I'm doing some light refreshing to my '95 OBW's 2.2, since the clutch puked up a spring and the motor had to be pulled to really get at it. The engine had a bit of a tick before I pulled it - which I would assume to be low oil pressure. I was going to just do the oil pump seal along with possibly the rear main seal, but should I worry about a new pump? I'm rather broke and spent $450 for the entire car, so I want to save money anywhere possible, but if it's REALLY worth it I'd probably do it now.

 

FWIW when I pulled the valve covers, all of the bolts on the rocker caps were REALLY loose - one wasn't even snugged down! I torqued them all to 30 ft. lbs to be safe. Could that have caused my knocking?

I would replace the oil pump. Since the pump is the heart of the engine, without that the rest of the engine would be crap.

Now if you have a feeler gauge you can probably inspect the oil pump and check the clearances to make sure its still in spec. Another possability is an oil pump from a lower mileage engine.

 

nipper

If you're thinking the oil pressure might be low then you need to hook up a good oil pressure gauge and make sure it's in spec for that model, like >14psig oil at idle with oil at operating temp or whatever it is. Since the engine is already out that's probably not practicable at this point.

 

If you're resealing the pump anyway, then take the back cover off the oil pump and measure the rotor clearances. If they're near or out of the upper service limit spec, then as far as I know you can just buy a new matched rotor set and use your existing pump casing (provided the case where the rotors sit isn't worn). On my '00OBW at 100k the clearances were at the upper service limit.

www.rockauto.com was listing a genuine Subaru pump for my 97 OBS 2.2 for $78.00. You may want to check it out.

I'd go with just replacing it. I've found similar prices for new ones from Subaru. Especially at that mileage, you should be asking yourself "why not?"

 

On EA82 cars, which have pumps that wear out faster, I'll generally put on a new pump at the 120k timing belt change just as insurance. $100 for an oil pump is a lot better than $1000 for a rebuild.

I guess I'll go with a new oil pump then. Question is, is there an install guide somewhere? What all do I have to tear off of the engine to get at it?

Well if you're already replacing the timing belt then you're pretty much there. The crank pulley and crank sprocket have to come off, then there's some bolts holding the pump onto the block and then with a little gentle prying it'll break the sealant and come free. Make sure to get a new front crank seal and o-ring with the new pump (it was not included with the OE pump I got, had to order it separately).

I forgot to mention a couple of things about oil pump replacement. The 1st rule of any engine work is to make sure that no crap gets down in there that you can't get out! I don't even want to think about what might happen if a grain of sand was pumped into the main oil galley. The other main thing is to make sure you get the mating surface really clean, and use either Permatex Ultra Grey sealant (preferred by lots of people on here) or Permatex Anaerobic sealant (I personally think it's better, and so do companies like Detroit Diesel, Cummins, and Caterpillar) where the pump meets the engine block. If you don't have a torque wrench for the bolts , just snug them down (not too tight) with a 1/4" ratchet, making sure that you're putting even force on all of them.

how long are you keeping it? if not long, then why bother? otherwise i'd replace it.

 

if the rear main seal is perfectly clean you may want to leave it. normally i'd say replace it since you'd have to pull the motor out again and heck...260,000 miles is steep for a seal. but i've seen alot of replaced seals leak, so if you replace it make sure it's in there perfectly. for some reason the original rear main seals rarely leak (i've never seen one myself)...but, i've seen a few threads on here and XT6.net that had rear mains start leaking soon after replacing them. not sure why they're problematic like that.

another option is to keep that $100 and don't touch the engine. keep your eyes out for a lower mile 2.2 and put that money towards it. in the next year i doubt you'd have a problem finding a 100,000 mile 2.2 for $100-$250. but of course who wants to pull the engine again!