Oil scavenge pump cover and exhaust header seal

[Htci]

Hi Guys, I have a separate thread going with an oil cooler leak issue and while tackling that job I wanted to inquire about a couple other minor (i.e. no fluid on ground) leaks I've had for quite a while. One is the passenger side scavenge pump cover. It's looked like this for the last 25K miles. Car functions normally besides a light tapping noise at hot idle that I've dealt with for the last 15K miles and hasn't progressed; another thread created regarding this and I believe it could be an oil pressure issue but I'll be checking for scored bores next oil change-oil analysis and leak down found no problems. Just wondering if oil around the scavenge pump cover is something anyone else has experienced/observed and how they dealt with it.

In addition, I see soot on the bank 2 (driver side) exhaust header that is not found on bank 1 (pristine); bank2 header bolts sprayed with WD40 just in case I was going to tighten however I'm currently too scared to take that step in fear of shearing/stripping the bolt. See attached pictures and please advise. Thanks for everyone's help!

[Htci]

Just in case anyone wasn't sure of the area of concern. Bank 1 is literally pristine in these areas. The lower two circles are cylinders 5 & 6, barely any soot on 4.

[JFP in PA]

There appears to be a hair line crack on the cam cover in between the bottom two circles.

[Htci]

That's not a hairline crack, that's a seam in the cast. Had me scared there JFP. Also, Cam side is on the right of the photo.

[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by Htci

That's not a hairline crack, that's a seam in the cast. Had me scared there JFP. Also, Cam side is on the right of the photo.

My bad................

[Racer Boy]

The scavenge pumps have O-rings, so that is probably what is leaking. It's not too complicated to pull the pump. Make sure it is oriented the same as when you pulled it out, otherwise it won't scavenge the oil in the head correctly.

[Htci]

Hi Racerboy, thanks for the reply. Can I remove the scavenge pump without draining the oil?

[Racer Boy]

Yes you can. No need to drain the oil.

[Htci]

Just an update on this project for anyone else with similar issues. Scavenge pump was straightforward and doable with car on ramps. Did not drain oil. Marked case side of scavenge pump cover so I’d know orientation when reinstalling. Used mainly open ended wrench to remove the 4 screws holding the scavenge pump. Used small pry bar to gently remove scavenge pump. Area is very tight and required lots of finger control. Cleaned and inspected assembly while it was out. Reinstalling was slightly difficult due to alignment with cam sprocket. I did not use cam/crank locking tool; I don’t see why this would be required for this task with this engine design. Anyone with large hands will struggle with this project since space is so tight.

With regards to header gasket replacement, I sprayed wd40 one day, CRC freeze off another day (that stuff stinks), tried removing bolts but they were tight and I was afraid of stripping/shearing, so another day started car and brought to operating temp then attempted to remove but they were still very tight. Given that engine was hot I gave the bolts a little more muscle (about 40lbs) and they all came out without damage. Replaced gasket and reused bolts coated in thin film of anti seize.