i bought an oil pump from CMotorsports and i was wondering if i need a bigger oil pan or can i reuse the stock one? the part # on the pump is MEL-G10552 and i also bought the bolt on pickup. what do you guys think?

 

Most have reported that HV oil pump + stock pan = sucking stock pan dry.

I'm running a Milodon 30909 w/ built in windage and a rear baffle with my HV pump on my 355.

 

most= how many people? cuz im on a really tight budget and how much is a deeper pan? what if i use thicker oil to better control the amount of oil or pressure?

 

Are your bearing tolerances setup for an HV pump?

Most threads I've read on this forum when searching indicated a stocker pan isn't enough, which is why I ordered my Milodon. You might be able to get away a little cheaper if you still have your stock windage tray in place, but I did not (arp studs weren't long enough and I didn't want to change them out).

 

Do a search. One blown motor is too many.

Rich

 

I've been running a HV oil pump for a couple of years now with no problems with a stock oil pan. I've never heard of SBC's having any problems draining oil back to the pan. I think if you are sucking the pan dry maybe it's because there is no windage tray in the pan. My .02

 

i am running a HV with stock pan for almost a year now with no problems

 

If they were running the pan dry with a Melling HV oil pump, they did not have enough oil in the pan. I ran one for 8K miles on my 92 Vette, More Performance Heads, Hot Cam, with absolutely no problems. Held great oil pressure, engine ran strong. Made over 30 passes down the drag strip in her. Gonna run the same pump on my 97 Z28 with the stock pan.

 

Exactly. Why chance it? I've seen more people so far in this one thread that had no problems, but I have seen more threads of others with problems. Oiling is one problem you don't want to have on an LT1.

 

IMHO, you wont have a problem. It may pump a higher volume when clearances are larger, but when they are the same, it will just raise the pressure. You cant pump the pan dry when there is nowhere to pump it too. Besides, all that oil will just drain back into the pan anyway.

Having said that, I bought a moroso pan for my new engine. Bigger is better right

 

You also need to ask yourself "do I need a HV pump". If you can't provide a good reason, then use a standard volume pump. A HV pump is not "better" than a standard pump unless you need it. If you think you need one but don't know why, then you don't need one.

Rich

 

I can atest to sucking the pan dry. At WOT my oil pressure drops 10 psi for a split second and comes back up to 50 psi. Did it enough times at the track to spin a bearing. It will happen!!!!!!!!!
HVY SS

 

That is the typical scenario. High rpm acceleration followed by rapid deceleration (i.e. alternating positive and negative g's). If the oil level is toward the low side of "full" it is especially likely. Stock pan = poor oil control, limited capacity. HV pump = more oil in the top of the motor. It's easy to see how it can happen, and it can and does happen. The standard pump/stock pan wouldn't be immune, but less likely because a lot less oil would be in the top of the motor. It's really a matter of a marginal pan.

And as I have said about a zillion times in this forum, since there is no advantage whatsoever to the HV pump, except when the motor is deliberately set up loose (or is nearly worn out and has loosened up) why on earth would you want one? I guess if it's bigger, it must be better?

There really should be a sticky about this. It would save a couple of motors a year I am sure.

Rich

 

i called CMotorsports and they said there's no reason why the oil pump they sent me with the matching pickup wouldnt work on the stock pan . guess there's only one way to find out though. i am going to watch the oil pressure though for symtoms like the ones hvyss described. if i see it happen at least once then another oil pan is going in. should it come to this are there any decent oil pans you would reccomend for someone on a budget?

 

There are motors that need oil pump upgrades, people just asume that means all motors need them.

Having the HV pump cause problems can happen as hvyss said but the other way it happens is for guys that race road courses and such the SUSTAINED high rpms make it much more likely especially if you throw in a sweeping turn and the g's keep the oil on one side to the outboard side the the head so it can't drain.