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Triumph TR6 - Oil Oil Everywhere

One of my disappointments in my TR6 rebuild is the oil leaks I get on the engine. I know alot of you have said it isn't a Triumph without oil leaks but I was hoping for better. Leaks around the oil seals at the crankshaft back and front of the engine I would expect (and have) but I think 2 of my leaks are unique and thought I would see if anyone has experienced them and if they solved them.

Oil Leak 1- - Around the fuel pump. I suspect oil is leaking from where the handle for manual priming the pump is hinged to the fuel pump body. That suggests oil is accumulating in the base of the fuel pump and leaking out this hinge point (not draining fast enough into where the camshaft lobe is?). My clue is I find oil on the block below the oil pump and coming off the oil filter which is directly below the fuel pump but not above the fuel pump. It does not seem to be coming from where the fuel pump mates to the block.

Oil Leak 2- Believe it or not I find a pool of oil around the dipstick tube (where it inserts into the block) after a trip of higher speeds and length. It does not seem to be coming down the tube (from where the dipstick inserts) but right at the base of the tube.

I am running a 20W50 oil weight and get 50-60 psi according to my gauge when the engine is hot and running at 3000 rpm.

Thanks for any suggestions or ideas.

Michael Petryschuk

Hi Michael,
The lobe for the ful pump runs off the camshaft and oil is thrown around in there, maybe you have no gasket (or need a new one )where the pump is attached to the block.
Another thing is the oil can seep from the oil filter if it's not on tight enough ..do you have the spin on adapter ?

As for the dip stick area oil really flies in there and if you don't believe me go for a drive without the dipstick in and you'll have a nice mess on the fender and hood to clean up...don't ask me how I know haha.
Maybe the dipstick guide on the block is loose ? Wipe everything down with varsol and go for a short run and see where the trail starts. Maybe install some sealant around the dipstick guide ?

Charlie
Charlie B.

Michael, although it's not evident that the oil is running down the dipstick, you may need to change the felt washer at the top of the tube. Cheap & easy solution to try.
db
Doug Baker

Thanks for the suggestions.

I did replace the felt. Didn't stop it.

Filter is the spin on adapter and oil ends up on top of it. This is why I think leak is from above.

I was thinking of a sealant around the dip stick tube. Any suggestions on what type? I am afraid silicon won't adhere to the block? Perhaps a 2 part epoxy that will flow into the seam a little?
Michael Petryschuk

Try Hondabond, available at Honda car or bike shops...part number 08718-0001! I used it on the sealing block, seamed to plug things up quite nicely!
Rod
Rod Nichols

Mike
I also had a leak at the base of the dipstick tube. You might find you can wiggle the tube a little bit. Mine was loose. I used a Steel reinforced epoxy putty ( ALL-WELD from Forney Industries) and "puttied" the base of the tube then sprayed with black engine paint. Stuff goes hard as a rock/steel and leak is gone. I did not get it at crappy tire but I know they have a similar product.
I agree with Charlie. Replace the fuel pump gasket.
Rick Crawford

When I bought my TR-6 in San Diego and drove it back home to Memphis, I noticed it was losing a quart of oil every 200 miles or so! It ran fine, and the exhaust was clean looking at all rpm's. While it was sitting there at idle it was not leaking at all in the engine bay or while looking under the car. Where was the oil going? No fresh oil leaks anywhere that would justify the major oil loss. Just years of dirty oily neglect. I could not figure it out the whole way back, while I added a quart of oil at every gas fill up. After getting it home, I took it for a drive one morning to test drive and when I returned I noticed a trail of oil going up the driveway and a rather large puddle of oil where the car had been warming up. I quickly turned off the motor and popped the hood. The oil pressure line to the oil guage had finally broke in the engine bay and oil was everywhere. Good thing I only drove it a short distance or the motor would have been toast. That solved the mystery of where the oil was going. No oil was dripping while the car was sitting at idle, but when it was traveling down the road at high speeds and hitting bumps with a higher oil pressure, the oil was spraying out on the road. Finally the line catastrophically failed. Get rid of the plastic oil line and put a copper or braided stainless one in there.
Steve Hazelfeldt

After I rebuilt my engine last fall, the oil line on my engine also let go right at the oil line adapter at the block. Up untill then I never had a problem. The first time it blew I was in the garage, so I just cut an inch or so off the end and put it back on. The second time I was on the street, fortunetly, I took a pipe plug and lots of oil with me just in case. Replaced it with copper.

Rob
rw loftus

Rod, Rick,Steve, Rob

Thank you for the comments.I will give the epoxy products a try. I will replace the pastic with copper.

Mike
Michael Petryschuk

One thing to keep in mind with the copper line is that copper will work harden as it is flexed. You will have two types of flexure going on. One is due to the movement of the engine as it moves thanks to the engine mounts, the other is a cyclic hoop stress on the tube as it is pressurized and depressurized. The first one is the primary issue, the other is there but the odds of it being the cause of failure is virtually nil. You can somewhat mitigate the first by providing a coiled stress segment in the tube run to minize the impact of the tube flex as the engine moves.

I would recommend going with a braided flexible line. You can either have one made up to match the ends of the existing one at a local hose specialty shop or you can buy one from Revington TR already made up.
Steve Pike

This thread was discussed between 14/10/2007 and 01/11/2007

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