Problem with Silver Seal front covers

[WE2Regal]

To answer your question, I don't know. How many miles do you have on your GM timing cover/oil pump now and what does it look like?

I'm only trying to point out that the factory timing cover has had a pretty solid history of quality and reliability. No one said the basic design was ideal, but they do seem to work. Glad to hear your buying another proven part.

 

[WE2Regal]

Never mind. I found a previous post by you that said your old GM timing cover/oil pump and misaligned cam sensor only lasted 150,000 miles! Thanks for the warning though.

http://www.turbobuick.com/forums/posts/2901235/

 

[Paul Lohr]

Is the question how long the original front cover lasted, or should the question be what was the hot idle oil pressure and when did it drop off? The engine has 10 psi of oil pressure at hot idle. For how many miles did the engine have 10 psi of oil pressure at hot idle? I have not put but a few miles on the car so I don't know. I have a 1978 Malibu with the 3.8 Buick engine with 78K miles. It has around 5 psi of hot idle oil pressure. I have not taken apart the front cover on the Malibu to check the alignment. It might be reasonable to suspect the same issue?

What does the old front cover look like? The upper surface in the front cover which the oil pump gears ride against has an uneven wear pattern. This makes sense with the cam sensor and oil pump drive gear not being aligned correctly.

It was mentioned that GM may have switched manufacturers at some point. There are likely front covers out there with correct alignment and ones with incorrect alignment.

 

[WE2Regal]

I'm sorry. I think it is pointless to try and help you on this issue any further. You made a good choice to buy a new aftermarket timing cover. Report back how that works for you. But if your trying to fix a low oil pressure problem by simply replacing the timing cover/oil pump assembly, I think your going to be disappointed.

The NOS GM timing covers on the market today are from the same production run that last filled dealer shelves. They are literally new OLD stock. The only "speculation" about quality or manufacturing differences is by a vendor who sells a different product. What, did you really expect him to sell you someone else's product? He wouldn't be doing his job then. I already said, you will be fine with either one.