TheSamba.com :: View topic - What's an oil pump sound like before it goes???

Mon May 03, 2004 9:44 pm

I've been (lazily) trying to locate a subtle knock (rattle) in my type 3's engine. I thought it was a wrist-pin at first, so I replaced the rods, bearings, p&c's, but it's still there.....but only intermittently (sometimes under load). Just curious if someone has ever had their oil pump go on them, and if there were any 'warning sounds' before it went!

Thanks!

Mon May 03, 2004 11:27 pm

if oil isnt circulating you would obiously have a over heating problem.Check spark plugs.1 might of gotten bad.

Tue May 04, 2004 4:12 pm

have you checked the backlash in the cam gear? when using straight cut gears, to much backlash will sound like a knock at idle. you can also check the fuel pump rod clearance.

Tue May 04, 2004 5:55 pm

how is your oil pressure?

Tue May 04, 2004 10:40 pm

Never actually put a guage on to test oil pressure.....guess that'd be a good start, huh? As far as the fuel pump, I have replaced the fuel pump along with a new rod......how does one check the rod clearance? The knock/rattle I hear is quite like the sound you hear when you drop the push-rod into the case and it hits the cam on the distributor drive (or even like the noise you hear when you take off the dist. cap and twist the rotor back and forth). I even suspected at one point that it was the distributor drive making the noise, and removed/added shims to see if it would change the play with the cam gear.
I dunno, still stumped. I guess I didn't really want to crack the case apart. Still, any suggestions are helpful; thanks!

Thu Jun 24, 2004 11:12 pm

I've sent JC Saunders off an e-mail to say thanks......he set me on the course of checking my fuel pump rod clearance......turns out the rod was 1/8-inch too short, and creating a lot of slack. I put a different rod in (4.25-inches) and it seems to have gone away.

Thanks so much!

Travis Hallam

Fri Jun 25, 2004 5:17 pm

thank you very much! jc just an :idea: