RTI oil pump

I am reassembling the engine on my RTI. I have several gaskets for the oil pump and assume there is a clearance that I have to accomplish. How do I do that? I also will be putting the distributor back in and want to know where #1 wire will be on the rotor location. It is at tdc number one cylinder now. Thanks for any help.

Depending on which manual you look at, there are 2 different procedures. What you want to do is get between .002 and .004 clearance between the gears and the housing.

I usually put the gears in the pump and lay a straight edge across them. Add gaskets to the pump housing until a .002 feeler gauge will go between your straight edge and the top gasket, but a .004 won't-(or will just barely-Lots of those gaskets are not uniform thickness.)

If you need extra gaskets, Charlie Biler and external_link.com can help you.

Ken M,
Mr. t.r.k. is correct. The spec for the end play on the oil pump is 0.002" to 0.004" . Currently most of the gaskets out there are punched from 0.010" thick gasket paper. It is no longer a simple trick to find vegetable paper thinner than ten thousandths thick. The gasket companys just use what they have. They also do not really know what they are doing as the old dogs that once ran the show are now long gone.

Today a lot of guys try to make gaskets from notebook paper. Pulp paper degrades in oil and it is not a good idea to try this with oil under pressure. To make a thin gasket, you have to go to a manufacturer and ask them to make gasket material in two, three, and five thousandths thickness. After they stop laughing; you negotiate a deal, and you start crying. Right now I have a six lifetimes supply of thin organic paper.

The method that t.r.k. mentioned is my favorite. You stack up gaskets until you get the proper clearance. I advise that you then place a small piece of Plastigage, green or red, on the gear end and torque the assembly down. You then remove the plate and measure the clearance with the supplied gage.

Happy wrenching.
Charlie

Several years ago I asked the same question concerning the clearance between the oil pump gear and housing. It is still in the archives here. SWMolines suggested the plastigage idea. It worked out great for me even though I had to bolt it on and take it off several times to get the correct clearance. Also when I ordered all my gaskets from Welters for my engine rebuild, the oil pump gasket was 4 thin sheets. I think I determined to use 3 layers by using the plastigage idea. But the straight edge idea would be even easier.