Oil Sump, Removal and Refitting
Last updated: 29-04-03

Figure 1	Figure 2	Figure 3	Figure 4	Figure 5	Figure 6

When I got my new engine fitted I soon realised that I had an oil leak. I discovered that there was a crack in the sump on one corner where it bolted to the bottom end.
I was a bit gutted, but luckily the guys on MIG came to the rescue, and I purchased a second hand sump and baffle plate from my mate Animal.

Sorted, now to tackle the sump replacement.

Items needed: New sump, 2 gaskets (I recommend the Vauxhall ones, although they are expensive at about £16 each, they are made of a good material and dont leak), Sealant, Oil, Oil filter, Sump plug washer.

Removing the Sump:
Note: The sump and its gaskets will be 'baked' on so its probably best to warm up the engine to melt some of the sealant holding it on. This will also assist with draining the oil.

1) To remove the sump the exhaust manifold must be removed. Switch off the engine and disconnect the battery Put on a pair of thick gloves to remove the exhuast manifold bolts/nuts.

2) Next, jack up the car and support on axle stands; drain the oil: Undo the filler cap, locate the sump plug, undo it and let the oil drain. While its draining make sure there is lots of newspaper down - this is a seriously messy job.

2) Locate the flexi joint which joins the exhaust manifold to the rest of the system (to the rear of the sump), and undo and removed the 2 bolts and springs.
The manifold can now be lowered to the ground to give room to remove the sump.

3) Unplug the oil level sender. Trace the sender back from the front of the sump until you find the plug (See Figure 1). Next the flywheel coverplate needs to be removed. This can be located to the drivers side end of the sump, and removed from the gearbox by undoing all the bolts. (See Figure 2).

4) The sump can now be removed. This needs to be done carefully because the sump will probably not come off even when all the bolts are removed because it will be baked on. Prepare to catch the sump and give it a few gentle taps with a hammer until it drops off. (See Figure 3).

5) To remove the baffle plate the oil pickup pipe must be removed - do this by undoing the 2 screws.

6) With the baffle plate removed, clean the mating surfaces and make sure all residual sealant and gasket is removed. (Figure 4 shows the block with the sump removed - clean the surface of the block. Its important to keep everything hospital sterile to avoid a bad seal with the sump gaskets and possible oil contamination.)


Refitting the Sump:

1) I applied sealant to all mating surfaces with a brush. The sealant only needs to be spread thin. First sealant was applied to the block and the first gasket offered up. The baffle plate also has sealant applied, and then fitted (see Figure 5), thus fitting the oil pick up pipe at the same time.

2) With a friend holding this in place, sealant was applied to the new sump and the second gasket and bottom of the baffle plate (see Figure 6) , and then they were fitted into position.

3) Being careful to line up the bolt holes through the gaskets, refit the sump bolts. It is a good idea to apply a little sealant/locking compound to the threads. These were torqued up to 15NM.

4) Now that the sump is fitted, the flywheel cover plate and exhuast manifold can be refitted, and the oil level sender plug refitted.

After fitting the new oil filter and filling the car with new engine oil the sump fitting was proclaimed a success and didnt leak at all. The sealant takes quite a few weeks to bake dry, but works when wet anyway so its not a problem.

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