nuisance leak

[Kim K Kaiser]

63 cdv    have a nuisance leak that needs to be dealt with,  now i think its coming from around the oil pan, or from front engine cover  that little long black nipple always has a drip or right up near the front of the engine. there seems to be smear of oil on the pan and usually a drip off of the oil pan drain plug.

it extends back the next structure,, the semi circular plate right behind the oil pan,  (what is that btw?)  there seems to always be a little drip or two, hanging from that edge.    

 can oil pan be taken off with out removing engine, and gasket replaced,?  if not, i will have to take in,  i dont really have the support tools to get under and feel safe to take of the pan,, nor do i have access to a lift..so thatt would be reason to take in...

same for front engine cover.  if that is leaking, and the oil i see is wind blown drift down the side of the pan, which, as i said earlier, i have seen oil on the bottom of that,  it may be the culprit,, i tried the permatex gasket spread around the bottom like i did on my 73, (73 has held well) and it has worked for a while, but i think its found a new way out and I'm tired of looking at it.. 

so any suggestion would be appreciated as this is something i have never done, so i dont want to get sideways on it and have to tow it in if I ef it up.

sincerely

[Tony and Ginny 429]

To find any leak —-best to clean all surfaces and then inspect to see where the leak is originating from 

The product —GUNK spay on and wash off with a hose  will remove all grease from engine surfaces 

some brushing should help clean off all oil in the heavier spots 

cover the dist and carb with plastic 

the car should run rough until the water burns off the plugs as the engine get to op temp and then good to go 

good to have a clean engine and trans to help disipate the heat they produce as opposed to layers  of grease 

the engine fan blows any leak all over the place making the location difficult to identify 

keep in mind the valve covers will  often leak at the back of the engine and down the back of the engine to the bottom of the engines oil pan on our cars 

Enjoy 

[Kim K Kaiser]

thanks Tony,, i have part of the day off tomorrow, so will try to get the gunk and cleaning process done and begin on tracking it down from the others suggestions.

[Mark S Anderson]

as tony says, wash off the engine completely and then detail the areas you suspect by cleaning them by hand with paper towels and brake cleaner, until they are completely clean and dry.    Then you can use a few 'tricks of the trade' that I use to help make finding the leaks easy.

First, if you have access to an air compressor with a blow gun tool, you can really easily find non-pressure leaks by removing your pcv valve and blowing air regulated to 30psi or less into the hose that leads under the manifold.  Do not use more than 30 psi of pressure, because of the risk of pushing out your gaskets with the pressure!   Make sure the oil cap is on during this test, and that the mesh inside of it is clean so it lets air out and doesn't blow off!   Spray the engine with soapy water, and wherever it's leaking, you'll see bubbles.  If the leak is too big, you won't see bubbles, but you'll hear hissing and you can feel around for the air coming out.  This works every time.  

If you don't have a compressor, then head out to the pharmacy department of any store and get some spray foot powder, the type you would use for athlete's foot.  After your engine is nice and clean, spray around all of the gaskets and wherever you suspect leaks, avoiding the exhaust, until you leave a nice white powder.   Then just run the engine and wait.  The fresh oil will leave a wet trail in the dry powder, and will be easy to trace back to the source.  

[Kim K Kaiser]

thanks for the tricks of the trade tips,, they always seem so simple after some one tells you,, 

[Russ Austin]

The harmonic balancer leaks because there is a groove worn into the sealing surface. The seal has worn the groove.  You can get a repair sleeve to go over the balancer sealing surface.  Pioneer HB-4124  Another common place for an oil leak is the fuel pump rear mount bolt. It is not a blind bolt hole, as it goes directly into the crank case.  Seal that bolt with RTV.

[Tony and Ginny 429]

Very much like Mark’s and Russ’s very good strong trouble shooting tips on this engine oil leaking thread 

Reminding me ——it is important to keep the breathing element in the oil cap ( filler ) clean so it allows air to enter the crankcase allowing the PVC valve and carb to do there job of removing spent oil fumes from the crankcase 

 The Crankcase ventilation system —in our cars 

The Calif cars do not have a  ventilated breather cap but an air cleaner to valve cover tubing design 

Enjoy

[Kim K Kaiser]

Tony, whats the best way to clean that oil cap cover,, or is a replacement required? also,two years ago, i gave the bottom and engine a good gunk clean, its now clean, but this new oil leak has put more of a slick on it as opposed to a really nasty gunked up engine,   i have the gunk, so will give it a try, then, try the clean and powder trick,, 

Russ,, does the engine cover have to come out to replace that Sleeve??

that was part of my original question,  does the engine hive to be removed for this sleeve repair, and if necessary, have to replace the oil pan gasket.

secondly what is that semi circular plate that is behind the oil pan,, is it part of the transmission or part of the engine..??

[Tony and Ginny 429]

Clean the  oil caps internals with the gunk and water rinse and dry well  — reusable 

The half circle is part of the trans and covers the flywheel and front of the torque converter is an inspection plate 

Sure the sleeve can be done with the engine in the car 

Enjoy 

[Kim K Kaiser]

thanks Tony,

 is there a gasket on this inspection plate?  I'm guessing from the name, you can pretty easily remove this and its for looking into parts of the transmission.  would there be any reason for this to be leaking Trans fluid??  I'm just not familiar enough wither where fluids transport while in operation to know where of if fluid is ever there and if it can leak..

[Tony and Ginny 429]

No gasket 

You could be leaking engine oil or trans fluid from the weeping hole in the trans inspection plate 

If engine oil you have a leaking rear crank bearing seal 

if trans fluid you have a leaking front bearing on your torque converter 

The color of the liquid is the clue — pinkish is trans - dark brown is engine oil 

Enjoy 

[Kim K Kaiser]

ok,,,  im not sure it s actually leaking there, or just blowback from the engine leak,, i de gunk ed today, going to wipe dry, then do the powder application and see what falls out..

I'm sure i will have questions after i find the source, as to the appropriate repair method

[Russ Austin]

Engine oil in the trans inspection cover is a leaking engine rear main seal.