Replacing oil pump

[bella]

How difficult is to replace by myself oil pump...do I need special tools?

 

Thanks.

 

This regarding my theard:

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=44515

 

This because this morning I experienced this problem again...

and mechanic tould me that cylinder pressure is ok

[canajun2eh]

Oil pump replacement is not very difficult. You need to remove the timing belts, since the pump is behind the driving belt covers and is driven by one of the belts.

 

IF you're replacing the oil pump, you should replace the timing belts as well. You should also consider replacing the water pump, even if it's not giving you any trouble right now. Also, there's a small bent rubber hose at the top of the water pump, that links the water pump to a metal tube which supplies coolant to the heater. This hose should be replaced, even if it looks OK right now. Don't forget to replace the O-ring at the end of the large tube that fits into the water pump.

 

I'm recommending all the cooling system work at this time because (a) the parts aren't very expensive, ( the water pump will probably fail soon, © you need to remove the timing belts to replace the water pump, (d) you need to remove the water pump to replace that small rubber hose, (e) that small rubber hose can soften and fail at very inconvenient times.

 

Are you SURE the oil pump needs to be replaced? These things last a very long time. I've had 5 cars with EA82 engines, all went over 400,000 km without ANY work being done to the engine other than water pump and timing belt replacement.

 

Your problem is very likely to be a bad wire leading from the oil pressure switch, or perhaps the switch itself. I would start by carefully inspecting the exposed parts of the wire. If in doubt, replace the wire and its connector. Replace the oil pressure switch -- that's a LOT less work than replacing the pump.

 

Remember that on EA82 engines, low or almost non-existent oil pressure when the engine is running at low speeds is normal. My owner's handbook even has a paragraph on this subject. If you see at least 20 psi (sorry, don't know the metric equivalent) when the engine is warm and is running over 3,000 rpm, everything is normal.

 

If you're still worried about low oil pressure, just use thicker oil. I usually use 20W50 oil in the summer (temperatures over 20C), 10W40 in spring and fall (temperatures above 0C), and 10W30 in the winter (temperatures down to -35C).

[idosubaru]

have you done timing belts before? it's only 5 more bolts to remove once the timing belts are off.

 

tough question. i think they're easy. for someone who's only changed oil it would be a tricky task.