280 sump gasket

[dsteppers]

poor old beast, failed its MOT yesterday, with a big oil leak and a load of other stuff, but is it possible to do the sump gasket without taking the engine out?

cheers for any advise steppers

[wild rover]

I don't know about the 280 but the 350 is a piece of cake. A tube of rev sealant later and it will be leak free. Best of luck.

[RCK974X]

Not actually done a 2.8 sump gasket whilst in the car, but I reckon it will be do-able. You might have to lift the engine a little off its mounts to be able to get the sump out though....

check the front crank seal too, they also tend to leak.

NB. try using 'classic' 20/50 oil if you're not already. I found the modern thinner stuff leaks out everywhere !!

[taz turbo]

dsteppers said:

is it possible to do the sump gasket without taking the engine out?

Yes it is.

Do you know where the leak is coming from? Is it the sump, or could it be leaking around the rear main bearing cap or rear oil seal?

Either way it's 'doable', but... you will have to remove the gearbox and flywheel first, as the sump has to come out backwards, #1 drop the sump. #2 remove the oil pump. #3 the sump can easily be removed.

When refitting I would pay particular attention to where the sump gasket and the rear main cap join, the 'design' is poor, use a small amount of RTV sealant, whilst you have gone this far, I would remove the rear main, clean thoroughly and on refitting again use a small amount of RTV. Once the sump is back on you will need to replace the rear oil seal anyway.

Have fun,

Chris.

[RCK974X]

Just my 2 cents worth, but....

having done a few jobs in my younger days (main bearings, sump gaskets etc), I've come to the conclusion that it's often just as easy to take the engine out anyway, then you can get at it properly, and also flush cooling system , etc, etc, But then I've never really ahd a decent pit or proper ramps, and got truly fed up of grovelling about on the garage floor, so it's your choice.

The 2.8 is a very old design, and cork sump gaskets don't really work well with today's thinner oil, and as taz turbo says, the design as a bit lacking in several places, so I always use gasket sealer. I never seem to be able to seal the rocker covers properly on mine for example.

Also, if the rear seal is leaking (also common) and you have to take the gearbox off, it's a lot of buggering about.

Also check the rear metal blanking cap in the block - it's right at the back, not visible with the gearbox on, and tends to corrode and burst and leak water everywhere.

[dsteppers]

Thanks for all the much needed advise, going to take it off the road for abit as it was my daily drive. just thinking to sell or keep, i think keep,

thanks again steppers