I have a question on the Boundary Engineering Billet Oil Pump Street Strip VVT Compatible pump.
I ordered it a long time ago and now am finally getting to my engine build section where I would install it (I am doing a forged piston & forged rod build after a bent rod incident).

I have seen it listed as recommended "2 shims" for my 2003 VVT 1.8 engine.
At least that is how it is listed on Fab9 Tuning https://fab9tuning.com/boundary-engi...let-oil-pumps/

I did not order from Fab9 and looking at my box a while back I did not get any "shims".

What is this and do I need to add something before I install? I heard from another it is just washers, but can anyone give me some details and advice?

 

Yes they are washers. They go on the top of pump where the e clip is. But be careful when removing clip it has a spring in there and will shoot out..... Hope this helps

 

You should be able to see, count, and change how many shims as long as the oil pan isn’t sealed.

 

Thanks again for the advice. After looking deeper at this, it appears the Stage 2 pump, which I have, is likely already shimmed to 70psi (at least that is what Flyin Miata says, and I tend to trust them).
https://www.flyinmiata.com/default/b...-oil-pump.html

I think I can avoid taking it apart to add more washers. I would much rather avoid that.

 

I've seen enough problems on this forum with the boundry engineering oil pressure relief valves that I'd take it apart anyways to polish/inspect both the plunger and the bore.

 

I believe these are factory pumps with new gears so the pressure relief plunger is OE.

 

I took your advice and opened it up the relief valve section. Beyond nearly losing the washers (Despite being warned by Dpmiata, it still shot out...that spring is obviously VERY strong) AND it being a pretty mild pita to put back in (Again, that spring is STRONG), all looked to be in great shape.

It had the correct number of washers in there to set it to the default PSI for my car and all looked in tip-top shape.

I'll move to install when I get some free time in the next week or so.

 

So I have spent much time chasing oil leaks on my 2002 engine. Never had a leak until I built the engine and added a Boundary S2 oil pump. I have searched all over and tried a variety of different o-ring seals and finally found all the problem areas on the pump. It is not all Boundary’s problems but they could definitely improve the quality of their end product with little to no cost.



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[img]blob:https://www.miataturbo.net/132c7a56-e3e8-4c11-8ad6-18f8525becda[/img]









So here is what I have found. The seal when pressed into the pump housing has very little force to hold it in place. The type of seal is not as important as using an “Anaerobic Gasket Maker” which is like a thick Loctite which glues the seal into the pump housing. Doing the basic math, the OEM pump only pumps 35 to 45 PSI of oil. The Boundary pump now steps up the PSI by 65% to 85%. The design of the seal on the crankshaft increases sealing power with higher pressure. The outer edge of the seal that can be easily pushed in by hand just allows the oil the leak by the edge of the casting and the seal.



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Installed and sealed perfectly, no more leak on the crank area



Here is the second area that is a problem and is the easiest fix of the three problem areas. There is no thread sealant applied to the hex plug. Just pull this guy out, clean the threads and apply thread sealant and reinstall the plug and your done here.



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Here is the one that took me a while to find. You would think that Melling would do a better job for a production pump. They press in a solid aluminum plug into the cast housing and it works for the lower OEM pump pressure, but for the Boundary pump’s higher PSI, this area is prone to leak.



Once I found the problem I tried to do a JB Weld patch to keep me from pulling the engine to correct the problem. I cleaned it well with brake cleaner and used the 24 HR JB Weld and let it setup. Here is what this attempt looked like.



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Unfortunately this patch job didn’t work. So I decided to pull the engine and pull the pump off and figure out what is going on here.

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Here is what I finally found: the aluminum slug was pressed in place at an angle and as you can see in the photo, it scored the side of the hole and the oil leaks around the non-scored sides. The plug is not pressed in the hole straight and allows the oil leak out.



I started to search for a long term solution that would be reliable. I went online to McMaster Carr and found this hydraulic plug, part #24675K89.



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I purchased 4 of these because I wanted to test it before I went all in on this solution.



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This is what it looks like when the ball is pressed in place. It swells the ridges out to .425” which should provide a good seal. I had to drill out the hole to smooth out the hole. I used Anaerobic gasket maker on this also.



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Then I got to thinking that I really didn’t want to pull the engine for another oil leak. So I added JB Weld to the bottom side of the hole just for some insurance.



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I hope this helps anyone that may have been chasing an oil leak or if you’re considering installing this high performance oil pump it will save you a ton of issues if you just do these fixes before you install the pump.

 

The seal issue has been well documented and most of us have been through it. The best fix that I have come up with is a factory seal that is siliconed in place with a high-quality product like ultra black or better yet the Right Stuff. The silicone has worked better for me then the gasket eliminator. The right Stuff is amazingly strong but takes overnight to dry good enough for use. I personally have only used the complete pump assembly from Boundary. With that said FI applications tend to have higher crank case pressures and this is an area that will often leak when everything is perfect unless a substantial breather system is employed.

 

So I have spent much time chasing oil leaks on my 2002 engine. Never had a leak until I built the engine and added a Boundary S2 oil pump. I have searched all over and tried a variety of different o-ring seals and finally found all the problem areas on the pump. It is not all Boundary’s problems but they could definitely improve the quality of their end product with little to no cost.

