Re: Oil Leak Solved - SIL Water Pump

[GenericWood@domain.elided]

Leslie, sorry for the delayed response.  I've been travelling.  Picture the 
tachometer cable going into the water pump housing.  If the cable were to go 
straight through and out the other side of the pump, that is where the steel 
pin is.  I believe the purpose of the pin is to provide a harder "seat" for 
the tachometer drive gear than the aluminum housing would provide.  
Apparently, on some aftermarket pumps, the pin was pressed in poorly 
resulting in a poor fit in the aluminum.  On mine, I drove the pin out, put 
some RTV under it and popped it back in.  So far, so good.  No leaks.  It was 
amazing to me how much oil leaked before the fix, as the problem couldn't 
really be identified just from looking at the outside of the pump.  On my 
car, the leaking oil could be seen running down the "ramp" created by the 
fuel injection belt housing on the front cover.  Keep in mind, I had just 
rebuilt the engine, so everything was very clean.  You may not be so lucky.  

As a final note for others who think they may have a bad pump.  Mine came in 
a box labeled "SIL" Industrie Saleri Italo.

Erik Wood

> I didn't understand where the oil was leaking from on your water pump or
> where the pin damages the aluminum on the way in.
> 
> I just replaced the water pump in my 1979 Sprint Veloce (while the engine
> was in the car) and I have noticed some oil running down the middle of the
> oil pan (not a stream but more than a few drops).
> 
> I didn't pay too close attention to the construction of the tach drive 
> cover
> part of the water pump since my car has an electronic tach. I put the block
> off plate over the tach drive with Hylomar gasket sealant on the gasket. I
> also used Hylomar on the water pump gasket. Is the steel pin you're talking
> about under the block off plate?
> 
> If the block off plate is secure and sealed over the tach drive should I be
> able to rule out the steel pin as a cause of a leak?
> 
> Thanks for any answers.
> 
> Leslie Wong
> 1979 Alfetta Sprint Veloce
> Pacific Grove, CA
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