Oil pump keeps leaking

[Gen1]

I can't seem to get my oil pump to stop leaking. It's leaking from around that paper thin gasket on the oil cooler adt. I've replaced the gasket twice and it's still leaking. What I'm I doing wrong?
Thanks

 

[Jerryl]

Are the surfaces flat?
Torqued correctly?
(Did you measure the gear clearances?)

Edit:
Are you sure that is where it is leaking from and not elsewhere? (Cracked cover, etc)

 

[mikestertwo]

Are you talking about the oil pump cover or the o-ring on the oil cooler adapter? If your talking about the cover, the cover could be warped and will have to be machined flat. They will warp if you overtighten them. If your talking about the oil cooler adapter, there could be a bad spot in the surface of the cover where the adapter mates. Are you sure that's where the oil is coming from? It may be dripping off of the turbo oil return line.

 

[Gen1]

Are you talking about the oil pump cover or the o-ring on the oil cooler adapter? If your talking about the cover, the cover could be warped and will have to be machined flat. They will warp if you overtighten them. If your talking about the oil cooler adapter, there could be a bad spot in the surface of the cover where the adapter mates. Are you sure that's where the oil is coming from? It may be dripping off of the turbo oil return line.

Yes I'm sure it's coming from where the cover and oil cooler adapter mate. Not sure if the surfaces are flat. What is the best way yo make sure? Should I buy a new adapter and hope the cover is good? Also, how much should I torque the bolts down?

Thanks

 

[mikestertwo]

Yes I'm sure it's coming from where the cover and oil cooler adapter mate. Not sure if the surfaces are flat. What is the best way yo make sure? Should I buy a new adapter and hope the cover is good? Also, how much should I torque the bolts down?

Thanks

?????? There is a o-ring between the adapter and cover, not a gasket. The bolts hold the oil pump cover onto the timing cover. They should be torqued to 15 ft/lbs. The adapter has one large nut in the middle of it holding it to the oil pump cover.

 

[RUQWKNF]

I have seen in the past where an out of round o-ring (meaning well used) on this adapter will cause an oil leak. I would recommend replacing the o-ring first and re-installing the adapter and see if it cures your leak.

Patrick

 

[Gen1]

I have seen in the past where an out of round o-ring (meaning well used) on this adapter will cause an oil leak. I would recommend replacing the o-ring first and re-installing the adapter and see if it cures your leak.

Patrick

Could that o-ring cause it to leak from between that paper thing gasket? I can clearly see a large amount of oil and air bubbles coming from around that thin gasket.

 

[Just a Six??]

read this article & it tells how to clean up everything so it wont leak.

TurboBuicks.com - How to build a front cover/oil pump

 

[RUQWKNF]

The paper thin gasket is between the oil pump housing and the front cover. The piece that uses 4 bolts to bolt it to the front cover. Now here's something to think about. When I was at PTE we kept having problems with the castings on the High Flow front covers. One of the bolt holes that the oil pump housing bolts go into had a casting flaw. There was not enough flat surface material around that one bolt hole to allow the gasket a good mating surface to seal against. This type of leakage was caused by this casting flaw. We tried and tried to get the manufacturer to address this casting flaw but they never changed it. So we discontinued selling that front cover. That was circa 2005. Now you need to ask yourself, do you have a OEM GM front cover? Or is it an aftermarket high flow front cover?
HTH

Patrick

 

[Just a Six??]

I think there are 6 bolts to hold it?? Anyways, if you get it Flat it shouldn't leak? Mine never has out of 3 of them, but they are Flat! Probably were over torqued & got bent up a bit. A pic would help to see any damage. Also, Kirban sells an Oversize O Ring that really helps!

 

[RUQWKNF]

Yep, you're right, there are 2 on the inside that I forgot about that the filter covers up.

 

[Gen1]

Thanks guys. It looks like it's not flat. I'll going to work on getting it flat and see where that takes me.

 

[ChrisCairns]

One of the bolt holes that the oil pump housing bolts go into had a casting flaw.
Patrick

Patrick...attached is a pic of a high volume front cover. This one is from years ago and I have no idea which mfg made it. So I don't know if it has the bolt hold problem you mentioned.

Can you point out the hole that you all at PTE found to be cast wrong?

Thanks.

 

[GNTIM]

Along time ago I worked at a shop and another "mechanic" went to re-seal a 231 Cutlass oil pump housing and used an abrasive disc to clean the gasket surfaces but cleaned away some aluminum from the cover It leaked, I think he eventually replaced the cover.

 

[ChrisCairns]

Right now I've got a leak problem...and I took great pains to make certain this engine didn't have an oil leak but it does. It COULD be coming from around the oil pump base.

That's why I'm interested ... hopefully Patrick can remember which hole it was.

 

[RUQWKNF]

In your picture.
Upper right hand corner bolt.
Not enough flat surface material for the paper gasket to seal too. We did have some that were even thinner at that bolt hole. Honestly, yours doesn't look that bad, but that is the hole that we saw problems with. The bottom right hand bolt is really close as well. Maybe if someone had a stock GM cover and could post up a picture, it would help. A friend of mine had this problem with one of those covers before I went to work for PTE back in 2000, he swapped it out for a new GM out of the box and the leak was solved. It almost looks like the whole casting shifted when being formed.
HTH

Patrick

 

[ChrisCairns]

Thanks.

Not trying to argue since I believe what you're saying, but how does the oil get through the area between the cavity and the hole since it's got lots of gasket in place? I've attached the same pic with my fine artwork ... virtual gasket in black, between the cavity and the hole.