Engine and Transmission Tech

hi everyone, im looking for info on the buick 215 high volume oil pump. i have read that melling makes a high volume one for the buick 215 but havent been able to find it in napa, o'reilly, or autozone. i have done google searches and been unable to find a part number for one, all i have found is a stock oil pump repair kit. can anyone tell me what the part number is and where i can get one? thanks
Randy

Why do you want it Randy? Excessive bearing clearances are usually better treated with a heavier weight oil.

JB

Hi Jim, I understand the oiling system is the Achilles heel on the 215 and just wanted to take care of it before dropping the engine in. Would you suggest just sticking with the stock Buick pump?
Randy

I think the high volume kit is unnecessary. I installed one when I first built my engine, but I removed it, sold it, and haven't replaced it. Over ten years have passed without problems.

Have you inspected your timing cover and the valve body that bolts to it? I have limited personal experience, but here's my two cents: If you see scuffs on the flat surfaces at either end of the pump surfaces, you have a problem, it needs to be addressed, and a high volume kit won't fix it! Probably you'll end up buying a new(er) timing cover or a new(er) valve body. If you don't see scuffing, the pump will probably function fine.

The valve body I originally used was scuffed. The engine would "loose prime" when left parked for too long. Replacing the valve body fixed the problem for good.

Do you know how to prime your engine? I strongly recommend doing so before starting it! Most people start by packing the gears with Vasoline, but I don't think that's necessary or desirable if you instead use a drill motor to prime the pump. As you surely know, the bottom end of the distributor drives the pump, so you can fab a simple adapter and use a hand drill (set for "forward" or "clockwise" rotation) to pump oil through the whole lubrication system. Doing so, you can verify that you've got oil pressure (with a gauge). Also, if a valve cover or valley pan is removed, you can view the oil flow. That will give you a pretty good verification whether the system is healthy before you crank the engine. (Stick the distributor in, set timing statically, and crank it up!)

Randy, Curtis is giving you good advice. It's really been decades since the high volume pump was considered a viable modification. It increases the load on the distributor gear and causes failures. Over time we have learned that the real solution is first to tightly control bearing clearances (Buick engines run significantly tighter than typical clearances.) and this also includes cam bearings and lifter bore clearances. Then the oil pickup is replaced with the V6 piece with the 5/8" tube and the pickup galley is drilled out to 5/8" and the passages in the front cover are radiused and ported. Finally, a "booster plate" is added to the oil pump and the gear end clearances are set as tight as they will run, typically .0015" or less. I also radius the openings in the booster plate. A piloted drill is used to drill the oil galley and that can be done with the engine assembled but the front cover and pan removed, Do a search for oiling mods for more info.

JB

thanks guys, i appreciate the help. so you just suggest using the thrust plate and sticking with stock components? im going to be using a metric base
Randy

That would be correct Randy, but do the other mods too and make sure your bearing clearances are right. Otherwise you may still be running heavy oil.

JB

I ditched the hi flow oil pump upgrade kit on my drag MGB because it just wasted my dissy gears after 17 passes on the strip ??