bebbetufs

I suspect that the front of the girdle is not entirely flush with the front of the block causing the oil pump to leak.

Is it possible to realign the crank girdle without pulling the engine?
Could the crank be strapped in place in the front and kept in place by the clutch pilot bearing in the rear while the girdle is dropped and cleaned?

M758

No the crank will drop on your head. Plus the girddle is glued to the block using the same glue as the oil pump. Engine must come out of the car to do the girddle.

Btw are you sure it was not the front crank seal? I had front crank seal leaking and it made a big mess. For a while it looked like a pan gasket. It is pretty rare to have the pump leak unless it was installed wrong. Seals however leak pretty often.

kev951

your not gonna get anything to budge, you can try to loosen up the girdle and oil pump. then torque the oil pump, then the girdle and it MIGHT push flush. but , did you check for a overhang when you did your last rebuild? Unfortunately there is only one locator on the block for the girdle, so your adjustment is minimal,

bebbetufs

So it is impossible to strap the crank in to keep it in the car while removing the girdle! What a pity.

It is not the front main seal. I just had the pulleys off to check.
I know that the girdle is glued with Loctite 574. It would have to come off completely to apply new glue.

944hal

How much overlap do you have? Did you use the same girdle? Being forewarned, I checked my motor when I took it apart and could hardly feel the overlap. When it went back together, that was not the case. I used very fine sandpaper and a wooden block to even out the overlap. Maybe you can do something like that. Apparently, they never go back together like they come apart.

Tom M'Guinn

If that lip is the cause (and that seems unlikely), then you can't and don't need to loosen the girdle in the car. Get a fine whetstone (knife sharpening stone) and mask off the area, and just sand it flat. The aluminum sands away surprisingly easy -- you can make that lip smooth as glass in a few minutes.

bebbetufs

Thanks for your tips.
I am not sure that lip is the cause, but I'm considering all options at this point. I'll let you know what I find.

M758

I have had two engines where the front crank seal leaked due to grove being worn into the oil pump drive gear. So now when I replace the seal I also put in a new pump gear. No leaks.

bebbetufs

+1 on . That is sound advice. Thankfully all my sleeves and seals are new.

bebbetufs

So I'm getting ready to tackle this job and would like your opinions on using the oil stone method mentioned in the WM. The engine is now out of the car. I'm worried I'm not going to be able to grind the girdle at straight angles to the block. Are there any other options than using a hand held oil stone which do not require splitting the block completely? Could you perhaps attach a cutting tool to the crank shaft and use that as a type of lathe?

(I do not want to split the block because all seals and bearings are new. Besides, there is always the risk I'll damage something during disassemble or assembly).