Fuel pump gasket frustration
03-06-2011, 03:39 PM
#1
Racer
Thread Starter
Fuel pump gasket frustration
The fuel pump on my 79 was leaking, so I bought a new one. When I took the old one off, I discovered that the gasket had been glued into place with gasket sealant. I have scraped with a putty knife and used every curse word I know, but nothing seems to get the old gasket off. So I have two questions.
First, is there anything I can use to get the old gasket and sealant off other than more elbow grease and desperation? Second, is it necesary to use gasket sealant for that? It doesn't seem like a high oil pressure application and I generally don't like using sealants unless it's advised. The instructions for the new pump didn't call for sealant. Did they come from the factory with sealant? I thought about removing the mounting plate to the block so I could get better access to the gasket, but the gasket on the mounting plate has sealant on it too. As always, I'm grateful for any information, advice, and wisdom the forum members have to offer. Thanks.
MajD
First, is there anything I can use to get the old gasket and sealant off other than more elbow grease and desperation? Second, is it necesary to use gasket sealant for that? It doesn't seem like a high oil pressure application and I generally don't like using sealants unless it's advised. The instructions for the new pump didn't call for sealant. Did they come from the factory with sealant? I thought about removing the mounting plate to the block so I could get better access to the gasket, but the gasket on the mounting plate has sealant on it too. As always, I'm grateful for any information, advice, and wisdom the forum members have to offer. Thanks.
MajD
03-06-2011, 04:10 PM
#2
The plate on the engine block that mates with the fuel pump is just a piece of flat steel. Once you remove that, you can sand it and clean it before you replace it.
There are two ways to hold back the fuel pump pushrod when you replace the pump. You can put some heavy grease on the pushrod to hold it in place before you put it back in the block. Or you can temporarily insert a piece of threaded rod or a long threaded bolt into the front of the block, just in front of the pushrod. You can finger tighten it as a setscrew to hold back the pushrod. When you replace the origional short bolt, after the fuel pump is bolted in, put a little bit of pipe thread sealant on the threads, so that it will not leak oil.
There are two ways to hold back the fuel pump pushrod when you replace the pump. You can put some heavy grease on the pushrod to hold it in place before you put it back in the block. Or you can temporarily insert a piece of threaded rod or a long threaded bolt into the front of the block, just in front of the pushrod. You can finger tighten it as a setscrew to hold back the pushrod. When you replace the origional short bolt, after the fuel pump is bolted in, put a little bit of pipe thread sealant on the threads, so that it will not leak oil.
03-06-2011, 04:19 PM
#3
Racer
Thread Starter
Thanks
The plate on the engine block that mates with the fuel pump is just a piece of flat steel. Once you remove that, you can sand it and clean it before you replace it.
There are two ways to hold back the fuel pump pushrod when you replace the pump. You can put some heavy grease on the pushrod to hold it in place before you put it back in the block. Or you can temporarily insert a piece of threaded rod or a long threaded bolt into the front of the block, just in front of the pushrod. You can finger tighten it as a setscrew to hold back the pushrod. When you replace the origional short bolt, after the fuel pump is bolted in, put a little bit of pipe thread sealant on the threads, so that it will not leak oil.
There are two ways to hold back the fuel pump pushrod when you replace the pump. You can put some heavy grease on the pushrod to hold it in place before you put it back in the block. Or you can temporarily insert a piece of threaded rod or a long threaded bolt into the front of the block, just in front of the pushrod. You can finger tighten it as a setscrew to hold back the pushrod. When you replace the origional short bolt, after the fuel pump is bolted in, put a little bit of pipe thread sealant on the threads, so that it will not leak oil.
03-06-2011, 07:09 PM
#5
Le Mans Master
Member Since: Jun 2007
Location: Where it's always hot as Hell-South Louisiana.
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St. Jude Donor '07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13
a small, very sharp knife , or a one sided razor blade usually works for me-but never did one in that area. Why the heck anyone used sealant there is beyond me. Oil pressure there is minimal.......
03-07-2011, 05:52 PM
#9
Drifting
The gasket is probaly not leaking, it's probably the fuel pump it self, or the threaded hole where the "install' bolt goes is missing. When driving, air from the fan will really cause this hole to loose oil quickly, it won't be obvious when the car is just idling. You may want to take a closer look at the source of the leak.
03-07-2011, 08:53 PM
#10
Safety Car
Because of the limited space in that area, I think the razor blade and scraper is going to be the best method. I dont think there is enough room to get other tools in that area, and still be able to move around to where you need to scrape.
Jack the car up, use good jackstands for support, and continue scraping.
kdf
Jack the car up, use good jackstands for support, and continue scraping.
kdf
