oil pumps (not efi)

[tom cloud]

Not an efi question (If you are under 18 or are offended by
non-efi related subjects please leave now :-)

Please excuse the non-efi related subject, but surely someone on
this list can give me an answer???

I've gotta make a decision soon.  My mentor and the part$ guy at
the Ford haus advise me to put a high volume oil pump in my new
hi performance SVO engine.  Dumb me, I gotta ask WHY??  (I've just
purchased a "Lightning" short block from Ford SVO.)

The high volume pump does not increase pressure, so no more oil
flows through the engine than for a normal pump, unless there's
a loose fitting or such, right?

Here's what I have found:

 - same volume of oil will be pumped by stock and hi-vol pump (i.e.
hi-vol pump will just recirculate and 'froth' the oil).  The only
time the hi-vol capability will be needed is when the engine is
very old or has an internal 'leak'.

 - you are advised to buy a hardened, stronger oil pump drive shaft
when you get a hi-vol pump ...... this implies to me that there's
more of a load on the shaft, hence on the cam gears, on the cam 'bearings',
on the timing chain and gears.  Why would you do that?

 - my 302 in my F150 with 107,918 (as of this morning) reads very near
the same oil pressure it did when it was new (on the "A" of "NORMAL",
heh-heh).  It does this even when hot, down a quart and at idle of
650 rpm (once again, as of this morn).

This reminds me of myself going to the part$ hou$e to buy 'lifetime'
shocks that are "better than stock" (same deal with brake pads) after
putting 100,000 miles on the original set!!   WHAT'S THE POINT ???

Help me, Rhonda!

Neither my mentor/guru nor my part$ guru could tell me why I should
use a high volume pump.  Seems to me to really just be a waste of
_precious_ horsepower and a source of unnecessary wear on the cam
and related components.

Help


Tom Cloud <cloud at peaches.ph.utexas.edu>