oil leak from the oil pump

[cjthorley]

Hi Guys,

Im in a bit of a fix with an oil pump I bought brand new which seems to be the cause of a major oil leak.

There is a nice gasket between the block and the oil pump so im not sure why its leaking.

Ive heard a couple of things which I wanted to ask you guys about.

1. Should I have a high pressure oil pump for my twin cam which is fitted with a sprint cam? Right now I only have a standard oil pump from QED.

2. Is it possible that the surface on the engine block it not even?

3. Has anyone experienced a major oil leak in this area?

4. I have had the oil changed for Valvoline 20W50 VR1 and I think the garage have put too much in could this contribute?

Let me know your thoughts thanks in advance.

Chris

 

[cjthorley]

Here are some pics.

This picture show the original oil pump which was leaking from where you big arrow points. This was taked off and replaced with a new one which now also leaks....

Thie is a pic o f the leak I have with the new oil pump the big arrow shows where the oil leak seems to start which is the same place as the orignal one that was on the car....

 

[Lashman]

Hi, Sorry to hear about your leak.
If it's leaking in pretty much the same place as the old one, I'd suspect the mating surface of the engine first, or problem with the gasket.
Was it massively overfilled with oil?

 

[cjthorley]

I will check the mating surface when the new pump arrives. Ive noticed oil is also coming out of the crankcase breather too.

I seem to have alot of oil coming out yet the oil measure is still well above the max mark which tells me it was filled with way too much oil.

Chris

 

[Neilsjuke]

Have you checked that you do not have a leak from say the oil gauge pipe /pressure switch or front cover.
Neil

 

[Scott Simpson]

Hi Chris,
Have a good look above the the oil pump for any wet areas, runs, etc. I agree with Neil, you're more likely to have a leak from above the pump.
You've mentioned that you have way too much oil in the sump, this will increase crankcase pressure, leading to the oil being forced out of the weakest seal. Perhaps the distributor o-ring is letting by, due to this condition.
Drain some oil and get the level correct, wipe the whole area clean, then take it for a quick blast and investigate again. You should be able to trace the leak to its source using this method.
It highly unlikely that an oil pump would leak from the point you've highlighted too, so keep hunting.
Hope this helps.
Scott

 

[cjthorley]

Yeah I will take a closer look but im certain its coming from that area from what I found today. The amount dripping out is quite alarming when you hit the throttle so ive not driven the car much at all in fear losing more oil.

Having said that the oil level is not going down much still well above MAX level and im sure this is contributing to the problem.

Anyway I will drain some of the oil and see if I can get a handle on this. Chris

 

[Neilsjuke]

Be very careful about the amount of oil you have in the sump you may not have the right dip stick and or the tube in the front cover may not be in the right place better to drain the oil out and measure it then you will know what the level should be if you have a issue or doubt.
Neil

 

[Rick]

Is the oil seeping from the adjacent bolt that is holding the oil pump to the block? as both pumps seem to leak from the same place.

 

[robertverhey]

No-one's said crack in oil pump housing yet.....crack in oil pump housing?

 

[cjthorley]

If the bolts are over tightened then it maybe possible to cause the housing to crack as its on alloy. I have a few thigns to go on here but its a little frustrating since I paid a garage to service the car and i feel its in a worse state than when I took it there. Chris

 

[cjthorley]

Right! This has now been sorted and here are my comments...

1. The block face for the oil pump was straight and flat
2. The fist oil pump had a crack in it which leaked
3. The second oil pump brand new had some curvature on the face that mates with the block this caused it to leak some how.
4. The third brand new oil pump had no curvature on the mating face and now does not leak.
5. The engine was over filled with oil hence the breather leak and this was down to the garge making a mistake as well as the thw wrong dipstick. It had a 1300 disptick judging by the ID 2735E-6742-A writtn on it.

Anyway iot all sorted now no leaks and the car is running very well indeed.

Thanks again for all ya help.

Chris