[DeTomaso] 10 qt oil pans- And Oil Pickup Tubes
Chris Difani
cdifani at pacbell.net
Thu Aug 20 02:14:29 EDT 2009
Guys:
Something to be aware of regarding the oil pickup tubes is that they are
designed to install within approximately .375 inches of the bottom of the
oil pan. I've heard it said that the clearance can range from a quarter
inch, to a half inch, but the books that I've studied all recommend 3/8" of
clearance between the oil pan, and the oil pump intake pickup screen.
When I installed my 10 qt pan on my SVT 5.4L SOHC engine, I had to do some
"tweaking". And to ensure that the results were correct, I placed a 3/4"
square block of modeling clay on the inner surface of the pan, directly
under the pickup tube intake. Then I bolted the oil pan, gasket, windage
tray, and baffle assembly togther. Torqued it too. Then I had lunch,
returned, and disassembled the oil pan. When I was finished, I -knew- I had
the correct clearance between my oil pan, and the oil pump pickup tube's
intake.
One of the reasons I had the problem was that I remodeled the pickup tube,
rather than use my supplied Armando pickup tube. The Ford OEM oil pump
pickup has a much larger, and smoother intake assembly that has been
specifically engineered to flow as much oil as the oil pump will ever need.
It also had a large (square inches of screen) screen filter inside the
intake.
My replacement oil pump pickup was relatively crude. I mean it was
certainly serviceable, and I'm sure it would have worked just fine. But it
wasn't nearly as well designed or fabricated as the Ford SVT intake. I
sectioned the OEM intake and lengthened the tubing such that it equaled my
after-market intake. As this is a vital part in my engine lubrication
system, I probably went a bit overboard in my fabrication.... kinda
reminiscent of the way that nuclear submarine reactor coolant systems are
built....
But the end result was a very solid, and precisely located oil pump intake
assembly that is located exactly at the recommended height above the bottom
of the oil pan surface. And that small piece of modeling clay was all it
took to ensure that I did the job correctly.... and will never have to worry
about the intake being at the wrong height. It takes some extra time, sure,
but the peace of mind, knowing that the oil pump intake is at the correct
height, is well worth those extra few moments of assembly time.
But, as usual, your milage may vary... and probably will...
Chris
Chris Difani
'73 L #5829 "LITNNG"
The Electric Pantera
Sacramento, CA
Email: cdifani at comcast.net
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