The news that General Motors discontinued the factory dry sump oil pump (PN 12623097) for the LS7 sent a serious shockwave through the LS performance community. That specific part is the lifeline for the C6 Z06, Grand Sport, and any build relying on the dry sump LS3 or LS7 architecture. Without a steady supply of new pumps, builders were left scrambling for used cores or risking their expensive short blocks on questionable hardware. It was a bleak situation until Katech Engineering arrived at the PRI Show with a solution that solves the supply chain crisis while drastically improving performance.
Scavenging Numbers That Actually Matter
The new TrackFlow pump is not just a clone of the factory unit, as Katech Engineering took the opportunity to completely redesign GM’s internal architecture. The most critical improvement is in the scavenge section, which is responsible for pulling oil out of the crankcase and returning it to the reservoir. According to their data, this new billet unit provides a 44 percent improvement in scavenging over the factory LS7 pump and a massive 62 percent improvement over the LS3 version. This matters because efficient scavenging creates a better vacuum in the crankcase, which helps ring seal and reduces the parasitic drag of windage. More importantly, it ensures the oil tank stays full so the pressure side of the pump never sucks air during high-G cornering or long, high-RPM pulls.
Billet Construction With Zero Core Charge
Beyond the fluid dynamics, the physical construction of the TrackFlow pump is a major step up from the mass-produced cast aluminum OEM parts. These housings are machined from solid billet aluminum which offers far superior rigidity and tighter manufacturing tolerances. Each unit is hardcoat anodized for durability and features a laser-etched American flag, but the biggest win for mechanics is the logistics. Since Katech Engineering manufactures these as 100 percent new assemblies, there is no core charge involved. You do not have to hunt down a usable junk pump to send in for modification or worry about inspection failures. Every pump is serialized, blueprinted, and ships pre-lubricated so it is ready to install the moment it arrives at your shop.
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