Oil Pump Questions

[Dennis Vogel]

1. What is the 356 B/C oil pump cover and intermediate flange (aka fuel pump spacer) made of? I'm guessing aluminum, put possibly zinc. I need to clean it and don't want to damage it. I learned the hard way that Oil Eater doesn't play nice with magnesium.

   

   OilPumpCoverFuelPumpSpacer.jpg (219.74 KiB) Viewed 2653 times

2. Is there a way to measure the oil pump tang wear? Pellow mentions this in the ABCs book, but It is hard for me to discern from his photos how much is acceptable.

Thanks.

[Craig Richter]

They are aluminum, and that is too much wear on your tang.

[Tim Berardelli]

How does the slot on the cam look?

[Dennis Vogel]

that is too much wear on your tang.

Hi Craig. Thanks for your reply. Is there a tell in the photo? I’m not questioning if you’re correct. I’m trying to learn what to look for. Teach man to fish as it were...

[Tim Berardelli]

Pictures like that are the one of very best inducements I know of to install a full flow oil filter on these engines-Think of Peter, Paul and Mary's song, "where has all the metal gone-into your bearings-long time ago"

[Craig Richter]

Tang should be square edged, and cam slot should also be square edged, so they fit together without too much slop. That's why Tim asked about the cam slot. Both these pieces can be repaired by a descent machine shop if you can't find replacements.
There is a little gizmo (I forget the name) that came on industrial motors and can be used as a repair by shortening the bad tang a bit. We talked about it at length here on the forum a few years ago, and I always wanted to try one.
I once had a seized motor come in for a rebuild. The tang was gone... like broken off, GONE. And no full flow. What a mess!

I should have added: "seized RACE motor". High-lift cam, big valve springs, high compression = all the things that put extra pressure on that little tang. Why no full-flow filter I don't remember.

[Ron LaDow]

Pictures like that are the one of very best inducements I know of to install a full flow oil filter on these engines-Think of Peter, Paul and Mary's song, "where has all the metal gone-into your bearings-long time ago"

Yeah, strangely enough, the magic bearings which ignore dirty oil are not universally distributed. This guy on the 912bbs wasn't lucky enough to get a set of those:
https://www.912bbs.org/forum/threads/to ... 853/page-3

[Ron LaDow]

"...There is a little gizmo (I forget the name) that came on industrial motors and can be used as a repair by shortening the bad tang a bit. We talked about it at length here on the forum a few years ago, and I always wanted to try one...."

Pretty sure Mike Smith, across the pond, it making those and if a search function were anywhere to be found, you could locate his contact info.

[Trevor Gates]

The part Craig is referring to is discussed in this thread :

viewtopic.php?t=46049

[Harlan Halsey]

The slot in the cam is wider than the tang. Brand new there is line contact, so of course they all wear in. The tang is softer than the cam by design. Just weld it up, re-shape it and move on. No need to festoon your car with Oldham couplers or FF oil filters.

[Craig Richter]

A lot of things aren't "needed" in this life, but they certainly add some pleasure and security. When big chunks come off that tang, where do you think they go?

Thanks Trevor. Your computer skills always impress me.

[Ron LaDow]

[...] When big chunks come off that tang, where do you think they go? [...]

Here? Or were these the little chunks?

bearing.jpg (105.48 KiB) Viewed 2493 times

[Dick Weiss]

The strainer and magnet on the sump plate shoulda caught the debris; Were they kept clean during oil changes--including the oil filter service/R & R?
What about the main bearings?

[John Hearn]

Oldham coupling is available from PRS https://www.prs356.co.uk/
It is not yet on their website, give them a call or email.
Nice people to do business with.
KTF
John

[Dennis Vogel]

Tang should be square edged, and cam slot should also be square edged, so they fit together without too much slop.

Hi Craig. Just so that I'm clear which surface I'm inspecting. The circled area should not have a beveled edge. it should be 90 degree angle at the corner?