So, a while back I did a timing job on my 07 F, and the engine failed. I did the upgraded Melling oil pump, and it lasted a day. I sent in the oil pump under warranty and their test rig checked it ok. My best guess was the pickup tube o-ring must have failed. It had all the glitter in the oil pan, and the bearings welded themselves to the crankshaft. I couldn’t turn it with my biggest breaker bar and a cheater handle.

Anyone had this issue after that timing job?

Ended up with a new engine, and I kept the good parts from the timing job for the next time I have to do this. Thankfully the new Motorcraft phasers didn’t suffer any real damage, plus the new chains and tensioners.

 

Never heard of that happening. Did you remove the oil pan when you did the timing job?

Did you lube the inside of the pump first and did you prime it before starting?

 

No, I did it from the front, just the same way FordTechMakuloco on YouTube did. I also did prime the pump with oil by hand, then when reassembled I pulled the connector off of the crank sensor so it wouldn’t fire, and cranked it until the oil light turned off, and then a bit more to make sure oil circulated everywhere. Everything was by the book, no odd noises, and it just seized while driving down the interstate. So, my only thought was the o-ring on the pickup tube must have failed.

 

That sounds plausible, it would just be sucking air.

 

And/Or there was a whole bunch of debris in the oil pan blocking the pickup tube....

 

This isn't as likely. When I opened the old engine, all timing components were intact, and while doing the timing job, I was meticulous about cleaning. If it were debris, some small amount would have at least shown up in the oil pump and damaged it, but it had no scoring or anything. Of course, once the bad glitter started...

Melling tested the thing, said it was fine, so that's why I figured the o-ring and it sucking air. One small o- ring took the whole thing out.

 

Had you cleaned the oil pan and pu before starting. Or you say no you did everything from the front. Did you have broken guides. When you looked at old engine was the screen on oil pu clogged .
I have even noticed the plastic seal off oil bottle jamming the oil pu . That one makes you pay more attention when opening oil bottles . Anything that could float like ground up guide fibers will go directly into oil pu screen . Another guy left paper stickers on guides ,they came off and blocked oil pu . During timing jobs the pro's put a rag over the oil pan opening to keep stuff out of there
Yes the oring could cause this that's why we say cleaning oil pan is a must . So much easier to spot other problems as well . Any jarring of the oil pan can bring up stuff on bottom of oil pan ,rough road,speed bumps , pot holes . I hate to see what happened to you and that motor .
I too would doubt a crankshaft type oil pump failing like that with a screen in oil pu . I would more believe a filter problem than that . Maybe a massive tensioner leak - plastic tensioner .