Since the oil change last year I have been meaning to fit the replacement sump I had because of the very leaky gasket and bodged sump plug repair. It was a job that I wasn't looking forward to because of the fiddly location of a couple of bolts and the oil cooler pipes for the gearbox were blocking the two rear bolts
Anyway, I tackled the job last week and the first thing I had to do was undo the oil cooler pipes so I could drop them to undo the rear sump bolts. Due the small space in the transmission tunnel and the exhaust being in the way I cut down an old spanner to under the unions, this took forever. After undoing the cooler pipes at the radiator end as well I was able to drop them sufficiently to gain access to the bolts. Once all the sump bolts had been removed I was hoping the sump would be pulled out without removing the downpipe section that crosses under the sump as I asked the exhaust fabricator to give me some clearance to do this. He did but it wasn't enough so I removed the drivers side downpipe and loosened the passenger side one and hey presto the sump came off
Sump removed as well as downpipe.
You can see the shape of the oil pipes in order to wrap round the sump.
There were a few lumps of sludgy oil but the sump was surprisingly sludge free and cleaner than I suspected.
In hindsight I should have removed the oil pickup and cleaned up but I didnt have a replacement gasket but from what I could see the strainer was clear. However I did pick this lump off it and upon pulling it apart it seemed to hair :shock: I can only guess it got in there when the sump was last off :?
Replacement sump with gasket ready to fit.
New sump on and nice looking nice and clean
New sump on and nice looking nice and clean
Refitting was certainly easier because the exhaust was hanging slightly and allowed me to get my arms in to re-attach the cooler pipes. Why I didn't drop it before god only knows.
I also took the oppurtunity to replace the oil, which was Halfords Classic for a high ZDDP rated oil from Millers. Since doing this last week I have checked the drip tray under the car, which had paper towel in it, and Im pleaesed to say no leaks so it would appear that all the oil leaking was just from the sump
Another thing that has been bugging me over recent weeks has been the ride height at the back of my car. Having been to a number of shows recently I have been able to compare my car to others and it does appear mine sits at least an inch too high. This observation coupled with other peoples comments had me wondering about the new springs I fitted. I purchased 'heavy duty' springs which probably explains the rather hard ride but I also assumed that because they were that stiff the car wasnt sitting properly. I remembered I had taken a phot of a new and old spring when I changed them.
When I compared the springs my initial thought, other than the old spring leaning to one side, was how much shorter it was. I stupidly thought that was down to sagging but looking at it again today I have noticed the old spring has six coils and the new one has seven :shock: The extra coil will explain the higher ride height. How can this be the case, I assumed the 'heavy duty' springs would be the same height just 'beefier' perhaps. Suffice to say now I have this information I will be looking at changing them to drop the car down a bit.
Anyone have any thoughts on this?
