Defender 300 Tdi Oil leaks from fuel pump & turbo

[cheese3]

Hi All, had my 1997 Defender 130 300 Tdi at the mechanics recently for a pre-trip inspection. They picked up a couple of minor things but 2 issues in particular I was hoping someone may be able to help with.

Firstly there is oil weeping from beneath the fuel pump. I had a look and it appears as though it may need a new gasket between the fuel pump and the block, would that be the most likely ? Also there is a little lever coming out the side of the fuel pump that goes up and down, what is this for and could that possibly weep oil ?

Secondly there is an oil leak from somewhere beneath the turbo. The oil is dripping (very slowly, weeping would be a better way of describing it) from the underside rear of the turbo area and running down the block and gathering at the bottom of the bellhousing. Any idea on what this leak might be and degree of difficulty to fix ?

Thanks guys

[steveG]

The fuel pump (lift pump) might just be a gasket, but if its diesel its likely to be the diaphragm inside and will need replacing.

Turbo could be the oil drain hose that goes back to the block. Either the hose itself or the gasket at either end. Give the area a good clean and see if you can track it down more precisely, as oil leaks can be very deceptive in their origin.
A good clean followed by a long enough run to get the leak to show and then a dusting with some marking chalk (like used for chalk lines) can be useful if its still hard to tell. The chalk will darken where it gets wet.

Steve

[Judo]

You haven't mentioned the 1 device that almost always leaks oil in that area. The brake vacuum pump. Are you positive no oil is coming from that? At one point I could have sworn I had a few oil leaks, but in the end it was just the vac pump. The oil runs back onto the block then seeps to various places before dripping/running again.

I doubt it would show up on the turbo side of the engine but on the fuel lift pump side, definitely. In fact the lift pump is right next to it....

Don't mean to say your mechanic is wrong, but the vac pump is worth a check. :)

[jboot51]

and the lever on the fuel lift pump is for manual bleeding/priming.
it should click into place if you pull it up. I think up is the stowed position.

[Jode]

I think up is the stowed position.
Correct.

[uninformed]

given the age, the cost and you are going on a trip, just replace the lift pump with a good unit like a Delphi etc.

[rick130]

And the most common cause of a leak on the turbo side of the engine is a cracked inlet manifold gasket.

This allows oil to weep down the side of the block and make an unholy mess, and freaks a lot of people out as they think their turbo is buggered !