Oil pump went out, now what?

Ok, so I know I'm technically in the wrong generation, but I figured you guys would be the most informative group to help. I have a 2002 Ram 1500 4wd with a 5.9 magnum engine. Today while pulling a trailer, my oil pressure gauge dropped to 0. It was running fine, but I pulled over anyway. It sounded ok, so i drove about half a mile up the road to the other vehicle I was driving with and by that point there was a noticeable tapping sound.

So now we're in the process of towing it home, but I was curious what all I should get ordered for this thing since it looks like a rebuild is in the very near future. If you guys can recommend any parts or brands to get or other things I should replace with the engine out, that would be great.

Thanks in advance!

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I would probably inspect the internals a bit before ordering rebuild components.

Can you tell where the tapping was coming from?

dapepper9 said:

I would probably inspect the internals a bit before ordering rebuild components.

Can you tell where the tapping was coming from?

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The tap is not very localised. The best I can tell, it sounds like it's coming from somewhere on the lower passenger side. I'm definitely planning on pulling the engine when it gets home and investigating things. I'm more interested in other modifications or improvements I can do to it while the engine is out.

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Well if you're doing a full tear down you can go with Engine Quest heads that flow 40cfm more out of the box with thicker castings that don't crack and are pretty budget build friendly. Also 1.7 roller rockers and a nice quality set of headers all make a nice difference. All are very easy to do with the engine out already.

As far as replacing the bottom end, if you end up doing that i would just go factory. The crank is already forged and will handle like 700ft/lbs tq on a good tune and the rods and pistons though not forged are nearly as reliable. Maybe a high volume oil pump but that's really not needed either.

That's sounds doable. I was talking to my dad and we're thinking it's theb valves that are tapping from the low oil pressure. So granted there is the space, we may just drop the oil pan ava replace the pump and see where it gets me until I have the funds to do a proper rebuild.

On that note, what oil pump should i get? Am I okay with a Napa one or should I pay up and get a dodge one from the dealership? Or is there a better and/or cheaper alternative?

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Well, it seems like the time to rebuild has come early... in the process of changing the oil pump, I came across a ton of shavings. They were in the oil pump, the filter, the pan, EVERYWHERE. So it turns out I've probably spun a bearing. The engine is coming out and the block is getting sent out. Now I need to figure out what fun stuff I want to replace.

The major power gains are gonna come from upgrading the heads and cams. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable can suggest which brands to go with for those parts.