Oil Pump Internal Gasket
Oil Pump Internal GasketAs part of the refreshing of my CA77 motor I took apart the oil pump for a Look-See. The thin paper gasket between the two halves is solidly stuck on the pump half (vs the cover half). It doesn't look like there was any gasket sealer used, it's just the years holding it on, and it's still in fine condition. I'm afraid that if I try to remove it (to replace it with a new one) I may end up damaging the surface of the pump. Would it be a sin if I put a thin layer of HondaBond on it and screwed the other half back on? No one would ever know!!
Or, does someone have a good suggestion for a non-destructive way of getting it off? I have the usual implements of destruction... gasket scraper, screwdrivers, chisels, razor blades, solvents. tnx George George-I wouldn't use any Gasket sealer on that. Too much risk of a chunk fouling something. Get the old gasket off with a razor blade (slowly and carefully so you don't gouge the surface). You can try some paint remover to soften it up then red Scotchbrite too. New gaskets are available cheap. Make sure the screws are as tight as you can get them with a screwdriver, and after all, if a little oil leaks inside the engine, well...
When I had mine ('63) apart a few weeks ago I just put it back together with the old gasket. (Mine was stuck as well.) Everything looked fine, had the steel gears rather than the old brass ones. Now that it's been brought up I remember reading that they are quite sensitive to small changes in tolerance but what exactly is the issue with that?
Yup that is my main worry, gouging the surface and I'm not too comfortable using Scotchbrite in this case. I had thought about soaking it in my cleaning solution to soften it up, but the solution also makes for a good paint remover (as I found out on my side cases.... paint job now added to the list) so I'm not sure what effect extended exposure to aluminum will be. It's a pump, the meshing of the gears squeeze (force) the oil through. Any way for the oil to get around or between the gears will reduce the pumps output. There is a gasket there, but it is very thin, so anything more would reduce the tolerances between the gears and the body. Gouging or sanding off some of the body surface when removing the gasket would not be good. As for tightening the screws.... They were so tight that I was thinking I would have to use the impact driver to get them out. Beating on that aluminum with the driver did not sound like such a good idea. What I did was to block up the pump on my drill press, put a phillips head bit in the chuck, press it down hard (as if drilling) and turn the chuck by hand. All 5 screws popped loose easily without any damage to the heads. I'll use the same method to put them back on. I'll take another look at that gasket today and decide what to do. I agree that replacement is the best, but in this case (it being on the body not the flat cover half) it might be the safest way to go. tnx George
Re: Oil Pump Internal GasketIf ya aren't going to damage the gasket and it isn't damaged at this time I think (I would) ya can assemble the pump and it will be OK. .......lm
Re: Oil Pump Internal GasketIf it wasn't obvious in my posting, this was the answer I was looking (hoping) for. I always replace gaskets and I do have a new one of these, but in this case... "If it Ain't Broke, I'd probably Break It". tnx George
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