Oil pump failure, pictures of destruction inside...
 

Do you think I will be able to save the engine block?

Some say yes others no...

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:facepalm:That sucks!

THAT scares the shit out of me.

Were you using an OEM harmonic balancer or an aftermarket pulley? How much power? What kind of RPM does the motor see regularly? Street or track use?

You are the second person asking about the harmonic balancer, I installed an aluminum crank pulley, but it has been there for many years which it would be around 5 by now.

But back then I was naturally aspirated, only been boosted at 15 psi for around 7 months or so. In another forum they have stated the extra vibrations from boosted powa has made the oil pump go south.

Ok, when the motor was swapped from 1.6 to 1.8 around 5 years ago I changed the timing belt, water pump, rod and piston bearings and installed new pistons as I went with a little higher compression. The cylinder head was sent to a machine shop for cleaning, BUT one thing (I know) I did not do was swap the oil pump, so in other words that pump may have had easy more than 160,000 miles on it.

I will rebuild and the stock harmonic balancer will go back to the engine bay, will get rid of the aluminum crank pulley. I think that for stock applications (N/A) it is ok, but for forced induction it is not. Once again it may have just been an old oil pump which finally gave up, but as you say the pulley may have been the cause of it.

I never expected the engine to give up by the oil pump, it was running good at 15 psi with 550cc, 10@1 pistons with 210/220 compression.

I ordered the oil pump, 100 bucks, out of stock so for now the car is on towers and on the way to a new overhauled engine.

Oil pump failures using aluminum non-balancing crank pulleys are pretty well documented. Removing the balancer from the motor is NOT a good idea.

as said, aluminum pulleys do nothing good at all. invest in a ati damper

i wouldnt think that your motor is junk, unless you did damage to the crank or somehow cracked the block. even so you could have the crank ground .010 under. your gonna need to pull the motor and tear in down. get eveything clean pull all the oil galley plugs like the pressed in ones of the ends of the block and get all the metal out. and your gonna need to have your crank polished if not ground like i said. and all new rings and bearings.

If it didn't run much I'd easily trust it after a complete strip, very very good cleaning, and rebuild. Consider billet oil pump gears, your OEM replacement you just bought may not even come with gears? No idea. What it definitely won't do is keep this from happening for another 160,000 miles. It was the power, not the mileage that did this. And your lack of harmonic balancing.

What am I looking at with that picture of the rod? Is it bent?

Your bearing probably look like mine do. In my brand new engine. That's fucked up. :(

Thanks everyone for your feedback, will use the aluminum pulley for shotgun clay shooting, LOL.

I am still crying, my engine died!

This would be a good a time as any to upgrade to a better oil pump. I saw some gears in the for sale section just the other day. Might be a good time to jump on them.

Have a great day,
Jared

Thats what I was thinking as I scrolled down. :cry:

Looks like a crack in the block at the top of the pic.

looks like a casting parting line to me

I think you may be right. Looks like it sticks out at the very top, not in.

Its casting, but one of the rods looks bent to me.


At least one person has seen the same thing, I posted the pic to see if someone would bring the subject and it did...



I am still waiting for the oil pump, brand new special order, will install the stock harmonic balancere.

Ok, well if the rod is bent that's normal.

yeah dude do yourself a favor and get some cheap belfab or what ever rods might as well while the sucker is open i wouldn't trust the stockers unless i absolutley had to.

I got owned big time because of my stupidty, the stcok pulley will be back and on the meantime doa complete overhaul.

The only thing is I never ever thought it would just blow up the oil pump, c'mmon give me some slack, the damn engine just died, LOL.

Which Belfab rods should I buy? I did a search and found a few threads but not a for sale thread.


If I buy them is it just put them in and thats it? Or tdo I have to take the crank to a machine shop for clearances?

Shoot Marc at M-tuned a pm and see if he can get you the group buy on their rods. I believe they were going for $300+ shipping.

What happens when the oil pump breaks? Do you hear a kkkkkxxxxxggblblblblbchchunk* or does it run rough or is it just silent, and you have to look at the gauge to know when something is aloof?

Ok, now that you ask, I had a Autometer mechanical oil pressure gauge, always always changed he oil at 2,000 miles.

I went to McDonalds boostin it at 15 psi, like always, clear clean roads, and out of the blue (because you will hear it) a grinding noise similar to gears shredding (isn't it fun?).

At the beginning I thought the chinacharger shaft cracked in half and that was the sound, but no the autometer mechanical prssure gauge went to zero and the oil light came ON at the cluster. I said, maybe the sensor is disconnected, BUT the mechanical one is also reading zero.

So to answer the question, the oil light will turn on and a grinding gear noise will be heard, I may sav the engine but it is not worth it, it is better t start with a new one and go from there.

The engine never ever gave low oil pressure readings, the number one reason I installed the Autometer gauge was that something like this never happened to me, so i am more pissed off about it.

Talking about shyt on my Wheaties... I am borderline to go Honda because of this or with a Toyota 86 turbo for driiifffting, LOl!

Weren't you the guy running 15 psi on a T3/T4 on an apexi SAFC?

Yes, I am.

It never gave me any engine knocking/detonation, never had blown out plugs, etc.

Click here for video, 14/15 psi

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Note: although it is not a Miata, the engine is the same, 1.8 DOHC, in fact the pistons are 10@1 from 2001 Miata. Of course it is FWD, but the oil pump if not mistaken is the same for the 96-97 block.