my engine was leaking very impressively from the oil pump. i tightened the nuts on the cover plate, and found one loose, but i couldn't tighten it. so i screwed the stud out, only to find the better part of the thread coming out with it. i could only re insert a new stud loosely, and could not tighten the cover plate on properly.
i am quite sure it is leaking because the cover plate is not tightly on.
but now it is being held on by 3 (rather than 4) nuts and is leaking ever so much more. i doubt that the pump itself is faulty, because the engine is only 2 years old (ok rebuilt 2 years ago)
what to do?
1 can i get an oversized stud fitted?
2 will a helicoil (whatever that is) work?
3 can i do any of what has to be done at home, or do i need the folk from a workshop?
4 is this a big (by which i mean expensive job?)
5 is it likely that this loose nut was/is the cause of the oil leak?
not a good plan...you would then have to clearance the pump for the oversized stud...etc. A better choice would be either a step stud, or a thread insert,
it should work fine...however the time serts that John C. linked you to are a nicer insert system....
doing at home is definitley possible. You will need a few tools...however the price should be equal or less than the repair bill would cost at a shop and you will benefit from having nifty new tools
nope
....very likely.
...personally I woul likely go with a step stud rather than an insert, simply because it should work fin in this situation and it will be cheaper. =-) The biggest issue you will likely face is getting the pulley of with the engine in the car....they make a nifty puller for this...but its a little pricey for a one time user.
formatting link
firstly remove the breast plate (rearmost piece of engine tin) You may wish to also remove the muffler to get more working room. (you will need an installation kit with the gaskets to replace it once you are finished)
formatting link
To remove the pulley without the puller use two large screwdrivers...one on each side and alternate pressure to walk the pulley off the hub (after removing the big bolt of course . Next drain the oil...or do it first if you prefer. Next you will need to take of the three remaining nuts on the oil pump. Loosen also the two
13mm case nuts closest the oil pump. You will now need an oil pump puller:
formatting link
....these are a poor substitute for the factory VW pump pullers, but they are cheap and will work fine for a casual user....and most importantly..they are available whereby the quality factory tools are not lock the arms of the puller into the inlet and outlet ports in the pump after removing the gears in the pump cavity. Place the horseshoe part over top and thread and tighten the nut. as you tighten the nut it will extract the pump. stuff the pump hole full of rags to prevent the entrance of swarf. The step studs come 8mm on one end and
10mm oin teh other...you will need a 10mm tap and the corresponding drill bit to use with it. Now here is where you *may* have a problem. I am not sure off hand out of memory if you have room to get a drill in to ream the hole to the proper size for tapping. You may need to use a right angle drill....which of course you could rent from any tool store if you do not posess one. I have engine removal down to under 10 minutes, personmmally, so I generally pull the engine for anything that *might* be cumbersome with it in place. use bearing grease on your drill bit and your tap and work slow to prevent shavings from entering the case. Drill...tap ...and screw in the new stud with a little medium strength loctite to hold it. Let the loctite dry and reassemble using proper gaskets and sealers and torquing to spec.
Just for future reference, so you don't strip the remaining nuts, you're not supposed to winch down on the things as hard as you can.
The metal involved is very soft, someone overtightening the nuts is what got you into this problem to begin with. I dont know what your definition of "very impressively" leaking oil is, but ACVW's will always drip a couple drops of oil after being run.
The best you can do is fit the plate with a brand new gasket set and brass rings:
formatting link
The guy that sold me my first bug told me "snug and a tug" for tightening those bolts. You want just enough pressure to crush the brass rings, and that's it. Been doing it that way since day one and it's served me well.
Some people smear some high temp silicone on the gasket, though my understanding is it's a bit controversial a topic. Find some high quality gaskets and you shouldn't need sealant.
A well-built ACVW engine with quality parts will run clean for a good long time. I had 50k on a Steve Hollingsworth motor when it ate a hair-pin clip, broke the pump and a load of other stuff. It went through two Berg cruises and a lot of commute miles and was leak-free till the day it died.
thanks a lot. all very helpful posts. now, when i say impressively, i mean half a litre over 20km, i could convert to non decimal. but i'd have to dig out a book, roughly though thats ca. a pint over 16 miles. besides, a few drops i could handle, although this motor has been nothing but beautiful, it has never left a spot (before now)
as for not overtightening, i completely agree, ad a proud to say that (for once) i was not the culprit in the overtorqueing, the genius who rebuilt the engine must have been feeling very strong that morning.
MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.