1996BlackBauer Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 And that's What the Frigg?? So yesterday I started my day with my '96 impreza outback 2.2L dying on me twice when I had to go on a 50 miles trip to go to class for work. Needless to say I turned around and drove my Explorer. Now I knew the problem, it had codes for an upstream O2 sensor, and the crankshaft sensor was filled right up with oil. so I swapped those 2 parts out. Then I got to thinking, maybe I should actually fix the leak from the oil pressure sensor, so I bought a new sensor, it was $8 so I was pleased with that after taking the sensor out I found some sort of adapter piece that goes into the block with a 17mm nut on it, after a closer inspection I find that the leak is actually coming from there, Yay! So I take it off and find that there is some sort of gasket that is blown out, well I am pretty sure it was just Ultra Black, so I clean it off to find some sort of Lead, and or aluminum washer that is all messed up. so at this point I am assuming that somebody tried to fix the issue with some Black silicone. I was also looking at the block and it appears that somebody took a grinder of some sort and tried to grind the mounting area flat, which they did a terrible job of doing, I just avoided that, figured I would fill it with silicone. So I take the washer and sand it down flat again past the messed up parts, slap a whole bunch of ultra black on there, and throw it back together. 24hours later, being right now I start up the car, and it runs way better then it ever has since I've owned it, go to check for leaks, and now it is leaking like a Soviet Submarine... Now I am afraid to drive the thing due to it losing all of its oil. so my question is, what is that area suppose to look like when it is not ground down, and can I get a new washer, I am not really sure what the adapter for the oil pressure switch to the block is called, i tried various terms in google, and came up with nothing. Need some help here guys. I am a mechanic so I have the tools and knowledge to do just about anything. Thanks for any input, Harold... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 Its just an aluminum crush washer. Sounds like someone had already fudged it up so bad you may not get it back to 100% leak free. Take the adapter out, go down to Napa with it and pick up an aluminum crush washer that fits it. No silicone, tighten it to about 18-20 ft lbs. Use thread tape on the oil sender threads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1996BlackBauer Posted March 24, 2016 Author Share Posted March 24, 2016 Its just an aluminum crush washer. Sounds like someone had already fudged it up so bad you may not get it back to 100% leak free. Take the adapter out, go down to Napa with it and pick up an aluminum crush washer that fits it. No silicone, tighten it to about 18-20 ft lbs. Use thread tape on the oil sender threads. Thank you, it felt softer then aluminum, so I wasn't sure. You think it is worth my time trying to sand/grind down the area more flat then it is now? I;m pretty sure I can get my dremel in there and clean it up a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 (edited) if this progresses to an unrecoverable state - you might have a 'Plan B' where the original mount point is blocked-off (tig welded over?), and you can get an oil sender adapter to fit under the oil filter. Of course, splice in some wiring to re-position the sender down there. Edited March 25, 2016 by 1 Lucky Texan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1996BlackBauer Posted March 24, 2016 Author Share Posted March 24, 2016 I'll try and get some pictures tonight so see what I'm working with, it's pretty easy to get at luckily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1996BlackBauer Posted March 26, 2016 Author Share Posted March 26, 2016 Sorry for no pictures guys, being that I am the only Mechanic friend who is willing to help people out, I got suckered into helping people out again, but no worries, I now get to spend my day off working on my own car! YAY! Pictures inbound before the end of today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1996BlackBauer Posted March 26, 2016 Author Share Posted March 26, 2016 Finally got some pictures, Also @1LuckyTexan, what do you mean by the whole adapter by the oil filter? Also I am going to try and do 2 things today, try and make a gasket out of gasket material, and try a new aluminum crush washer, after I try and clean up the area a bit, I just don't understand why anybody would do this, but whatever, I can hopefully figure it out. Pictures to show what I am dealing with. Let me know what you guys think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1996BlackBauer Posted March 26, 2016 Author Share Posted March 26, 2016 OK, so Here is what I'm dealing with, even with a new washer, and some gasket material cut to the right size it still leaks from the spots at the 9 o'clock, and the 2 o'clock position, both of them are lower then the rest of the area, so I sanded the area down the best I could to make it semi flat, new crush washer, still leaking from the 9 o'clock position. since I am afraid to sand any more of the block down due to possibly messing up the thread, and or make the walls of the block to thin, I decided to mess with the crush washer, I sanding it a but to conform to the block better, and guess what? it worked. I had the engine running for a few minutes with not a single leak, when before It would leak almost immediately. Now time for some reassembly, and test driving to make sure all the repairs I performed actually fixed the car. Thanks for the input guy, it was greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted March 26, 2016 Share Posted March 26, 2016 Somebody really buggered that up. Looks like the block is cracked in that last pic? If it continues to give you trouble, might try ditching the crush washer and using some gasoila pipe thread sealant on the adapter. Let the thread sealant set-up for about 24 hours before starting the engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1996BlackBauer Posted March 26, 2016 Author Share Posted March 26, 2016 (edited) Somebody really buggered that up. Looks like the block is cracked in that last pic? If it continues to give you trouble, might try ditching the crush washer and using some gasoila pipe thread sealant on the adapter. Let the thread sealant set-up for about 24 hours before starting the engine. I noticed that as well after I posted it, and ran outside to check it out, turns out if was just some grease. I had put it in the hole to catch and filings that might of come off, I missed a little bit when I was cleaning it up. Edited March 26, 2016 by 1996BlackBauer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bushwick Posted March 26, 2016 Share Posted March 26, 2016 Hopefully you aren't letting any of the junk fall into the hole? That can really destroy an engine in time. I ran an external oil gauge after getting my car as I was concerned about how low the PSI needs to be before turning the idiot light on, and figured having a gauge would make more sense. You might want to consider one yourself as it'll come with a new sender that should plug the hole up at the same time. I ran a copper line (the plastic lines are known to get brittle and can easily rupture, puking oil everywhere) and sleeved the entire section in a small diameter vacuum hose (roughly 5' section) as it'll protect the copper and any leaks will be easily noticed. In lieu of a mechanical gauge, can run aftermarket electric sender to avoid oil in the lines. Wrap threads in teflon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted March 27, 2016 Share Posted March 27, 2016 usually called a sandwich adapter I think? https://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&field-keywords=oil%20pressure%20sender%20adapter%20filter&index=blended&link_code=qs&sourceid=Mozilla-search&tag=mozilla-20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1996BlackBauer Posted March 27, 2016 Author Share Posted March 27, 2016 No worries, that's why I had the grease in there, if anything did get in the hole, it stuck to the grease, and I was able to scoop it out, first time trying that trick, but it worked really good, I highly suggest it. I never knew about this adapter, and that I could add a gauge, I think I may have to do this. although When I do this I will need a skid plate so I don't knock that whole filter assembly off while rallycrossing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted March 28, 2016 Share Posted March 28, 2016 one of the gurus here may know, but I'm pretty sure there is another spot on the block you could put a sender or gauge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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