Why do I keep popping oil pan seals?

[flamedabone]

What the fuck???

I've had this motor together for a year and a half. It's been everywhere, never any trouble. Now this seal bussiness...

Somewhere along the Route 66 Cruise, she spits a pan seal. (not rear main bearing/crank seal) The rubber one that goes over the rear main cap. I limp her up to St. Joe Missouri to Mikeys house and stick in another pan gasket and seal. She went about a hundred miles and she shit that one out too. This is the seal style that has little "spikes" that go through the pan to keep the seal where it belongs. It is blowing the seal right between the little spikey things.

What the fuck??

This is the same PONTIAC motor I have had forever..same working PCV on the pass side, same oil filler/vent on the drivers side. I checked them both and they are working fine.

She runs the same 40psi at idle, 60 psi on the road it always has. I havent changed anything..WTF??

I got Jed Clampett and some bubbling crude coming outta this thing..

Thanks, -Abone.

[flt-blk]

Is your PCV plugged causing a pressure build in the crank
case?
TZ

[32viper]

Lil, probably something minor like a hole in the top of a piston! We'll solve it Saturday before lunch at Subway. Glad you're back. Can't wait for details.

[Stevie G]

If it's the "Same engine" you've always had, someting may have broke.
Pull the oil fill and put your hand over it.
When the rings siezed on my 400, it would blow the oil dipstick out of the tube part way.
Smoked to beat all hell.
PCV was working fine, just couldn't handle all the extra volume.

[colorado51]

Too much crankcase pressure in that bad old PONTIAC!

Make sure the PCV and breathers are working.

[choprods]

cracked ring?

[Bruce Lancaster]

If you can run it with hood off, remove&plug PCV and remove filler cap and breather, then take it for a run and see if highway speeds or whatever produce any obvious storm out the holes. If yes, unplug one cylinder at a time and see if problem goes away. This might be either overall accumulated engine wear or a specific local failure in one cylinder. Eyeballing the plugs might give you an idea of which cylinder you might want to unplug first.

[OGNC]

When Lancaster speaks (or in this case types) you ought to listen... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

[flamedabone]

The engine has no blow by, doesn't smoke and runs very well. Actually picked up from 103 mph to 107 mph at the Drags this year.

This is driving me nuts...Old cars...I hate em..

[Junkyard Dog 32]

If it were me?
I'd weld a little tab to the lip of the oil pan, in the spot it blows out, to support the seal.

Then run it till something actually breaks... Then fix it.

That's just me. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif


JOEhttp://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

[Gregg Pellicer]

Is the seal actually blowing out from between pan block,or is oil just leaking ?If just leaking have you tried using a thin film of silicone between pan &seal?

[Reggie]

Abone,
certainly sounds like a crankcase ventilation problem. Did you change out anything recently? Even though the PCV is clear you may not be getting the proper vaccum to the PCV. Could the hose be plugged? Are you sure the intake (or carb) has vaccum where the PCV hose is connected?

[MERC56MO]

Bone...JB Weld. No seriously have you done a compression test? This is what an old 292 did to me when I cracked a piston.