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Started out planning to fix a leaky lpop seal, but once I got into it the front cover & pump gears were grooved pretty bad.
Weighed in all the options, new cover, Dieselsite repair thingy, or attempt to diy. I chose to attempt doing the fix myself. I figure if I succeed then I spent time to save money.
If I failed then I'm replacing the cover. Only one option didn't require pulling the engine and while I thought about it, I just couldn't do it. I may regret that later.
The light catches the machine marks in such a way that makes it look worse than it is. The surface finish came out better than I expected anyway.
Shaved off just over 6 thou to get it cleaned up. I didn't think to get any before pics.
IF this is successful it cost me a couple days, a couple gaskets, and a tube of ta-31. Otherwise, stay tuned for "Who has the best price on a timing cover..."
I think this would be an excellent way to bring it back up to OE spec. Is there any chance of getting that surfaced to MLS head gasket spec? I know you said it looks worse than it really is, but fluids are really good at finding any way out that they can and those grooves are good escape routes from the inside out.
I could pull the dowel pins back out and try hand stoning but I'd be concerned about taking it out of square. I literally bolted it straight to the mill and fiddled with it until I got it under a tenth across the width of the lpop.
I'm pretty confident the lpop oring will seal, the only questionable part is will those swirl marks have any negative effects on the pump. I kinda think I'll be okay but not having a surface roughness tester there is only one way to know.
I had my timing cover machined flat at a machine shop, shop said it was concaved and had to take iirc 5 thou, mine hasn't leaked since the engine install but didn't leak before on the engine it came from. Just make sure to add sealant on the keyway on the crank shaft
I had my timing cover machined flat at a machine shop, shop said it was concaved and had to take iirc 5 thou, mine hasn't leaked since the engine install but didn't leak before on the engine it came from. Just make sure to add sealant on the keyway on the crank shaft
Feeling pretty good about it now. I'm guessing the finish on yours was also a lot smoother than it appears in the pic.
Also taking this opportunity to deep clean & paint the oil pan and see to a few other little things while it's out.
Feeling pretty good about it now. I'm guessing the finish on yours was also a lot smoother than it appears in the pic.
Also taking this opportunity to deep clean & paint the oil pan and see to a few other little things while it's out.
Of the two pictures....your "looks" better.
In the future, (in case others read this) I'd recommend a large diameter fly cutter....large enough that it cuts the entire surface.
I don't have a surface plate big enough for something like this. I've already got it back on with the new lpop. See what happens in a couple days or so.
At my skill level, I couldn't find a way to do it in one pass. The best I could get in there with was this little 2-inch bugger.
It might work out if it's not going to hurt anything to take the lip off the bottom, but that's part of the oil pan sealing surface. I didn't want to chance it.
North of there is the boss for the cps and the surface for the water pump. There just isn't that much more than the diameter of the pump to work in.
I've seen where some machine shops use a round cutting tool instead of something that has an angle. Little circular shaped knife blade and it's final result was impressively smooth. Good enough for MLS.
I don't have a surface plate big enough for something like this. I've already got it back on with the new lpop. See what happens in a couple days or so.
At my skill level, I couldn't find a way to do it in one pass. The best I could get in there with was this little 2-inch bugger.
It might work out if it's not going to hurt anything to take the lip off the bottom, but that's part of the oil pan sealing surface. I didn't want to chance it.
North of there is the boss for the cps and the surface for the water pump. There just isn't that much more than the diameter of the pump to work in.
These inserts are amazing on aluminum.
What's the corner radius? I've had amazing finishes on a variety of material using CNMG432-WF
Those are TCGT 32.52, 0.0314 corner radius. They are pretty universal on a small machine, the reduced cutting force helps with the lack of rigidity but don't last as long on steel as the coated TCMT. The TCMT inserts I have just sorta mash through softer stuff and leaves a horrible finish compared to steel.
I really need to expand my tooling library and get a good lathe, but one project at a time.
We all totally understand what you two are talking about.
different bits and cutters with different radius on the tips make for different final finish, this combined with cutter head speed, carriage speed and cutting depth give you your final finish. I have not touched a lathe or a mill in over 35+ years since I left trades school so the newer CNC machines are outside my scope... give me an older bridgeport though and I am sure i can with some practice pick it back up.
