New Oil Pressure Spring - But Where Does It Go?

[arcturus]

Vincent is kindly posting me he spare oil pressure relief valve spring, but when it arrives where am I going to put it?

I have looked in the bible but can find no reference to it . If I have been a bit dull and just missed it, then if someone could just tell me the page number.....

Failing that, can some one tell me where on the engine to find it and a rough guide to the procedure for changing the spring. I am a reasonable mechanic (I figure if I can remove a cylinder head and regrind valves then an oil spring should be reasonably easy ) so please be as technical as you like.

TIA

Dave

[dickymint]

First you need to take it for a blat of say 50miles.
This is so that you can remember how great Wedges are whilst you spend the next month figuring out how all those bits and pieces go back together

[wedg1e]

1) Find the front of the engine.

2) Lie underneath it.

3) Observe that the engine has an alloy front cover: above and to the left of the sump flange is the area generally known as the 'oil pump'

4) Employing hands like a paedophile, locate and remove the large hex blanking plug that is located at said oil pump

5)Catch the spring that falls out (if no spring, either (a) you removed a different plug or (b) there is no spring in there and double , in which case and

6) Replace it with the new spring

7) Refit plug

8) Just to be on the safe side, remove distributor and prime oil pump

9) Replace distributor and start engine

10) Ensure oil pressure happens

11) Go for that 50 mile blat

12) There is no 12




Ian

[richa]

To take this a bit further, I need to check both the spring and the piston on mine.

Brilliant timing meant I was able to follow Ian's instructions (see what you mean about "hands like a paedophile"!!!).

Got the nut off, recovered the spring, but cannot find a piston. I felt around in there (queue comments from Ian ), but could not feel anything. Could it be that the piston has stuck out of finger reach? Might this be the cause of my high pressure?

Rich.

[wedg1e]

Oo-er, fnarrr fnarrrr....

Hmmm, dunno. Either your hands are not paedophilic enough or.... what? Not sure. Maybe the piston is stuck further up than Gary Gli... oops. Did I hear some keys jangling?
Maybe someone has 'reassembled in reverse order' incorrectly, and the piston is in upside down, making it stick?
I'm clutching at straws here...

[arcturus]

Thanks for the instructions, Ian.

Will see how paedophilic my hands are in the next week or two.

Will report back to the forum on any difference it makes.

Dave

[richa]

wedg1e said:

Oo-er, fnarrr fnarrrr.... Hmmm, dunno. Either your hands are not paedophilic enough or.... what? Not sure. Maybe the piston is stuck further up than Gary Gli... oops. Did I hear some keys jangling? Maybe someone has 'reassembled in reverse order' incorrectly, and the piston is in upside down, making it stick? I'm clutching at straws here...

Which way round should it be?

Employing a dentists mirror that I found in my work toolbox, it can see the piston. The solid end is towards the oil pump, and the hollow end against the spring. Correct or incorrect?

Rich.

[wedg1e]

richa said:

wedg1e said: Oo-er, fnarrr fnarrrr.... Hmmm, dunno. Either your hands are not paedophilic enough or.... what? Not sure. Maybe the piston is stuck further up than Gary Gli... oops. Did I hear some keys jangling? Maybe someone has 'reassembled in reverse order' incorrectly, and the piston is in upside down, making it stick? I'm clutching at straws here... Which way round should it be? Employing a dentists mirror that I found in my work toolbox, it can see the piston. The solid end is towards the oil pump, and the hollow end against the spring. Correct or incorrect? Rich.

Sounds about right. But you should be able to extract it (no pun intended!) - unless it's stuck...

[richa]

wedg1e said:

Sounds about right. But you should be able to extract it (no pun intended!) - unless it's stuck...

It's stuck. Cannot move it either way.

Guess it's time to whip the oil pump off and try to free it. Any other suggestions?

Thanks,
Rich.

[danny hoffman]

Get a new base and valve. If it has stuck once it will surely stick again - and next time it may wreck your engine. Not too expensive, go for the atandard set-up and avoid the tadpole modifications.