Anyone have any experience using a standard Clevite oil pump from Napa on a 5.0?

I figured Clevite makes good bearings, why not the oil pump.

I bought it at Napa and will order a heavier duty drive shaft for it when I order my pump primer from Summit. I will be installing it unless someone has a horror story about them. I have heard horror stories about Melling but not Clevite.

 

I'm quite interested in hearing the Melling oil pump nightmare stories! I've used and still use them. I'm sure that Clevite makes excellent oil pumps. One thing I've heard that you may want to consider before ordering that HD pump shaft: It's been said that oil pump drive shafts do not have a habit of breaking, but they will deflect a bit more than the hardened ones. The hardened shafts therefore transmit more force as well as vibrations through it, causing more stress on the pump, as well as the distributor gear, the timing set, and the entire valvetrain that drives it. The standard duty will flex a bit more, but the flexure has the same effect that a belt-driven cam does: it dampens vibrations better than a more solid peice will.

*Disclaimer* That is simply theoretical, and the only proof I can offer is the fact that I run an HV pump with a new, but stock replacement drive shaft. I drive very hard, and after 10,000 miles on this engine, I see no reason to beleive that the stock replacement ones are insufficient or inferior. The HV pump on the other hand seems a bit unnecessary, but it does build oil pressure a bit quicker. It still won't make any more than 60 psi, but it sure gets there quickly! Feel free to disreguard the OEM shaft theory as unfounded slander, I read that in a pro-OEM manual. TK

 

As far as the Melling pumps - I have heard (though not seen) of them seizing and comming apart. But these were stock replacement pumps, not the HV.

As far as the shaft - My uncle had (he no longer drives) a 92 'Stang he bought new and one morning started it up and after the fast idle test it dropped oil pressure to nothing. He pulled the pan and discovered the shaft had twisted and snapped. He checked the pump to see if it had frozen causing it but it spun freely. He threw a new shaft in with the original pump and had great pressure. So now I no longer trust those skinny ones.

But those are good points about them flexing that I have never heard.

 

Both companies are good. Anacdotal failures are meaningless, and should be disregarded, even if it is your uncle (lol) unless you know the fault mechanism that led to it. A HV pump, IMHO, is a waste of power, on an engine within MFG tolerances. Power is being wasted sending oil out the relief valve... and BTW, placing more stress on the drive rod. There are only two ways to protect a bearing at start-up: pre-oilers and coatings. The oiling system of any engine, properly assembled, has got to be the most reliable single system. It is the stuff around it that falls apart.

Autozone will loan you a primer for free (or $20) if you forget totake it back like me.

Whatever rod you stick in, do not accept any nicks or surface imperfections of any kind on the steel. These are stress raisers and, if it is going to break, it will break there.