Wednesday, September 14, 2005

Lessons Learnt Present #1

so you don't have to....

Picture the situation.

Yesterday evening, I decided that instead of lying on my back on dirty concrete I would would Use the car lift at work to take the sump off yet again.

All went well........ to begin with..... as follows.

1: Drive car onto lift, no problems.
2: Raise car.
3: Have a good look underneath the engine and begin to plan.
4: Drop Car.
5: Open passenger door and retrieve bucket to drain oil
6: Drain oil.
7: Raise Vehicle, wonder why the lift starts making very strange noises about 1 third of the way up.
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8: Realise through your assistants pigeon English that all is not well.......
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"What happened next".... Please comment.

Before you guess, I will give you one more important piece of information. Someone had wired a pipe accross the top of two of the posts on the lift to hang parts for painting over.

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Landrover Oil Pump Change

Ok, so it's been a while, finally My 1963 LWB Safari is back on the road, but only just...

I intend to indulge you in a "multi-post" history of the Landrover from when I first set eyes on all of it's bits scattered around an old barn in a farm shed in Cumbria to where it is today, unfinished but on the road. I But that's for later. Today, I am pleased to say, I have been able to drive it to and from work with the oil pressure light out (well most of the time anyhow).

So how did I do it.?

I started having oil pressure problems about 2 months ago. Suspecting the pressure relief spring valve, I decided to begin with a look at the oil pump. So for the first time, sump off and oil pump off. Found that the pickup was loose, set about fixing this and checked the spring relief valve, which appeared OK.

Problem not solved. Changed the oil Filter. Still no good. Took the sump off for the 2nd time and change the spring in the pressure relief valve. Still not fixed. Did change a few other gaskets (Deisel pump and sump) at the same time, which will hopefully mean lower oil usage.
Gave up with cheap bits and decided to change the oil Pump.

On Tuesday evening I halled myself out of my sick bed to conduct procedure as below.

1: Drain Sump into very clean container (as oil will be reused). Be very careful not drop sump plug in oil.
2: When the sump is drained, re-insert sump plug to stop dripping. Drop Sump plug in oil.
3: Undo the 24 Bolts that hold the sump in place.
4: Remebering that it is heavy and if it has not been taken off for a while it will be stuck in place, carefully remove the sump. Advoid this landing on you head.
5: Carefully flatten the retainig tabs on the oil pump reatining bolts.
6: Undo these, and remove oil pump. Again, this is heavier than it looks. Avoid it landing on your head, and remember that it will have an amount of oil in this. Wipe this of your face before proceeding.
7: Attach new pick up to new oil pump. Spot that the pick up pipe is shorter on the new oil pump than the old one. Think nothing of this, it is a new part after all.
8: Install new oil pump, attempt to keep this clean and grit free during whole procedure.
9: Clean all grit from gasket, and gasket surfaces and remark to yourself that the sump is indeed heavy whilst you hold it in place with one hand whilst trying to arrange the gasket and screw a couple of bolts in with the over hand.
10: Install the 24 bolts holding the sump in. Tighten all of them 3 times in a paranoid attempt to be sure you got all of them.
11: Wipe clean Sump, engine, chassis and front propshaft of oil and muck so that you can identify future leaks.
12: Try to pour oil from bucket back into engine with a dodgy old funnel.
13: Allow funnel to fall down side of engine whilst half full of oil.
14: Swear.
15: Repeat 11.
16: Test. Be very pleased that you get oil pressure, be not so please that you only get oil pressure on the flat and uphill.
17: Reflect on the difference in length of the new oil pick up...... Nuts.

Time Taken: 1Hr 20 Mins
More Power Job Difficulty Rating: 6/10 (5/10 by the third time you've done it).
More Power Job Enjoyability Rating: 2/10 (Not the most pleasent of jobs).

Simple then, hopefully, it'll be sump off one more time, swap to the old pick up on and that'll be that.