Distributor Oil Pump Drive Plug

[pocket-rocket]

key word is fix. lol

Fix, not rig

[SofaKingWeToddDid]

lol if this plus guy is giving me points, thats the second one ive gotten, making me #2. and we all know #2 is the shit. THE Shit. lol

[Ghettoracer]

I guess the only real question is: What will permanently seal it from leaking ever again? I mean you have 2 things working against that seal, heat and oil. Overtime the heat will make the o-ring to shrink and shrivel and the oil will break it down. I'm just trying to find out if there is a "permanent" fix so it doesn't leak ever. I know installing a new ring would do it but should I glob on a shit load of RTV sealant around it or just make it a permanent fix and welding to the the engine. I know all of you had your share of leaks in your time that tends to get annoying over time and your garage floor is starting to look like the Exxon Valdez oil spill. And rigging is using duct tape to fix things.

[60dgrzbelow0]

The only other thing that I can think of that might cause the area around the OPD/Engine Block to leak so readily after replacing the old "O" Ring with a new one ...is if during the block machining or re-conditioning, someone used either a boring tool in that vertical hole leading down into the block or some type of honing tool to clean out the old crud just a bit too enthusiastically and removed enough metal to make even a new "O" Ring on the OPD Unit fit in there with too much slop. But having considered your original suggestion about wanting to "weld" the operation closed, your original thought about this have given me a new idea that might really solve the problem:

JB-Weld

It occurred to me that if you examined the area of the block opening where the the OPD mates on contact with the "O" Ring... if you were to find any real irregularities, cracks or damage within its inner race...that once cleaned and re-cleaned immaculately with a strong, de-greasing solvent...perhaps you could "re-line" that inner race with a smoothed over coating of JB_Weld that would solve both problems of filling in any irregularities... and also serve to slightly enlarge the inner diameter, making the contact with the "O" Ring that much more snug and less likely to leak.

Also... the heat signature in that part of the engine block would not be high enough to defeat the contact between the JB_Weld and the cast iron as long as the surfaces are properly cleaned and prepped before the application of the stuff. After all, there have been some cases where people have used JB-Weld to fill in the cracks on interior cylinder walls and then after re-machining have never had any problems with it! If this idea were to work as suggested... you might wind up get the "welding" solution you wanted in the first place after all!

[1988GTU]

The only other thing that I can think of that might cause the area around the OPD/Engine Block to leak so readily after replacing the old "O" Ring with a new one ...is if during the block machining or re-conditioning, someone used either a boring tool in that vertical hole leading down into the block or some type of honing tool to clean out the old crud just a bit too enthusiastically and removed enough metal to make even a new "O" Ring on the OPD Unit fit in there width too much slop. But having considered your original suggestion about wanting to "weld" the operation closed, your original thought about this have given me a new idea that might really solve the problem:

JB-Weld

It occurred to me that if you examined the area of the block opening where the the OPD mates on contact with the "O" Ring... if you were to find any real irregularities, cracks or damage within its inner race...that once cleaned and re-cleaned immaculately with a strong, de-greasing solvent...perhaps you could "re-line" that inner race with a smoothed over coating of JB_Weld that would solve both problems of filling in any irregularities... and also serve to slightly enlarge the inner diameter, making the contact with the "O" Ring that much more snug and less likely to leak.

Also... the heat signature in that part of the engine block would not be high enough to defeat the contact between the JB_Weld and the cast iron as long as the surfaces are properly cleaned and prepped before the application of the stuff. After all, there have been some cases where people have used JB-Weld to fill in the cracks on interior cylinder walls and then after re-machining have never had any problems with it! If this idea were to work as suggested... you might wind up get the "welding" solution you wanted in the first place after all!

Bad idea. Cast not stable to hold the jbweld. The jbweld could break apart still or just fall down and onto the cam/gear and then cause it to bind. Results would be fatal for the engine and very damaging for the owners pocket book. There is enough 'give' with the hex drive/gear unit and pump that a 1/16" gasket will not cause any ill effects for the longevity of the engine.

'The Right Stuff' and cork gasket with very thoroughly cleaning prior to installation will likely be very adequate for keeping oil where it belongs.

[SofaKingWeToddDid]

'The Right Stuff' and cork gasket with very thoroughly cleaning prior to installation will likely be very adequate for keeping oil where it belongs.

and if a guy can get this done without taking the head off, and in under 2 hours for sure.... lol who cares about going any farther? if i had to do it again, i could probably get it done in under an hour. the first time i was pissin around with alot of pointless things, oh and i dont have ABS. i think that would make my way a little harder.... the controller is where i need to let the crossover pipe sit while disconnected.

[Schurkey]

Welding a dynamic component to the block may not be such a good idea for too many reasons to mention.

I had a good laugh at the idea of welding the hole shut.

