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Oil pump seized...  Rating:  Rating
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 Posted: 11-08-2009 04:12 am
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car-collectors
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Ok, here's  how it happened...A brand new rebuilt motor with the .30 over pistons, rings, all new bearings, valves and springs, cams still in excellent shape, professional head work and all. Ran the car about 42 miles at pretty easy revs, didn't push it at all. Got about two miles from home and heard a clunk, motor shut off right away. Flatdecked the car home, pulled the belt off to find the oil pump seized up solid. Had my engine shop look at the part and made a new one out of older good condition parts, put it back on and ran the car for about half a minute, no oil pressure, shut it down. Tried again and the exhaust cam had seized. Pulled everything apart on top end and oil pump didn't pull any oil up at all, oil filter was still empty, as was oil cooler. Drained oil again and even poured oil down the oil pickup pipe with the auxiliary housing off, oil  went into the pan blew air through some oil passages, no blockage...HELP..anybody go through any of this before?

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 Posted: 11-08-2009 04:36 pm
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Jensen Healey
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Tragic. The club store sells oil pump rotors in matched sets. The tolerances and gasket thickness are critical. With the belt off, spin the accessory housing pulley with a drill and check for oil pressure.

If the exhaust cam seized while the engine was turning some valves may be bent.

I hope you use a lotus mechanic. An average mechanic isn't going to take the time to learn the nuances of the 907 and won't build you a solid engine.

Where are you located? Sounds like a job for Judson.

Good luck, keep us posted,

Kurt

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 Posted: 11-09-2009 01:05 am
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Judson Manning
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Thanks Kurt....this story is one of a dozen or so over the years I've seen that explains why I take great pride in knowing every new engine I deliver is done so 'slightly used'...

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 Posted: 11-12-2009 04:56 pm
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Frank Schwartz
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I had a similar thing happen.  I had removed the oil pump and cleaned it up and reassembled it.  Started the engine and it only ran a minute or two before it seized up and stopped...damaged a couple of valves, too.
What happened? The steel shaft, due to lack of lubrication, seized in the aluminum housing it was running in.  No bearings.  What caused it?  When I reassembled it I made sure all was clean...I ASSUMED the oil being pumped up would lubricate it..not so.
So, I disassembled it, forced out the steel shaft and cleaned up the aluminum area it ran in.  This time, I coated all the parts with heavy oil and reassembled it.  No more problem and it was lubricated well until the oil was up in the unit and then furnished lubrication.
So, in summation, when I re assembled it the first time and put it back together, it was dry...dumb me.

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 Posted: 11-12-2009 05:00 pm
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Frank Schwartz
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What I meant to say was that I coated the dry parts with STP and it took care of lubrication until the oil came up in there.  A steel shaft running in an aluminum housing is not a good engineering job. Should have run in bearings, but as long as oil was there it ran smoothly as all the JH's do.

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 Posted: 11-12-2009 06:24 pm
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jgreen
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Judson,


You forgot to mention, your engines go like a bat out of hell too!!



John

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 Posted: 11-12-2009 11:47 pm
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Greg Fletcher
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Glad to hear that the STP worked, Frank. I would recommend a high quality anti-seize lube for reassembly of any about any engine part. I coat the pistons and rings with a good quality oil too.

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 Posted: 11-12-2009 11:49 pm
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Judson Manning
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:)

There are a number of critical dimensions and quirks not mentioned in the shop manual that took me blowing up four of my own engines to figure out.  Anyone building a new engine for the first time is bound to make the similar mistakes.

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 Posted: 11-18-2009 03:55 am
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car-collectors
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Hey, I just want to say thanks for all the replies, but I still haven't figured out why it may have happened in the first place....great oil pressure one minute, seized oil pump the next. I just got the new seals and gaskets so I'll put it back together on the weekend, prime the hell out of the pump until I see the oil pressure guage register, add a new belt, start it up and we should be ready to store it for a long Canadian winter.

Thanks again, I'll keep the list posted with any new news.

Steve

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