oil pump gasket, yeah or nay

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I've build hundreds of sbm engines, I have never once used a gasket on the oil pump, and zero issues. That includes my oval track engines that we put through extream abuse.
 
Sounds like oil pump gaskets go the way of oil slingers. Use 'em if you've got it, and don't lose any sleep if you don't?
 
And let's think a little deeper. Is there a gasket between the block and main cap? No....and the oil is going to leak from the biggest leak first, like your .0025 rod bearing clearance, not where the pump is tightened down. Now, if the surface of the cap is compromised, then the gasket "might" help, but I normally lightly surface the cap anyway. Really it's not gonna make much difference one way or the other, but I do recall tearing down a engine years ago that had that thin gasket, and it was torn and pushed out at one spot. Just things to think about.
 
Go to pera.org and click on the webinar link. Go to November 12 2020 and listen to the whole webinar.

I personally ask the Melling engineer about use of a gasket. Go hear what the engineer said.

Schumann oil pumps makes a dead soft copper gasket. You buy a pump from him, you get the gasket. Call him and ask him why you should use a gasket.

Use the gasket.
 
I worked from 1970 to 1980 in Chrysler dealerships, and recreationally ever since. No under warranty small block engine I ever serviced had an oil pump gasket. Saw lots of perforated rocker arms with the lifter thrown out of its bore, and a few cam bearings with a flake of babbit pushed out, and of course the occasional head gasket pushed out at the rocker arm galley. In fact the only time I found the cause of low oil pressure at idle to be the joint between the main cap and the oil pump was where a non dealer mechanic installed a paper gasket there and it blew out. If you are anal about that junction just stone the two surfaces, apply a very thin coat of Indian Head or Permatex #2A to one surface and bolt it in place. There, you don't have to worry about that any more. If you are anal retentive you can apply a very thin coat of either of the above closely around the hole in #5 main cap as well. Jeez, how much oil can leak out between two finely machined zero clearance surfaces? A gasket there adds a potential "major" failure point without adding any potential benefit. Trust me, you will be pissed off if you have to pull the pan to get rid of the shredded piece of paper that sidelined you.
 
Col_Steve said:
I worked from 1970 to 1980 in Chrysler dealerships, and recreationally ever since. No under warranty small block engine I ever serviced had an oil pump gasket. Saw lots of perforated rocker arms with the lifter thrown out of its bore, and a few cam bearings with a flake of babbit pushed out, and of course the occasional head gasket pushed out at the rocker arm galley. In fact the only time I found the cause of low oil pressure at idle to be the joint between the main cap and the oil pump was where a non dealer mechanic installed a paper gasket there and it blew out. If you are anal about that junction just stone the two surfaces, apply a very thin coat of Indian Head or Permatex #2A to one surface and bolt it in place. There, you don't have to worry about that any more. If you are anal retentive you can apply a very thin coat of either of the above closely around the hole in #5 main cap as well. Jeez, how much oil can leak out between two finely machined zero clearance surfaces? A gasket there adds a potential "major" failure point without adding any potential benefit. Trust me, you will be pissed off if you have to pull the pan to get rid of the shredded piece of paper that sidelined you.
Click to expand...


Once again, the MELLING engineer disagrees with you. He ought to know.
 
I never use them. Seen bad things happen and had to remove pans because they failed.

Nope, not gonna happen with me. If you have two flat clean machined surfaces in a pressurized environment, you won't see a leak ever worth consideration. With a gasket, you have a blowout, free air space and it can push significant levels of oil..

This...
replicaracer43 said:
And let's think a little deeper. Is there a gasket between the block and main cap? No....and the oil is going to leak from the biggest leak first, like your .0025 rod bearing clearance, not where the pump is tightened down. Now, if the surface of the cap is compromised, then the gasket "might" help, but I normally lightly surface the cap anyway. Really it's not gonna make much difference one way or the other, but I do recall tearing down a engine years ago that had that thin gasket, and it was torn and pushed out at one spot. Just things to think about.
Click to expand...
 
I never use OP gaskets. One thing you can be sure of: it will compress with heat & time. Once that happens, two more things can happen: you get a leak &/or the fasteners come loose....& then with loose bolts....
No gasket, just a thin film of silicon or 518 gasket maker. Keep it around the outside of the body so that none gets into the feed hole.
 
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