After the late 1980's and early 1990's problems that occurred with the original "Black O-Ring" hardening, cracking and leaking, GM opted to use the "Brown" O-Ring made of PTFE (Poly-Tetra-Flouro-Ethylene) AKA "TEFLON". The engineers tested this material also for use with the pressure inner coil style seals for the main bearing journal seals. In both cases, the only problem they observed was "...the PTFE does tend to 'wander' a bit and leak on the main bearing seals after 175,000 miles, due to the effects of gravity as opposed to either chemical or thermal attacks on the seal itself."

PTFE/Teflon? Really? The O-ring doesn't "feel" like teflon. Any Teflon product I have handled has been fairly firm--more like nylon than rubber.

I thought the updated seal was Viton. Maybe I'm wrong.

I guess the only real question is: What will permanently seal it from leaking ever again? I mean you have 2 things working against that seal, heat and oil. Overtime the heat will make the o-ring to shrink and shrivel and the oil will break it down. I'm just trying to find out if there is a "permanent" fix so it doesn't leak ever.

NOTHING lasts forever. EVERYTHING fails sooner or later. The gasket-and-sealer patch method works pretty good when done correctly. I would never install the new-style O-ring without also adding the paper gasket and sealer--but that's me.

I know installing a new ring would do it but should I glob on a shit load of RTV sealant around it

RTV is NOT the proper chemical to use here; and sealer (of any kind) that is blorted on TOP of the parts that leak is a waste of time, money, effort, and enthusiasm.

You want to add a chemical sealer--fine. I did, too. The chemical sealer needs to be between the mating metal parts, not globbed on top of them. I suggest Permatex Form-A-Gasket #2 (non-hardening) or cheap Teflon pipe thread sealer--either of which is inexpensive and applies nicely to the paper gasket that should be in there as well.

or just make it a permanent fix and welding to the the engine.

Welding...DAMN, that's funny.

[SofaKingWeToddDid]

i dont see any of my quotes here...

if a guy can fix this in under an hour, WHO CARES ABOUT A PERMANENT FIX?!?!?! are you too much of a pussy to spend an hour or two under the hood of your car to prevent it from turning into an LQ1 cook off? the cap is easy enough to get to, and if paper and gasket maker are good enough to fix it for lets say even 100,000km... why take off the back head? i would fix it 15 more times my way before you can get it done that way.

shit why take off the intake manifolds??? more time wasting. seriously, i took off the air cleaner assy. (all of it from the TB to the snout) and from there, you are SIX (6) nuts away from the retainer clip. take off the cross over pipe. wam bam thank you ma'am the job can be fixed SO fast.

[60dgrzbelow0]

PTFE/Teflon? Really? The O-ring doesn't "feel" like teflon. Any Teflon product I have handled has been fairly firm--more like nylon than rubber. I thought the updated seal was Viton. Maybe I'm wrong.

Yeah... You are wrong. But since we've now headed down the path of trying to separate fly shit from pepper... Viton is just a brand name for one of a family four polymers used to make "O" Ring products based upon the polymerization of the gas Tetraflouroethylene... and Dupont says you can have any color of their trademarked automotive VITON products you want...as long as its BLACK. My only point in making the comparison against the original Black O-Ring is that the Brown PTFE O Ring is NOT made of a bio-degradable, natural vulcanized rubber product and therefore is NOT subject to breaking down in the same fatal manner and causing oil leaks as a result.

'Nuff Said...

[Smittro]

Okay guys just a thought here. Getting back to the freeze plug thing. How about a rubber freeze plug? They used to make them with a bolt in the center to expand the plug and make it fit real tight. I'm wondering if that would work? hmmm

Here ya go something like these:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2-RUBBER-EXPANSION-PLUG-LOT-FREEZE-4-219-4010_W0QQitemZ370237116855QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMotors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories?hash=item5633da11b7&_trksid=p4506.m20.l1116

[SofaKingWeToddDid]

Okay guys just a thought here. Getting back to the freeze plug thing. How about a rubber freeze plug? They used to make them with a bolt in the center to expand the plug and make it fit real tight. I'm wondering if that would work? hmmm

Here ya go something like these:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2-RUB...4506.m20.l1116

we discussed this already. the original plug has to be used because if not it will interfere with the meshing of the gears... therefore the thought train should be focused on sealing the Metal #1 plug to the metal #2 block.
so far ive yet to hear of anything better than a cork or paper gasket with gasket maker on it.

[HayesPerformance]

I used that new Right Stuff sealant on the o-ring and some near the top and no leaks...

[HayesPerformance]

And its been that way for a number of years...........

[SofaKingWeToddDid]

lol whats the point in this thread anymore?? should be locked i think, the general consensus is that we should be using right stuff gasket maker, an o ring that isnt going to go brittle and dry real quick and a cork or paper gasket...

now, if a guy can get one in there without taking off the back head, without taking off any of the intakes... tell me a faster way to fix it and ill take back what i said about this thread should be locked.

seems to me the easiest way is the best way, why over complicate? take off your exhaust cross over and work from there, not the intakes... thats way too much work for an oil leak like that....

maybe ive been smoking some GOOD crack?? i dunno.

[Ghettoracer]

Yeah whats the faastest way of doing it without pulling the heads?