QUESTION
We have stripped a oil pump drive gear and destroyed the camshaft.
45 years of racing and never had the problem before.
There has been 2 other cars locally with the same problem in the last month.
All pumps are Burtons high volume high pressure.
Have you had this problem and if so do you sell a pump to fix the problem.
We are ready to run in our new engine in our Lotus Cortina race car and I do not want to stuff it up.
G.S. - Ipswich, Queensland
ANSWER
Its unfortunate that you have not provided information as to how and why the skew drive gears have failed.
There can be a number of different reasons why these have may have failed.
The first step is to carefully examine the gear teeth, the pump internals, plus the engine valve train.
If there are signs of the teeth over-heating as this would suggest lack of lubrication.
If teeth broken off in large pieces as this would suggest incorrect heat treatment.
If teeth are bent and twisted as this would suggest lack of heat treatment or wrong material selection.
You make no mention if the annulus, rotor and pump body clearances have been checked.
If the clearances are not within design specification this may assist in explaining why the pump failed.
You make no mention of the grade of oil used in these engines when pumps have failed.
You make no mention of oil pressure when it is at ambient temperature or at normal engine operating temperature.
If the oil pump(s) have been manufactured incorrectly, then this should be conclusively determined and a warranty claim pursued with Burtons
Have you contacted Burtons to alert them to the problems with the oil pumps they have supplied?
If you had purchased oil pump from Lotus Marques and it was found to be faulty, then a warranty replacement pump would be supplied and delivered the next day.
http://www.lotusmarques.com/about-us/parts-philosophy
In addition to supplying parts, telephone support and extensive technical information is provided via the web site.
Currently in stock are standard and HP/HV oil pumps plus skew gears if you require replacement parts.
However, I would encourage you to carry out an extensive investigation to determined exactly why the oil pump failed BEFORE installing replacement parts.
Please note that Lotus Marques does not have a relationship with Burtons and subsequently does not source any parts from this UK supplier.
Wherever possible, parts are sourced directly from component manufacturers to ensure quality parts (with a warranty) are supplied to our customers.
Copyright © 2015 Lotus Marques
We have stripped a oil pump drive gear and destroyed the camshaft.
45 years of racing and never had the problem before.
There has been 2 other cars locally with the same problem in the last month.
All pumps are Burtons high volume high pressure.
Have you had this problem and if so do you sell a pump to fix the problem.
We are ready to run in our new engine in our Lotus Cortina race car and I do not want to stuff it up.
G.S. - Ipswich, Queensland
ANSWER
Its unfortunate that you have not provided information as to how and why the skew drive gears have failed.
There can be a number of different reasons why these have may have failed.
The first step is to carefully examine the gear teeth, the pump internals, plus the engine valve train.
If there are signs of the teeth over-heating as this would suggest lack of lubrication.
If teeth broken off in large pieces as this would suggest incorrect heat treatment.
If teeth are bent and twisted as this would suggest lack of heat treatment or wrong material selection.
You make no mention if the annulus, rotor and pump body clearances have been checked.
If the clearances are not within design specification this may assist in explaining why the pump failed.
You make no mention of the grade of oil used in these engines when pumps have failed.
You make no mention of oil pressure when it is at ambient temperature or at normal engine operating temperature.
If the oil pump(s) have been manufactured incorrectly, then this should be conclusively determined and a warranty claim pursued with Burtons
Have you contacted Burtons to alert them to the problems with the oil pumps they have supplied?
If you had purchased oil pump from Lotus Marques and it was found to be faulty, then a warranty replacement pump would be supplied and delivered the next day.
http://www.lotusmarques.com/about-us/parts-philosophy
In addition to supplying parts, telephone support and extensive technical information is provided via the web site.
Currently in stock are standard and HP/HV oil pumps plus skew gears if you require replacement parts.
However, I would encourage you to carry out an extensive investigation to determined exactly why the oil pump failed BEFORE installing replacement parts.
Please note that Lotus Marques does not have a relationship with Burtons and subsequently does not source any parts from this UK supplier.
Wherever possible, parts are sourced directly from component manufacturers to ensure quality parts (with a warranty) are supplied to our customers.
Copyright © 2015 Lotus Marques
