Melling Engine Oil Pump Screen Installation Tool

The Right Tool for a Critical Installation

When rebuilding or replacing an engine oil pump, the pick-up tube and screen are just as important as the pump itself. Engine oil pump screen installation tools exist for one reason: to seat a press-fit oil pump screen squarely and safely into the pump body without bending, cracking, or deforming the screen tube. Improvising with a socket or a piece of pipe risks misalignment and damage that can rob an engine of oil pressure from the very first start. That's exactly the problem Melling's dedicated installation tools are engineered to solve.

Why Melling Makes the Tool — Not Just the Part

Melling has been at the center of engine lubrication technology since 1946, when George Melling Sr. and his son Ben founded the company around precision oil pump manufacturing. What began as a small catalog of oil pumps has grown, over eight decades, into a global brand covering 27 product lines and over one million applications. That deep, first-hand knowledge of how oil pump systems fit together is exactly what qualifies Melling to design the tooling that goes with them.

Melling's own recommendation is straightforward: a new, properly installed oil pump pick-up tube or screen should be part of every oil pump installation. Following that advice means having the right installation tool on hand — and no manufacturer is better positioned to supply it than the one that builds the pumps and screens themselves.

Melling MCAT-62 and MCAT-75 — Two Sizes, Full Coverage

Melling offers two oil pump screen installation tools, covering the two most common press-fit tube diameters found across domestic engine families:

• MCAT-62 — designed for 5/8-inch diameter pick-up tubes, commonly found on a wide range of four- and six-cylinder domestic applications including Jeep 4.0 engines and many others.
• MCAT-75 — designed for 3/4-inch diameter tubes, widely used across Chevrolet, GMC, Buick, Cadillac, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Saturn, and Isuzu applications spanning multiple decades of production.

Both tools are precision manufactured from high-quality steel in the USA, and both are engineered specifically to drive the screen into the pump bore squarely and at the correct depth — protecting the tube from damage and ensuring a leak-free, secure fit every time.

Precision Manufacturing Backed by Decades of Engine Expertise

Melling's tooling carries the same quality standards applied to their oil pumps and engine components. The MCAT series tools are machined to close tolerances so the fit against the screen tube is consistent across the full seating stroke. Whether you're a professional engine builder working through a stack of long blocks or a DIY mechanic doing a single engine refresh, having a purpose-built tool eliminates the guesswork and risk that come with improvised methods.

For anyone sourcing a replacement oil pump or pick-up screen from Melling's extensive catalog, pairing it with the correct Melling installation tool is the logical final step — ensuring the entire lubrication system goes together the way the engineers intended.