P38 FIP Leak - Please Help!

Hello All,

I'm a newbie on here but have been using the info on your site for months. Having been a member of many forums in the past, I can say that this is by far the most comprehensive I have seen!

I really didn't want to say hello whilst also posting a help request but unfortunately i'm in a bit of trouble with my P38 DSE.

I changed my glow plugs today as two were faulty but as I was looking over my engine I noticed a puddle of diesel under the FIP. I started her up (no problems starting cold or hot) and could see a far amount of diesel dripping down the pump. It appears to be coming from two places. One seems to be from a thin gasket on the very top plate of the pump but the second leak is coming from the engine side or beneath the pump. I've heard that the stop solenoid can often leak but that appears to be one of the only dry parts on the FIP. I worried that this is going to get worse and eventually fail and leave me stranded somewhere (which with my girlfriend currently having a broken leg so not being able to drive, will leave me in a rather difficult position). Looking on RAVE, there appears to be an oval shape plate on the bottom on the FIP, which i'm guessing will have a seal. Could this be the problem?

My range had a re-con engine fitted 2 years ago before I bought her, and all has been fine until now. The pump appears to work fine and like I said she starts well and runs fine but leaks like a sieve. Has anyone tried replacing any seals/o-rings on these pumps before?

Any help will be greatfully appreciated.

Cheers, Phil

:welcome2: Faithfull 3 Gallon 14 Litre Bucket - Black

Druim said:

:welcome2: Faithfull 3 Gallon 14 Litre Bucket - Black

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:hysterically_laughi

Well i must admit i've purchased a few extra buckets since owning this old girl!

But somehow i don't think this is the solution to my unwanted james bond style oil slick

I have to say from a mechanics point of view derv pump leaks quite often mean a specialist repair, if you are going to have a go be careful as there are usually springs and the like waiting to sring out from behind any plates or covers you remove.

Well without blowing my own trumpet I have alot of experience with diesel engines but am new with land rover diesels (even though it's a BMW engine) so just wanted to know if anyone has done the same before. Looking at a PDF of the pump assembly there appears to be a washer, spring, washer behind one plate and the other side seems even less. Surely this should be easy to reassemble without the need to recalibrate anything. I'm just a little reluctant to look into a new pump as its working fine despite the severe leak. I don't want to take it apart and render the car unmovable as at the moment I can drive it to any garage if needed.

How much is a recon pump fitted? And has anyone had one fitted in the Essex area before?

I'm in the trade and fitted a recon pump myself for 600 notes but they can vary from 600-850 for a pump then on avg 300 fitting so say 1100notes all in I got quoted 1600 to have a garage do mine but I took a chance amd done it myself glad I did really

matt1987 said:

I'm in the trade and fitted a recon pump myself for 600 notes but they can vary from 600-850 for a pump then on avg 300 fitting so say 1100notes all in I got quoted 1600 to have a garage do mine but I took a chance amd done it myself glad I did really

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How easy was it to do yourself? I have access to a decent workshop with most generic tools but no specific land rover special tools but would most certainly prefer to replace one myself if possible (but i'm still hoping I won't need too).

How hard was it to do in comparison to other jobs? I.e. head gasket etc.

Download rave, the instructions are in it,I'm sure you need special tools

You will need several special tools

Fuel pump retaining tool and removal tool
crank locking pin
cam locking tool
feeler guages (to set up cam locking tool to remove chain stretch)
Dial guage
dial guage holder

All tools can be bought for around £250 from ebay look under bmw m51 timing

As regards to a diy I would only do if it will can tackle most major diy jobs such as engine rebuilds timing

It is easy once you do it what you need to do is read manual read again and read again

Also tdc hole on crankshaft has two holes either side on tdc if you get the wrong one you will smack.the head

The fuel timing is very critical it must be right if not it will sound like a.bag of spanners!!!!

Cheers guys. I've found a local bosch diesel specialist so i'm going to swing by them tomorrow (if they're open) and see what they say. Reading up on here, I may attempt to replace the seal between the top part and the main body of the pump as many have said this has failed on them. I have read that the holes are slotted so you need to mark the top section against the bottom to ensure it is refitted in exactly the same location. I feel confident enough about doing this myself if the parts are available as I often rebuild lister petter diesel engines at work, so I know my way around a tool box, although this will be my first taste at a bosch FIP.

Is there anything else I should be cautious about whilst replacing this seal?

The pump is in 3 sections: the very top section can be taken off and the seal replaced in-situ without too much worry. the mid section you have to worry about refitting it in exactly the same position (this is why you want to mark the position of the bolts) and also you have to ensure the spigot on top part engages in the hole in the disc on the shaft in the bottom bit.
This can be a bit fraught, and usual advice is to not do it in-situ.

Thanks all. I have just replaced the top and middle seals successfully and the leak appears to have stopped. I ended up using a paint marker and surrounding the washers with the yellow paint so I could clearly see when they were back in the correct locations as well as scribing the metal wherever I could.

I was surprised to find that the two seals were still flexible and not brittle as expected. I changed the top first which slowed the leak then replaced the middle one which has seemed to solve it. Time will tell if they last. Fingers crossed!

hi sorry just wondered if you had to take off the tip to change the middle gasket or did you do it in place. I've just ordered a gasket kit from diesel bob for mine as it seems to be leaking from the top section just above the black plastic box. looks like its running round the box then dripping off. lets just hope the box aint leaking otherwise were talking lots of money lol.

Sorry for the late reply. I managed to do both gaskets in situ easily. You have to remove the inlet manifold to gain better access to the pump but there is no need to remove the FIP. There is a security bolt to undo which you can buy the correct socket on ebay or (like me) you can find the cheapest 7mm socket available and hammer it on. The others are all T30 torx head bolts. I fitted the upper most gasket first and then put everything back together (loosely, I didn't do up any hose clamps and nipped up four of the twelve manifold nuts) and then run her up to see if it was still leaking. I had to do both gaskets in the end, so took her apart again and used a paint marker and a scriber to mark the position of the middle section of the pump before removing it to do the second gasket, as it's calibrated in position. It's worth noting that it isn't the easiest to line the little ball and socket back up when putting the two sections back together again but worst case is that if it isn't in correctly you will not have any throttle. It happened to me but second time around I got it in correctly. Everything has been fine since although I do rarely have a slight irratic idle but when I have the time I will loosen off the bolts and tap the adjustable section slightly as my idle speed is very slightly low. This fine adjustment can be done with the manifold still on but requires the use of extension bars and knuckle joints etc. It's worth replacing your inlet manifold gaskets (or o-rings depending on year) and having a good inspection of the leak off pipes as these can also cause leaks. i hope this helps!