, send me your GT35R, and I will inspect it for oil deposits, and get back to you! .

I had my oilpump balance shaft out of sync for 4K miles, and no issues so far! I changed it to the correct position. good luck. I will let you know what the pressure should be after I look at it. 60-80? is my guess.

 

at idle is around 15-20psi

3k-4k rpm around 45psi

 

What has happened that you would want to ask this?

 

By the time you notice that you don't have any oil pressure, it's probably too late to do anything about it.

An oil pressure gauge is worthless in a street car. If you can't tell that you're out of oil by driving the car, a gauge isn't going to help you.

 

No,they are designed to last the life of the engine.What causes failure is repeated trips over their designed rpm range(i.e. 9000 rpm shifts,constantly),also running vehicle very low on oil then alot of hard accelerating and braking/cornering,causing the pump to pump air and not oil due to the lack there of as they are designed to pump oil,which we all know is a lubricant,air is not
If you are "building" your motor and you dont replace your oil pump,just because the one that came out is good,you have no business "building" your motor to begin with
(exception would be stroking or building a motor in a fairly new car<10k miles),other than that if you are not going to replace something as important as an oil pump dont bother to build to begin with.It is always less expensive to do it Right the 1st time than it is to do it again.......