Dropped shaft in block

[jeranamo]

I just recently pulled the heads off my lumina and as part of the job, attempted to remove the oil pump drive. It needed a lot of force to get it out and upon doing so, the entire shaft pulled up with it and fell down into the block. I was able to get it out with a magnetic retreival tool, however, I am not aware of what other parts (if any) may have fallen.

Other than what I have pictured below are there any other parts that may have fallen in since the entire shaft pulled up and fell in?

Does the shaft go directly into the oil pump or is there another piece that connects to the shaft before it goes into the oil pump?

[kevinb70]

(gonna post this in my thread as a 'lesson learned')


nope that's the only part!

careful getting that shaft back in the top of the oil pump.

if you are going to prime the oil pump before startup, i used a 8mm (i think) socket on an extension going into a drill.

NONE of the parts places has the right oil primer drill attachment. You can get the GM V6 V8 primer (one with the cap and sliding barrel on the shaft) you'll have to cut off the end and permanently attach (jb weld) a socket on the end.

if you want to try then, then use your oil pump drive you just removed to determine the exact length of your modded oil primer.


using the socket/extension, you are going to see that you can't get much oil to the lifters. Sometimes the oil will squirt into the holes but you wont get any pressure because you dont have the cap/barrel to contain the oil flow.

what i did with lifters, was before inserting them, i removed the clip and cap and disc and filled up with oil, had my thumb over the side hole, reassembled, and put lifter in the block.

if you have any sludging, i recommend cleaning out the lifters. when disassembling, make sure you are in an area where you can find the clip when it bounces off.... careful on the spring/ball bearing at the bottom of the cup. after it's clean, might want to use Throttle Body cleaner (use the straw) and push on the ball bearing a little, and give it a good blast.

[jeranamo]

Are you absolutely positive that there is nothing else that goes into the pump itself before the shaft? I look down in the hole and I can see a spline looking opening and the shaft itself is hexagonal. It really worries me. I wish I could see a pic of the oem pump where the shaft fits in for assurance.

[kevinb70]

i already looked for you at alldatadiy. here's the pic i used for my initial answer.

there are no parts mentioned other than shaft going directly into the pump and up directly into the oil pump drive.

as far as the other end of the shaft it goes directly into the oil pump drive, there are no washers, brackets, or any other part in between which could have fallen off.

[jeranamo]

Thanks for the info. Is the shaft supposed to be able to move fairly easily? I put it back in and got a socket on top of it and attempted to turn it. It turns but i feel very little resistance. How am I to be sure the pump is actually being driven? If I put about a quart of oil in and rotate the shaft will I be able to tell if oil is flowing (possibly seeing it in the lifter valley)?

[kevinb70]

oh, you'll know! too bad i didnt take a pic during the priming

oil will squirt out a hole near the top of the block, and squirt onto your drill extension. you need a drill (low speed) to get it primed, doubt you can do it by hand.

look at the design of the oil pump drive you removed. that 1/2" wide recess, stained by oil, is where oil goes around the shaft and into the lifter oil galleries on the other side of the hole. the wider uppper and lower part of the drive seals below and above the chamber. this assembly is under 40psi pressure, and why a bad o-ring will allow oil to leak.

in addition to replacing that o-ring, i also used a distributor mounting gasket for double protection. gasket is fel-pro pn#70194. the long time vets here recommend putting in that extra gasket

see my pic, oil pump drive, o ring, and dist gasket in my hand in my thread.
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...8&d=1269150264
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...9&d=1269150264

btw, i didnt know that shaft would come out of the oil pump, didn't happen to me...

[jeranamo]

Originally Posted by kevinb70

btw, i didnt know that shaft would come out of the oil pump, didn't happen to me...

I never figured it would either but just enough sludge had collected inside the pump drive where the shaft goes in that it temporarily stuck until i went to lift the entire assembly out of the hole. That's when it fell in.

When priming the oil pump, is it absolutely necessary to have the heads on? I want to attempt to prime the pump just to verify that the shaft is indeed securely connected with the pump.

Then, if this all works out, I'll turn the engine over by hand to check for any clunking noises.

[kevinb70]

nope don't need the heads on to prime the oil pump.

i had the heads off when i did my 2x diesel, 1x motor oil flushes, using low speed drill on the oil pump shaft.

if that drill gets too fast, oil will spray out towards cylinder #5

[jeranamo]

Thanks again man. I assume that if I put some oil in the oil filter and add a quart or 2 to the engine, that will be a sufficient amount for priming, yes?

[kevinb70]

2-3 quarts of oil. i did 2 flushes with diesel (fuel) using the oil pump primer, before draining and refilling with motor oil. I used cheap motor oil since I'll drain this oil out and change it before cranking.

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...54&postcount=4