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So I strarted my car for the first time and...

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by dirttoo, Jan 12, 2014.

  1. dirttoo
    Joined: Feb 17, 2009
    Posts: 136

    dirttoo
    Member

    It has a huge oil leak. It is a '60 Falcon with a small block Chevy. It has a cheapie finned aluminum oil pan. When I started it oil ran out of the bolt holes, not the gasket or seals. I removed a few bolts at a time and cleaned inside with carb cleaner and air. I squirted silicone sealer in the holes and put the bolts back in. The next day I started it again and three bolts still leaked so I repeated the procedure on those three again. The next day those same three still leaked, not just a drip but almost a steady stream. Today I dropped the oil pan to see what I could see. Everything liked right. Gasket was all in place compressed around all bolt holes like it should. It loos like those holes don't even break thru to the inside of the block. The inside of the pan looked right also. What could be causing the oil to be leaking around the bolts? Help Please! thank you.
     
  2. squirrel
    Joined: Sep 23, 2004
    Posts: 55,935

    squirrel
    Member

    look...you answered your own question.


    but did you check to see if the bolts are bottoming in the block, before they get tight against the pan? like if they're too long
     
  3. HammerDown
    Joined: Jun 5, 2007
    Posts: 393

    HammerDown
    Member

    Those finned aluminum pans are a GUARANTEED oil leak. They suck. Drop it, throw it in the scrap pile and install a nice painted OEM steel pan.

    Problem solved, problem staying solved.
     
  4. olscrounger
    Joined: Feb 23, 2008
    Posts: 4,770

    olscrounger
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    what they said--those pans are junk
     

  5. Yeah,I gotta agree with the other guys,,you need a better oil pan. HRP
     
  6. dirttoo
    Joined: Feb 17, 2009
    Posts: 136

    dirttoo
    Member

    I did check. I ran a tap up into the holes and the tap goes farther than the length of the bolt. I am using the bolts that came with the pan, I wonder if they may be sloppy in the threads?

    I really don't understand how the oil gets to the hole to be able to come out around the bolt?
     
  7. squirrel
    Joined: Sep 23, 2004
    Posts: 55,935

    squirrel
    Member

    I dont know how they messed when they made the pan...but I do know that an old original pan usually can be sealed.
     
  8. Atwater Mike
    Joined: May 31, 2002
    Posts: 11,625

    Atwater Mike
    Member

    My son bought one at a swap meet in Vallejo...it was a name brand, he wanted it for the 327 in his '27 Nose job.
    Pan was excellent, it was 'showy'. No leaks. Until he ran over the tall speed bump...just rolling slow, he heard it scrape, then stopped to check it. Oil was running out at an alarming rate, like he severed a Chevrolet artery!
    The pan plug screwed in horizontally, right at the bottom, drivers side. The speed bump rolled the pan plug out, luckily the plug was right there, on the ground! Not stripped, just unscrewed!
    All he did was screw it back in...and drive straight home.
    Rich wasted no time in replacing the 'beautiful polished aluminum goody' with a new steel one!
    Damndest thing I ever heard...Sure looked good, though...
     
  9. if oil is coming out of the bolt holes it shouldn't matter what oil pan you are using cheapie or not. I doubt the oil is actually leaking out of the bolt holes. Rather it's leak is forward of the bolts and dripping off the bolts. There were 2 different size front rubber gaskets that came with most felpro and other brand gasket kits. A fat one and a thin one. If you use the thin one when you need the fat one it will leak. If you use the fat one when you need the thin one you will break the cheapie aluminum pan when you tighten the bolts and it will leak. I've done that.

    this will show the 2 size front seals
    http://www.chevytalk.org/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/275202/
     
  10. I'm with these guys. Pan is junk.
     
  11. Hotrodbuilderny
    Joined: Mar 20, 2009
    Posts: 1,646

    Hotrodbuilderny
    Member

    A friend of mine went through two on his 57,I told him to put a stock pan on it.
     
