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TR2/3/3A Oil Pump Grief

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Tropical TR

Jedi Hopeful
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Due to aggravating circumstances early in the rebuild my original pump was lost. I have heard the horror stories concerning the "County" or reproduction TR3/4 pumps and I guess there is only the one production source which all of the vendors use. One would think that one of the big outfits would have had a decent one produced by now. Of course if one asks a vendor they say that the pumps work OK. Has anyone had good experience in recent years with these repro pumps?

Concerning originals, my first attempt at obtaining a decent item resulted in this:

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I haven't checked clearances yet. Does that look like excessive wear?
 

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You might want to consider sending that pump to British Frame & Engine. He will "clearance" the pump and will supply rotors (at an extra cost) if necessary. He get's about $70 for the job and of course extra if it needs the rotor and vane. All told it would still probably be less then the cost of a new pump from Moss. Looks like you'll have to send him an email (address on his site), as he no longer has a phone number listed. I sent my original pump to Ken and had it re-done as when I was doing my engine was during the period of the bad pumps, which I believe was a problem with the pin securing the rotor to the shaft.


https://www.britishframeandengine.com/parts1.html
 
I can't tell what I'm looking at in the right hand photo. Is that a chunk missing or discoloration? On the left pic, is there a distinct ridge on the right side of the rotor pads?

If the answer to either of my questions is yes...then there is excess wear. If no to both...I can walk you through clearancing the pump.
 
I would say that pump is toast. It looks like 2 views of the same pump, but one without the chunks missing? Try contacting Marv on the forum. He has a lot of used parts. Many of the old pumps are re-useable because they had an easy life being dipped in oil. It looks like the pump you acquired there came from an engine that had chunks of metal in it. Some of the people on evil bay also have extra parts when they show something, so you could contact the seller and ask. Good luck
 
If you are investing in a pump, consider Steve Yott's redesign - racers love it, bulletproof.
 
A visual exam isn't enough , it needs to be checked with feeler gauges per the shop manual. I've used them many times over with zero problems.
 
Brinkerhoff said:
A visual exam isn't enough , it needs to be checked with feeler gauges per the shop manual. I've used them many times over with zero problems.
Click to expand...
I agree, but I think those photos tell the story. Time for either another original pump, or new rotors. Either way, be sure to check clearances before trying to run it. Many housings have been shortened slightly, to compensate for wear in the rotors (as described in the workshop manual).

+1 on Steve Yott's unit, but they aren't cheap. Cheap enough I suppose, if you're protecting a $10,000 motor, but likely overkill for the street.
 
Thanks to all for your input. It is all very helpful. More based on what was not said, I am guessing that most of you are not big fans of the reproduction pump currently available...as long as the old ones last. Steve Yott's version is very interesting.

Regards,
 
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