I just got my new gm oil pump in today (part # 12555283), white spring (part #3848911), and my new pickup (part # 12550042) and I tried to put the pickup in the pump and it wouldn't fit. I can't even get it to go in at all. What should I do? I followed the part #'s that shoebox gave and it's not working. Another question, I need to know how to get that spring in there. Any help is greatly appreciatted.

Thanks,
Benji

 

Well if the oil pump looks like a shoebox, that's probably why the pickup doesn't fit right. Don't install that shoebox oil pump, it's not LT1 specific!

 

It only kinda looks like a shoebox. Na, I kinda want to know cuz I could always try to use my old pickup, but I'm not sure if it would fit either. Has to be something simple I'm not catching.

Thanks,
Benji

 

Did you lube it up before you tried to stick it in?

 

Yeah, I have this problem alot, usually just a little KY does the trick. But not this time, it's just too tight.

Benji

 

Don't you just hate it when your shaft is too big to fit into the hole?

 

I see you are getting lots of good advice.

The pickup is a tight fit. It will go. You just have to line it up real straight and get it started. There was a recent thread where someone else was having the same problem. Mine was hard to do. There is a special tool made to attach to the pipe and little collar to drive it on, but not very many people are going to have one of those. I used an open end wrench around the pipe and up to the collar and tapped (more like beat ) on the wrench with a hammer. Make sure you look a what position the pickup is on your original pump and match the position on the new one.

To install the spring, you have to remove the bottom cover and drive out the rolled pin. Remove old spring and replace with the new one (big end toward the pin). Tap the rolled pin back in like it was. Re-install bottom cover and torque bolts to 80 lb. in.

 

I tried to drive that pin out of there, how did you do it?

Thanks,
Benji

 

I used a Craftsman long, narrow punch. You could use a blunted nail of the right diameter.