Oil pump shaft

[kuusamon]

reinstalled the oil pump shaft, it looks good, no wear. But there is not a stop ring/washer/plate on there? Any never has, no marking or indication that there used to be one. I was thinking of putting one. Any body has done that? I put a tiny bit of locktite medium on the end of the shaft as not to pull it out of the pump too easily.

[rln31455]

oil pump shaft

I think the retainer on the oil pump drive shaft was installed by the factory to prevent the shaft from falling out while the engine was inverted for assembly. I don't think it matters for daily operation of the vehicle. The retainer can prevent the shaft from being removed with the distributor when the distributor is removed for repairs. It doesn't always hold the shaft in the oil pump. The last time I removed the distributor from my car, the shaft came with the distributor. I could feel the resistance of the retainer sliding on the shaft.

[simplyconnected]

Ron, keep Loctite away, but use a little grease in the distributor hole. The shaft is meant to float between the top (distributor) and bottom (oil pump).

In normal operation, the 'keeper' only touches the shaft it's on. There are no witness marks. It is there to hold back the driveshaft from pulling out with the distributor.

These keepers are made of spring steel and they hug the shaft tightly. Can you run without the keeper? Sure! But be very careful it doesn't drop to the bottom of the oil pan.

If you pulled the shaft out of the keeper, find and remove the keeper. It can cause engine damage if left in the oil pan. - Dave

[RustyNCa]

reinstalled the oil pump shaft, it looks good, no wear. But there is not a stop ring/washer/plate on there? Any never has, no marking or indication that there used to be one. I was thinking of putting one. Any body has done that? I put a tiny bit of locktite medium on the end of the shaft as not to pull it out of the pump too easily.

Just a FWIW from me..... I had a "looks good" oil pump shaft break in half going down the freeway a few years back. By the time I was able to get out of traffic's way and safely to the side of the road the motor had a new sound in it.

When I dropped the new motor back in the car, I went with an ARP oil pump shaft which was considerably stouter than the old one, which gave me a better feeling.... Oh, and a new oil pump as well. Not sure which was the issue the oil pump or the shaft but.....

[simplyconnected]

I second that, Bryan. I'm real glad you brought that out. $10 is cheap insurance for a new driveshaft. My experience is, if the shaft breaks, that little oil light comes on. That is the only indication you get (and the engine is already starved for oil).

Ford beefed up the oil pump drive shaft by the time 351W cam out. They went from 1/4" to 3/8" shaft.

Some parts stores still sell the rotating parts for our oil pumps (at half the cost). FE's are notorious for low oil pressure at idle. Treat your engine to a new oil pump and get ready for much better pressure.