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MG TD TF 1500 - Oil Pump Leak

My oil pump showed evidence of leakage when I purchased my car. I removed, disassembled and cleaned the pump, checked the mating surfaces and installed a new pump-to-block gasket. I have run the engine and observed that there is still a signifcant leak at the pump. I ran it for an hour and noted a stain on my driveway. I would estimate that it lost a volume of 1/2 cc.

There is no gasket between the pump halves. It seems inevitable that there would be a leak at that location. Is it possible to have a leak-free pump?
Corey Pedersen 1951 TD #7169

Corey, I have never seen my pump leak. Have you located the source? if the mating surfaces are true it will not leak at the pump to cap. is the leak at a banjo fitting, cap to pump body, pump to block or relief valve cap? or is the oil migrating from some point above...tappet cover, etc.
Regards, Tom
tom peterson

I agree with Tom P - a properly set-up oil pump with parallel and smooth mating surfaces should not leak between the covers. The copper bolt rings are a later addition (I think) to cut down on oil leaks there. The leaks are probably coming from either the oil pump connections (replace the copper washers), or from the tappet cover (get a set of my silicone rubber gaskets).

Tom Lange
MGT Repair
t lange

Mine will leak at or around the pump if left to sit for a couple weeks. Will puke out a fair little puddle but only after it sits a bit. Can't tell exactly where it's coming from, and it's not enough to warrant a big effort to fix, especially since pulling thepump would mean pulling the motor I believe. Just an annoyance at this point.
L Rutt

Tom/Tom, thanks for your comments.

The pump is dry above the split line, and there is no wetness evident from any other source. I believe I saw a oil drop on one of the cover bolts when I first detected the leak. I have snugged the pump bolts, and wiped away the oil residue, so it's difficult now to do any more investigation. I installed the copper washer set when I reassembled the pump. I'll also check the relief valve cap for tightness.

I had to drain the engine coolant to rectify a leak at the cylinder head rear cover plate, so I'll be unable to run the engine until that task is completed. When I do so, I'll make another inspection for the leak source.
Corey Pedersen 1951 TD #7169

Hello Cory. The problem that I find when I rebuild the pumps is that an owner has read that you can take out scratches in the cover by grinding the cover on a flat surface such as a sheet of glass with either sand paper or grinding compound. What I find is that most people, when they do this, is that the end of each stroke put on extra pressure which rounds the outer surface. This causes a bowed surface the center sits flat but the outer edges are not touching the body so when the bolts are tightened the outer edge comes down to touch the body but this causes the center to lift and open a passage from the center to the bolt holes for the oil. The bolts are suppose to have lock washers on them. But, because of the cover is not flat people have subsituted copper washers to seal the leak. I have had to grind up to .010 off the cover just to get it flat then take off up to another .020 to get the groove out of the cover from the gear. Whith that much clearance you can imagine what the oil pressure was. Since the end float for the gears is .0015 to .003

Butch
R Taras

This thread was discussed on 05/11/2013

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