Hi Guys,
This is a rather general problem so I don't know if anyone can help me. I have an oil leak on the lower right hand(passenger) side of my stock motor. It looks like the fuel pump is covered with oil. There is no oil on the exhaust manifold. The big problem is that oil is also being shot onto the belts and the alternator is not charging properly, etc. It is hard to diagnose as the oil only seems to leak when the pressure is up, on highway, or under load.....it is also in a bad spot to look at. It is making a mess, and I have to get it fixed. If anyone has any Ideas, please help, I would be forever greatful.

Clean off the fuel pump and run it a while. The pump is often a source of both oil and fuel leaks. More common then you would think. Depending on the failure, it can leak either out of the small vent hole on the side of the pump. At high RPM it can shoot oil quite a ways when they get real bad.

|UPDATED|4/12/2004 10:00:52 AM (AZT)|/UPDATED|

Thanks alot, that is the answer I was hoping for. I am guessing that the vent hole is on the right side of the pump toward my pulleys and would explain why it is being shot onto my belts and pulleys. Just a hopefull guess?

Another source of this type of leak is the front crank seal. If this goes, the oil runs down the spinning nose of the crank, behind the harmonic balancer. It then gets slung off onto the belts, fuel pump, P/S pump etc. Saw exactly the same thing on my 80, and your symptoms sound very familiar!

Theo, your answer gives me a pain in my chest.....just kidding, well not really. It looks like the oil is all on the right side of the motor. I am really hoping that it isn't something on the front. I was hoping this would be a fairly easy fix. I will be sure to post the answer on here, thank you both for your great input.

Hey guys,
I did the fuel pump last night. What a pain in the #ss. It is in a bad spot, it was covered in oil. And I thought that when I put in the new one I would be able to just lift the fuel pump pushrod up and put the pump lever in.....no such luck. The coating of oil and the weight, and the fact that it fits the bore so closely makes it impossible to lift back up. I had to take off the adapter plate then slip a metal band between the block off plate and the pushrod and care fully bolt it back on without letting the band fall out. Not to mention that the idler arm, and the metal fuel lines are placed right where you need to put your ratchet. Leave it to me to make an easy job impossible. Now hopefully the engine isn't leaking oil...it looks like the pressure is up, and I didn't smell anything this moring on my ride to work so I am hopeful.

Hey, good luck mate. I hope the cure has been found!

Too little too late, I'm sorry.

But, If you use a heavy grease on the pump push rod, it will stay in place while you put the pump on, without sliding down. Wheel bearing grease works fine. The small quanity melts when the engine warms up, and has no affect on the oil.
If it's still too tight trying to push the pump into place, turn the engine 1/2 turn and get the pump rod off of the highspot on the pump cam. Very easy compared to your version. Should have told you sooner.

there is a bolt on the front of the block in line with the pump pushrod that can be removed and replaced with a longer one that can hold the pushrod up while installing the new pump. afterwards replace the bolt with the original and put a little thread sealer on it.

Good call, it's been a long time since I used the bolt.
If you use the bolt, be carefull not to overtighten it and damage the pushrod. Sometimes the bolt if very difficult to reach, depending on the acessories on the front of the engine. That's why I use the grease. But either is very good, and easier than without.