Benefit of ported oil pump??

[ldurham]

What are the benefits of installing a ported ls6 oil pump over a stock? The way I see it is my stock pump pushes more than plenty enough oil why would I need a ported one? Any wisdom is greatly appreciated.

[2002ssslp]

I am wondering the same thing. My pump put out almost 80 psi, what would a ported pump do ?

[0rion]

I've never heard of a stock pump supplying that much pressure.....not that yours doesn't but if it does then that's a pretty rare thing to have happen. Generally a stock pump will produce 40-60psi. A ported pump is always a good idea IF you're in there doing work anyhow. The LS1 pumps have been known to fail and a failed pump equals a new motor usually. Normally what I tell people is that unless they're having problems with it to leave the stocker in there until they do a cam swap or something. If you're doing a cam swap there's no reason to tear all that apart and not swap the pump and timing chain since it's right there.

[ldurham]

I've never heard of a stock pump supplying that much pressure.....not that yours doesn't but if it does then that's a pretty rare thing to have happen. Generally a stock pump will produce 40-60psi. A ported pump is always a good idea IF you're in there doing work anyhow. The LS1 pumps have been known to fail and a failed pump equals a new motor usually. Normally what I tell people is that unless they're having problems with it to leave the stocker in there until they do a cam swap or something. If you're doing a cam swap there's no reason to tear all that apart and not swap the pump and timing chain since it's right there.

So why waste money on a ported oil pump when my stocker is gunna do just fine?

[0rion]

it's not a waste of money....the ported pump will supply more pressure. The stockers have a history of failing. I might not tear an engine down just to do a pump unless it was giving me problems but if I'm in there doing work it would definitely get swapped with a ported pump.

[2002ssslp]

I've never heard of a stock pump supplying that much pressure.....not that yours doesn't but if it does then that's a pretty rare thing to have happen. Generally a stock pump will produce 40-60psi. A ported pump is always a good idea IF you're in there doing work anyhow. The LS1 pumps have been known to fail and a failed pump equals a new motor usually. Normally what I tell people is that unless they're having problems with it to leave the stocker in there until they do a cam swap or something. If you're doing a cam swap there's no reason to tear all that apart and not swap the pump and timing chain since it's right there.

I bought my 02 SS used wih 29k. It had a lot of SLP stuff on it and I do not know if the original owner put a ported pump in with the SLP stuff. When I start my car the (Yeah, I know how inaccurate they are) oil pressure gauge goes to almost 80psi and when it warms up to 195 deg. it settles in to 60 psi at idle. When I drive cold I am at 70 to 80 psi at around 3000 rpm then it settles at 60 to 70 psi at 3000 rpm warm. No kidding. Do I have a ported pump ?

[SMWS6TA]

Ported pumps flow oil better the stock/non ported pumps.

Less drag/friction on the flow = more pressure and movement volume of oil. High volume flow of oil = lower engine temps and better lubrication of critical parts like bearings.

Porting an oil pump is just like porting heads. Makes them more efficient.

If your car is a DD and see's no track use then a standard LS6 OP is good enough. However if you're into track, a ported pump is better insurance for engine performance.


Bottom line - LS1 OP's have history of failures, LS6 type pumps are always better then LS1 OPs, Ported LS6 pumps give the best performance between the 3.


IMHO:
For something as critical to a motor as the oil pump, I'd rather spend a few dollars more for the best product then cheap it out and face a bigger problem and higher cost to fix later.


It's your car and you can go with what you want.

[SMWS6TA]

I bought my 02 SS used wih 29k. It had a lot of SLP stuff on it and I do not know if the original owner put a ported pump in with the SLP stuff. When I start my car the (Yeah, I know how inaccurate they are) oil pressure gauge goes to almost 80psi and when it warms up to 195 deg. it settles in to 60 psi at idle. When I drive cold I am at 70 to 80 psi at around 3000 rpm then it settles at 60 to 70 psi at 3000 rpm warm. No kidding. Do I have a ported pump ?

Oil pressure readings factor on type of oil weight used, viscosity breakdown, and engine component conditions.

[ldurham]

I didn't know ls1 oil pumps had a history of failing. What fails on them? Wouldn't you know that your pump is going out by seeing your oil pressure gauge drop off? I can understand putting a better pump in because of the ls1 pumps history of failing but I don't see the point of upgrading the pump for more flow wen the stock one puts out 35 psi at idle.

[2002ssslp]

Oil pressure readings factor on type of oil weight used, viscosity breakdown, and engine component conditions.

5W 30 Mobil 1 & K&N filter every 3000 miles.

