Oil Pan Sealing Tips LA Small Block?
I'm in the process of putting a clutch in my 69 D300 and while the transmission is out, I am fixing the oil leaks coming from the pan. Do you guys have a certain method of installing the gaskets & pans to eliminate the leaks? I have the Fel-Pro 4 piece gasket set with the cork pan rail gaskets and rubber end gaskets. I have thoroughly cleaned the pan and have straightened the pan rails.
I have heard to use high tack on the pan rails to glue the gasket in place and to use a small dab of RTV were the cork gaskets meet the rubber end seals. Leave the block side clean and dry and reinstall. If this is not correct, I would appreciate any feedback you guys can provide. |
The best luck I have had is to ditch the end gaskets completely. Fill the voids with the best high temp RTV you can. Make certain the surfaces are CLEAN!!!!. Wait at least 48 hours before adding oil.
|
Quote:
You'll never be closer to the rear main seal, I'd replace that too. Verify you aren't getting leaks from above, VC's, rear of intake, front crank, etc. In my 25 years dealership career I dropped pans in the car on dozens of Chevy V8's and these methods worked for me. I had a ZERO tolerance for leaks. - Bill W Before someone mentions the blue one piece gaskets, there is a car in my garage that came to me leaving a three inch spot every time you shut it off. I replaced the one piece pan gasket in the car with four piece, no leaks now. |
Bill, was the 1 piece plastered with silicone at the ends ? Silicone will cause the blue seal surface to NOT seal and leak. I've installed several of the 1 piece ACCORDING TO THE DIRECTIONS and have had no leaks.
I haven't used the 4 piece either cork or rubber for many years. As has been mentioned, change the rear seal and install the ends offset from the cap seam by, at least, 22 degrees with a minute touch of gasket sealer on the ends, not silicone. And, as has been also said, for any of the various gasket types being installed, ALL surfaces need to be sterile, If a white cloth doesn't come back without any discoloration, I keep cleaning and the final clean is with acetone. |
Quote:
|
Quote:
Lots of good advise to choose from here! Edit: Just now thinking, between you, me, and Lynn, there must be well past 150 years of experience!! |
Thanks for the advice fellas. I have replaced the rope rear main seal already with a rubber two piece seal and used just a small amount of black rtv where the two ends meet. I used red anaerobic sealer between the block and the cap since they are machined surfaces. I am doing the front cover gasket and seal, valve cover and the intake gaskets as well. None of them ever appear to have been replaced and the engine is quite an oily mess but it runs very well. When I’m done it should look as good as it runs I hope!
|
You working on a Pontiac ?? I haven't seen a rope rear seal in a Chevrolet in 55 years of working them.
|
1 Attachment(s)
Quote:
|
Ah, I didn't notice this was in the Mopar forum....:blush:
I do have a soft spot for Mopars. I bought a '72 'Cuda new for my 20th birthday. |
1 Attachment(s)
Quote:
|
7 Attachment(s)
Well, I've been hard at work on this Truck for the past few months. I'll add posts as I get time to show the progress. I was able to fix all of the oil leaks, replaced the timing set, cleaned the engine up and repainted it while I was doing the fixes and upgraded the old 2 barrel setup to a vintage LD4B edelbrock 4 barrel with a small 390 cfm holley carb. Cleaned up the trans, resurfaced the flywheel and put a new clutch in and this thing drives like a dream now. Also figured out why the shifts were so sloppy. The shifter cane tip where it engages the shift rail in the trans was heavily worn. Fortunately, I was able to source another one from a 1963 parts truck that looked almost new and has a different bend in it so the shifter is in a much more driver friendly location with shorter throws between the gears!
I was able to get it back together just in time for Father's Day so my dad could drive it. I was able to relive some old times as we have been many miles in this truck together and make some new memories! Hope you guys had a good Father's Day weekend as well! |
8 Attachment(s)
Continuation from the post yesterday. After examining the internals of the trans, everything looked good, so I cleaned it up, replaced the input shaft and output shaft seals and reinstalled the top cover. When I put the shifter cane in and gave it a quick test prior to putting the trans back in the truck, the difference was unbelievable. It honestly felt like going from rowing a boat to a hurst competition plus.
|
10 Attachment(s)
Moving on to the engine, it was evident that it was filthy, 50+ years of grime, grease and makeshift repairs, it was leaking from every conceivable orifice, but it ran very well, so I decided to put a new Cloyes timing set in it, new rear main, front timing cover seal. and all of the gaskets. I went through the wiring replaced what was necessary. Need to rewrap the harness still but at least the issues are fixed.
While I was at it, I had an old LD4B Edelbrock intake and 390 cfm Holley 4 barrel collecting dust from an old project so I cleaned them up and put them on the truck. The truck is no speed demon, about 60 mph tops with the 4.88s, so I knew this would be more than adequate for putting around town or hauling when necessary. I had to make a piece of throttle linkage to connect the Holley and used some spacers and hardware from the local Ace to get everything aligned correctly. |
7 Attachment(s)
Here are some additional engine bay photos of my progress. I noticed how filthy the distributor was, so I pulled it and cleaned the cap and wires and continued putting it together. I am currently trying a few different rust converters on the inner fenders and firewall and have cleaned those up a bit, but it still needs a lot more work. For an old work truck that has been well used, I think the TLC has really turned it around for the better and will keep it in service for years to come. My 3 year old son loves this truck and wants to go for a ride whenever I take it out. I plan to pass it along to him when he grows up. It's not a supercar but it is a family heirloom that I have so many wonderful memories with. My dad was able to find a few pictures of it from when he bought it in 1985. I've also shared those. Amazed it's still around after almost 40 years!
|
All times are GMT. The time now is 09:07 PM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.