Cure That Leaky Sump
We've all been there. You pull into the garage, or the driveway, or wherever, and your VW leaves it's little spot. It's little plot of territory has been claimed. Although a big deal to our cars, that they have this ability, we as people arent too fond of it. Especially when you pull into the In-law's driveway and leave thier blemish free driveway looking like a Dalmation. You learn to park in the street when you visit people, keep your oil topped off, and when it's all said and done, this is something you've come to accept from your little car. Well, it doesn't have to be this way. Rear main seals can be replaced, pushrod tube seals changed, and that sump, that pesky sump that always seems to have a drip, that too can be fixed
Why do most deep-sumps leak? Let's face it. When it comes time to install that deep sump on an engine that is in your car, you dont really have the resources to get that 6th stud out that holds the oil pickup tube. I admit it, i've never pulled one. I just put in five of the six bolts that hold the sump on and call it good. Of course, it leaks. How do we get around this little delema? I'll show you, but first, lets pull the sump off my engine, and have a look at what we have to work with.
Oh, yea, here it is, my dinky little 1.5 quart deep sump. I really should save up for the 3.5 quart sump, but when I built my engine, I already had this one sitting in my garage. First thing to do is clean the sump. I dont have a handy solvent tank at my house, so I use an empty kittly litter pail, and a LOT of spray brake cleaner. It dries on it's own, and eats away all that oily stuff. After the sump is cleaned, I use 400 grit sand paper to get the mating surfaces cleaned off as best as possible. Gotta get all that old sealant off there if you want it to seal. Once that is done, take it back to your solvent tank (or kitty litter pail) and clean it one more time. Put some brake cleaner on a rag, and clean off the engine's sump so you get a good seal. If you have old sealant on there too, sand/scape it off. Now, both surfaces are clean and ready to mate.
Alright, now we're moving along! To get it to seal right, without having to be 'perfect', I highly recommend this stuff. It's called "The Right Stuff", made by Permatex. Item #25224. It basically dries into a elastomeric rubber gasket that can operate in envorments of 450 degrees continuously, with intermittent peaks of up to 500 degrees. Hey, good enough for me. If I have this gasket fail because I've been at 500 degrees continuously, I think I have other things to worry about. I acutally use this stuff at my work to do tranny pans and it works great. I use no gasket except this, you clean the mating surfaces, and apply a 1/8 to 1/4 inch bead of this stuff on there. Once you have the pan in place, you can add fluid. You do not have to wait for this stuff to dry!
And here you have it. I've applied a bead of it to the outside edge of the sump, so I get a total seal. Even around that 'missing' bolt that I dont put in. It stays flexible enough that you dont have to worry about it. How good is this stuff? It is specified by GM, Ford, and Chrysler for sealing all thier pans and valve cover's. Applying it is like putting on Cheese Whiz. Tilt the nozzle, and it comes out. Just pretend the sump is a Triscut, and you'll do fine. Once the deep-sump is bolted into place, repeat the process with the stock sump plate if you are running an external oil filter, and have removed the screen. If you plan on removing the sump plate often, dont do this, you might acually start to hate this stuff when you go to remove it.
And there we have it. No more leaky sump, and I was able to add oil immediatly so I could drive to the store too! Now, if I still get a drip, I'll have to attack the oil pump. I have a 'sweaty' leak from where the oil lines hook up. I'll get to that later. A sweaty leak, I can handle. A drip, well, That's another story.