Oil Leak At Fuel Pump

So, I was backing my Jeep back into its rightful place in the garage when I noticed a steady piddle drip pattern following me up the driveway. Once everything cooled down I crawled underneath to have a look see. Turns out the fuel pump was so loose that everything was covered in oil. No problem, I brought out my trusty socket set only to find that one of the mounting bolts was stripped and covered in Teflon tape when I removed it. Thanks PO. Has anyone had a similar situation and what is the best solution to repair the damaged hole. Thanks.
P.S. Happy Easter everyone

 

The way a shop would do it is with a helicoil. This is a 225? I expect it's a 3/8"-16 thread - Amazon.com: Helicoil 5521-6 3/8-16 Inch Coarse Thread Repair Kit: Automotive

Or, drill to a larger size and tap. A 10mm would probably work, 0.3937" vs. 0.375". You'd also have to drill the fuel pump base larger to clear the slightly larger bolt.

In both of these cases, you'll have chips going into the block, so you ideally you'd remove the timing cover and do this on the bench.

Another possibility is to convert to an electric pump, and block off the pump hole. A single bolt should be enough to hold in the oil splash if you make a stiff enough cover and use some hardening sealant like Permatex #1. The usual block-off plate will have two holes, which will be a problem in this case.

Happy Easter to you too!

 

I think the fuel pump uses 5/16 X 18 thread bolts into the block, that will tap out to a 3/8" bolt no problem, if it will fit a 3/8 bolt thru the fuel pump, and still have room for the 9/16" socket. Like Tim says the best way is to put a Helicoil insert in it. I could send you my Helicoil kit to use, but every time I send anything to BC it cost so much you could probably buy one cheaper than the postage from here. Good luck.

 

If you can't tell the bolt and thread size by looking at it, usually a 5/16" bolt will need a 1/2" wrench, and a 3/8" bolt will need a 9/16" wrench. You can take the bolt to your local home center - they will have a display where you can test the bolt diameter and thread size.

 

Thanks guys for your input. The heli coil sounds like the way to go. Yes it is the 225. Love this old Jeep.

 

Before doing anything drastic, maybe just check the block threads with a known good threaded bolt. I have had bolts with flattened threads that wouldn't hold but the parent hole retained enough that a new sharp threaded bolt would hold (after cleaning up with a tap). Regardless, it costs nothing to try, and there's a chance of getting lucky.