Oil Leak At Fuel Pump?

[Jeff Balazs]

Hi Guy's;

I have a very small oil leak at my fuel pump which I cannot seem to fix. I have tried new gaskets and various compounds but it always returns. I don't have any other leaks and this one is almost seems to be coming from the pump body and not the mating surface. Is it normal for these pumps to leak a little oil? It has been rebuilt and works fine otherwise.

 

Thanks, Jeff

[Young Ed]

Nope not normal. The last one I rebuilt ended up having a severly warped housing and I had to transfer the rebuild componets to another core. Where do you think the oil is coming through?

[Jeff Balazs]

Hi Ed;

I is hard to tell as the oil is new and clean but there is a small hole in the housing that looks like it might be a telltale provision.

Part of me wants to blank the pump off and install an electric fuel pump. If I do that then I can reroute the fuel supply to the carb where it should stay a little bit cooler. Might make more sense for a daily driver........it is pretty warm here a lot of the year.

 

Jeff

[JBNeal]

maybe oil is wicking out of the pump casting around the pivot pin...rub some dirt on it and walk it off 

[John-T-53]

From my experience a little oil leaking out the pivot pin is normal. It should be no more than a very slow flow and collect below on the pump body. Excessive oil coming through here, though, is a sign of a loose pin (that'll eventually fail). Start the engine and put your finger on the end of the pin. if you can feel it moving around, it's too loose.

[Jeff Balazs]

John;

Yes it is a very small amount. Takes 15 minutes running time to show up directly under the pump. I will check as you suggest.

Thanks, Jeff

[HanksB3B]

If that is the only oil leak on your truck be very thankful.

 

Hank 

[Jeff Balazs]

Thanks John;

I could feel it rotating back and forth a small amount as it ran but there is no side to side movement. The pin I have has C clips on either side. I am really thinking hard about just putting on an electric fuel pump on instead of this pump. It would clear out a bit of clutter in the engine compartment and I should be able to insure a slightly cooler fuel supply. I can keep this pump for a spare if ever needed. You know how warm it get's here.......what do you think?

Jeff

[Merle Coggins]

I say, stop talking about it and do it already.

It seems that you are leaning heavily towards the electric pump. If that's what you want, then do it. It's an easy conversion.

 

Merle

[John-T-53]

I just put a brand new mech pump in my Chevy (sb 283) and it leaved out the pin after the first run. In most engines, this area gets lots o' splash from the crank case, which is a good thing. So a lil' weepage here is a sign your pump arm is getting ample oil. I like the "look" of mech pumps, just my opinion. But with this type it's important to install a heat shield too!!! I need to get an electric pump tho when I finally put on my headers.

[Jeff Balazs]

Hi John;

I like the looks too. And I do have a shield installed.

But then again looks ain't everything. I went ahead and ordered a 6 volt pump. I am pretty certain that if I ditch the mechanical pump and reroute the fuel line I will be happier in the long run. I sure like the electric fan I installed. Very quiet....... and by having it out of the way it really makes things much easier to check the timing. In both instances I will keep all the stock parts so that if the next owner so chooses .... he can put them back on.

Jeff

[Fernando Mendes]