Posted: Sun Jul 01, 2012 5:05pm

Hi Tony, could you offer some advice please, last year whilst out on holiday the lift pump on my 1991 1.5 BMC engine developed a fuel leak, RCR were called out and they removed the pump to try and cure the leak, sorry to say they didn't totally stop the leak but in removing the pump caused another problem in as much that after refitting the pump an oil leak developed from where the pump sits on the engine block. When i returned to my moorings i removed the pump myself to sort out the fuel leak and noticed that the thin paper type gasket had been damaged when they removed the pump, in an attempt to cure the oil leak i purchased a couple of different gauge thickness of gasket paper, i first of all made a new gasket using the thinnest gauge first but this did not totally stop the oil leak, i then used the thicker gauge paper along with some instant gasket paste but again a slight oil leak is still visable, i made sure that both surfaces were clean and evidance of the old gasket were removed, i have managed to cure the fuel leak but the oil leak, although not serious is annoying, any ideas of what can be done, thank's, Alan.

Posted: Sun Jul 01, 2012 7:45pm

I am sorry, but the 1.5 oil pump is inside the sump so it can not be removed without lifting the engine. Are you talking about the fuel lift pump? If so I suspect that the flange has been bowed. Take it off and put a straight edge across it. If it is bowed you can either fit a new pump or dismantle the exiting one so you can rub the flange on a piece of emery paper held on a sheet of glass (unless you have access to a surface plate). If it is not the lift pump please tell me what the thing looks like and where abouts on the engine it is. Tony Brooks

Posted: Sun Jul 01, 2012 8:18pm

Hi Tony, thank's for a reply but i did say at the beginning of my query that the lift pump on my 1991 1.5 BMC engine developed a FUEL leak, i assumed from that you would have realised i was talking about the fuel lift pump, how ever i will take a note of your advise, Alan

Posted: Mon Jul 02, 2012 8:38am

Sorry, I missed that. These pumps also usually have a small breather hole in the bottom casting. If the diaphragm has a hole then diesel can leak from the hole. If the seal on the internal diaphragm shaft is failing it will leak engine oil, so clean the area up, feel for the breather (or use a torch and mirror) to make sure it is not leaking from there. Either requires a new pump. Tony Brooks

Posted: Mon Jul 02, 2012 10:24pm

Hi again Tony and thanks for replying to my reply, the FUEL leak is now cured, after RCR didn't cure the leak it transpired the fuel was comming from behind the bolt heads that hold the upper and lower parts of the lift pump together, (about 8 or 9 of them) i actually contacted you last year regarding spares for the pump, to fit a new seal but due to it's make and origin of manufacture ( India ) you thought it sounded like a new pump was required, being in a nothing to loose situation i stripped the pump down and applied a thin strip of sealing paste to the old flange gasket, making sure it was impervious to fuel and oil and reassembled and touch wood and fingers crossed it has cured the fuel leak (this was done about a year ago) but the oil leak is definately comming from where the pump fits on to the engine block, using the thicker gauge of paper gasket with the same sealing sealant has certanly reduced the leak to the point it's more annoying than a problem but i would still like it to be dry as it was before, thanks again, Alan

Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2012 7:18am

Be careful with the thickness. At one time it was fairly common right across the range of engines using this type of fuel pump mounting for the mounting flange to "dish". This was often made worse by the fitting of non-standard thicker gaskets. The original gaskets are more like thin card than paper, no thicker than perhaps something like 120 gsm. Tony Brooks

Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2012 12:03pm

That should say 160 gsm.