So here is what I have found. The seal when pressed into the pump housing has very little force to hold it in place. The type of seal is not as important as using an “Anaerobic Gasket Maker” which is like a thick Loctite which glues the seal into the pump housing. Doing the basic math, the OEM pump only pumps 35 to 45 PSI of oil. The Boundary pump now steps up the PSI by 65% to 85%. The design of the seal on the crankshaft increases sealing power with higher pressure. The outer edge of the seal that can be easily pushed in by hand just allows the oil the leak by the edge of the casting and the seal.

Installed and sealed perfectly, no more leak on the crank area



Here is the second area that is a problem and is the easiest fix of the three problem areas. There is no thread sealant applied to the hex plug. Just pull this guy out, clean the threads and apply thread sealant and reinstall the plug and your done here.

Here is the one that took me a while to find. You would think that Melling would do a better job for a production pump. They press in a solid aluminum plug into the cast housing and it works for the lower OEM pump pressure, but for the Boundary pump’s higher PSI, this area is prone to leak.

Once I found the problem I tried to do a JB Weld patch to keep me from pulling the engine to correct the problem. I cleaned it well with brake cleaner and used the 24 HR JB Weld and let it setup. Here is what this attempt looked like.

Unfortunately this patch job didn’t work. So I decided to pull the engine and pull the pump off and figure out what is going on here.

Here is what I finally found: the aluminum slug was pressed in place at an angle and as you can see in the photo, it scored the side of the hole and the oil leaks around the non-scored sides. The plug is not pressed in the hole straight and allows the oil leak out.

I started to search for a long term solution that would be reliable. I went online to McMaster Carr and found this hydraulic plug, part #24675K89.

I purchased 4 of these because I wanted to test it before I went all in on this solution.

This is what it looks like when the ball is pressed in place. It swells the ridges out to .425” which should provide a good seal. I had to drill out the hole to smooth out the hole. I used Anaerobic gasket maker on this also.

Then I got to thinking that I really didn’t want to pull the engine for another oil leak. So I added JB Weld to the bottom side of the hole just for some insurance.

I hope this helps anyone that may have been chasing an oil leak or if you’re considering installing this high performance oil pump it will save you a ton of issues if you just do these fixes before you install the pump.


Leaking from the outer surface to the seal not the shaft to the seal.

Cleaned out.

Anaerobic sealant. A must. Apply only to one surface either the seal or the housing. Not both. I made that mistake.

Pressing in the seal

The seal in place with the Anaerobic sealant.

Installed on the engine.

Then next leak found. The plug. Easy Fix.

Bandaid approach and failure

It is hard for me to believe this ins only pressed in place.

Look closely and you will see it was pressed in at an angle and scared the aluminum surface and allowed the oil to pass by.

High pressure hydrolic plug

What it looks like with the bearing pressed in place.

Hydrolic plug installed top side view

Hydrolic plug in place bottom side view.

Wimping out and just JB welded it for good measure.

 

I always RTV that plug from the backside while RTV'ing the pan on, quick easy step I've always done, never had an issue. The seal it comes with is immediately thrown away, and replaced with OE. Sometimes I get feisty and shmear some RTV on the outer edge for good measure. I've always looked closely at the allen plug, but never had issues, still waiting for my turn I guess... It's easy enough to remove with engine in anyways.

I will say, the front main seal doesn't see oil pressure, only crank case pressure. So if you're running a lot of power with a shitty engine (they're actually perfect for that) or shitty crank case ventilation, you'll get a lot of pressure behind it to push it out.

 

Hi,

sorry to bump this older thread, I just came across it and found it really useful since I'm about to install my boundary pump. I've read that there's a lot going wrong with it, and I got a bit suspicious because it has some marks and scratches on the surfaces where you put RTV on it. I went full curious (more like dumb) and unscrewed the plate covering the gears. Now, my issue is, do I put some RTV when screwing it back? There was something on the inside of the plate, but I'm not sure what that is. Is there a torque spec for the torx screws? I searched for that info and actually that's how I got on this thread.
Also, there's some free play between the crank nose and the gear, when turning the crank, until it actually engages the pump. Is that normal?
Thank you!

 

Have contacted Boundary on the same topic a few years back, this is what I got as a response:

"...have taken it apart for inspection purposes, and plan to pack it with assembly lube. Is there anything I need to be careful about when putting it back together? I will loctite the backplate bolts, but was wondering if there's any anaerobic sealant I should use between the plate and the pump body, or anything else I should be careful of."

"I wouldn't do the anaerobic. You need to use a razor thin amount or it just decreases the performance of the pump. 86 in/lbs on the screws... Just a little prelube, don't coat it, it ends up jamming up the filter."

Hope that helps. Cannot comment on if it was effective or not, as the pump is still sitting on a shelf.

 

No RTV needed there, what you saw was probably assembly grease that helps prime the oil pump. The screws just use OE torque. Contact BE about the crank play to see what is normal/abnormal. Unfortunately with this post about your disassembling, your warranty is most likely void.


dsa

 

Hi Harry, Hi Curly,

thank s for the replies.

LE:

Just to follow up, in case someone will have the same question. BE responded to my question regarding the free play
.
"Yes, this is normal, it's done that way to prevent pump failures from a crank walk. The eccentricity of the pump is held by the collar inside; the crank is only used to transfer torque, not alignment. It does not impact performance negatively in any way."