[SMWS6TA]

For the northern colder regions 5W30 is recommended, but for us southerns that never see temps below 35* for more then a day or two 10W30 is recommended.

the first set of numbers and W are for "Winter"

0W - temps -30*F and up
5W - temps -15*F and up
10W - temps 0*F and up

The last set is also an oil weight.

Having multi weights means the second # oil weight can perform the same as the first in winter temps without freezing.

Heavier the oil the less it will freeze but harder to flow while lighter the oil the easier it flows but also easier to freeze.

[pajeff02]

Since we opened the door on this topic -- are there any model years in particular that are prone to failure. Did any of the LS1's come from the factory with later style pumps? What actually goes bad in them?

[SMWS6TA]

From what I've read 97-00 yrs. When the LS6 came out they started using those pumps on LS1's. Any LS1 that has LS6 block has a LS6 oil pump, also all 03< LS1's have LS6 pumps.

[Too Fast]

I am wondering the same thing. My pump put out almost 80 psi, what would a ported pump do ?

A ported anything flows more of whatever it is flowing. Does not mean it will make more pressure.

So why waste money on a ported oil pump when my stocker is gunna do just fine?

Exactly. If the stock pump is fine, no need to replace it. Some early LS1s had an issue of failing, from what I've heard on this website. (1997-1999 LS1s)

it's not a waste of money....the ported pump will supply more pressure. The stockers have a history of failing. I might not tear an engine down just to do a pump unless it was giving me problems but if I'm in there doing work it would definitely get swapped with a ported pump.

Ported pumps supply more flow, not pressure. The pressure relief valve is what regulates pressure potential from the pump, and the other main oil pump pressure comes from main bearing clearance, or lack thereof.

Ported pumps flow oil better the stock/non ported pumps.

Less drag/friction on the flow = more pressure and movement volume of oil. High volume flow of oil = lower engine temps and better lubrication of critical parts like bearings.

Porting an oil pump is just like porting heads. Makes them more efficient.

If your car is a DD and see's no track use then a standard LS6 OP is good enough. However if you're into track, a ported pump is better insurance for engine performance.


Bottom line - LS1 OP's have history of failures, LS6 type pumps are always better then LS1 OPs, Ported LS6 pumps give the best performance between the 3.


IMHO:
For something as critical to a motor as the oil pump, I'd rather spend a few dollars more for the best product then cheap it out and face a bigger problem and higher cost to fix later.


It's your car and you can go with what you want.

Yes. But more flow usually equals less pressure, a quick example is a garden hose. The bigger the opening (flow), the less pressure it has to squirt out before the water hits the ground.

For the northern colder regions 5W30 is recommended, but for us southerns that never see temps below 35* for more then a day or two 10W30 is recommended.

the first set of numbers and W are for "Winter"

0W - temps -30*F and up
5W - temps -15*F and up
10W - temps 0*F and up

The last set is also an oil weight.

Having multi weights means the second # oil weight can perform the same as the first in winter temps without freezing.

Heavier the oil the less it will freeze but harder to flow while lighter the oil the easier it flows but also easier to freeze.

5w30 means the oil has a viscosity of a 5w oil at 0* and a viscosity of a 30w oil at 210 degrees. The ''w'' designation means the colder temp testing. Obviously you don't want a 5w oil at the higher temp of 210, since it would be too thin for adequate protection. Friction modifiers let the 5w30 oil have the viscosity of a 5w oil at 0, and a 30w oil at 210. Oil typically won't freeze unless it is very cold, I'm not sure what the temp would be but probably very cold, like negative 80. It just gets thicker and thicker, inhibiting flow.

This brings up the big advantage of synthetic oil. Vastly superior flow on cold starts. What I mean by cold starts is first start of the day, not necessarily a winter morning. Better flow at cold starts equals less wear on the engine, when about 80% of the wear takes place, cold starts. Synthetic oil by itself does not equate with longer oil change intervals, only improved cold start protection. And yes, you can switch between synthetic oil/conventional oil/synthetic blend whenever you want, with no ill effect on the engine.

[LeadFarmer]

It's just a peace of mind thing. If your car is internally stock, doesn't have high miles, and the psi is fine, than you shouldn't be worried.
But if you're going in for a cam swap it's highly recommended that you go ahead and change out the pump. It's a better safe than sorry kind of thing. My ported LS6 pump only ran me a little over $100.

Ive never heard of anyone actually having an ls1 pump that failed, but in my z28 the pressure did get pretty low around the 120k mark.

Would you rather spend 100 bucks and know you're safe. Or risk it and potentially have a dead hunk of metal in your engine bay?

[Spikito]

after doing an intake swap i broke my OPSU, now my readings are all over the place...my gauge sits there waving between 25 and 40, but if i hammer on it, it jumps up to 50 or 60 and stays there till it comes back to idle....then waves again