has anyone on here ever changed a Z32 oil pump? i've got my engine torn down to the block in the car, and while i'm doing the head job i decided to go ahead and do the oil pump since i can reach it easily. is this much harder than it looks? any good warnings?

No... no one has ever changed the oil pump on a Z32.


















j/j

Getting the timing gear off can be a REAL bitch, but once that's off, it's easy.

Just a crazy question.....is there anything wrong the current oil pump, or are you changing it just for the hell of it?

I have read more than once that it is recomended 60k maintenance and i am at 150k. and there may be something wrong. i couldn't really tell because the pressure sending unit was giving problems at the same time as all my problems started. and i did specify anyone HERE. as in on this forum.

I read that too but I just rolled over 140k and mine seems to be just fine.

*knock on wood*

It can never hurt to replace the oil pump if it's old... that's basically the heart of the engine - without it, catastrophe is expected.

For example, when my stock turbos died, they sent shards of metal to the oil pump, which died right after sending some of the shards into the oil passages. The blockages in the passages, coupled with the complete loss of oil pressure, resulted in the driver's side exhaust cam warping. The warping of the cam caused it to sieze, thus snapping the timing belt on an interference engine. Had the pump been working, those shards may not have been enough to destroy the entire engine, but the oil pump was gone too.

With that said, good luck with getting the gear off. Sometimes it's tolerable, but I recommend having a crowbar handy just in case.

I got the sprocket off. I'm just wondering if its safe to go ahead and pull the bolts out of the pump and yank it off.

Yes. Make sure you have a gasket too, by the way.