  12. kiwicowboy
    Joined: Nov 28, 2008
    Posts: 349

    kiwicowboy
    Member
    from linwood nc

    I have installed many ally oil pans with no problems,I would check your work before condemning the product.
     
  13. Jalopy Joker
    Joined: Sep 3, 2006
    Posts: 31,178

    Jalopy Joker
    Member

    put a Ford motor in it - Ha! look at summitracing.com for different type of gasket. possibly a one piece rubber/steel core would work.
     
    Last edited: Jan 12, 2014
  14. How can this possibly the fault of the pan?
     
  15. squirrel
    Joined: Sep 23, 2004
    Posts: 55,935

    squirrel
    Member

    drain plug is too low?
     
  16. Malcolm
    Joined: Feb 9, 2006
    Posts: 8,032

    Malcolm
    Member
    from Nebraska

    It's the Chevy engine's way of telling you it shouldn't be in a Ford Falcon! ;)



    Malcolm
     
  17. fab32
    Joined: May 14, 2002
    Posts: 13,985

    fab32
    Member Emeritus

    Negative!! A Chevy transplant is the universal cure all. Done properly ALL aspects of the finished product will be positive.

    Frank
     

  18. No such thing, the pan has a measurement that doesn't change. The distance to the ground changes based on suspension travel and road conditions.
    It must be an Install error and not measuring.
    Engine installed too low
    Chassis set up wrong
    Suspension dropped too far - car too low
    Suspension too soft for normal road conditions.
    Some body went pishhhhh when the should have went phitttt
     
    Last edited: Jan 12, 2014
  19. Engine man
    Joined: Jan 30, 2011
    Posts: 3,480

    Engine man
    Member
    from Wisconsin

    I always set the pan on the block without a gasket to see if there are any gaps. A steel pan can be persuaded into position. An aluminum pan might need sanding. A good pan will have a machined surface as the castings shrink as they cool. Some aluminum is too smooth. I like to roughen the surface with 80 grit sandpaper, clean it with a solvent and glue the gasket to the pan with 3M weatherstrip adhesive. If I need to replace the gasket it's easier to take the pan off and clean it with a wire wheel.
     
  20. maniac
    Joined: Jul 11, 2005
    Posts: 539

    maniac
    Member


    That would be a BIG puddle on start up.:eek:

    Probably hair line cracks around the bolt holes, could be from overtighning or just crappy casting.
     
  21. I'm wondering why it only leaks when running? Is it possible the we don't have crankcase ventilation and the oil in the pan is under pressure?
     
  22. VoodooTwin
    Joined: Jul 13, 2011
    Posts: 3,453

    VoodooTwin
    Member
    from Noo Yawk

    I have those "cheapy" oil pans in 2 of my rods. They don't leak. Not a drop. As mentioned already, check your gasket.
     
  23. Mercchev
    Joined: Dec 22, 2004
    Posts: 605

    Mercchev
    Member

    Gotta go with the OEM guys...learned that lesson twice. Finned ones look cool, but tough to keep from leaking. Steel pans in all my cars now, no more leaks!
     
  24. dirttoo
    Joined: Feb 17, 2009
    Posts: 136

    dirttoo
    Member

    uh oh? It does have sealed valve covers and no pcv valve but the intake has the breather stem on the front of it. Is that enough?

    The gasket looks correct, the oil come from three of the bolt holes on the drivers side, not even three in a row.

    I will check for cracks in the pan but all looked fine with a quick inspection.

    I would switch back to stock if I had a stock pan.

    I would still like to know how the oil comes out of the bolt holes.
     
  25. Jalopy Joker
    Joined: Sep 3, 2006
    Posts: 31,178

    Jalopy Joker
    Member

    for true ventilation of motor need to ad rear breather tube by distributor too. look at other early motors for seeing what this looks like, and where mounted.
     
  26. norms30a
    Joined: Jul 17, 2008
    Posts: 588

    norms30a
    Member

    I am going to go with the ventilation guys, my oil pan started leaking around the dip stick suddenly one day, and when I opened the hood I found the pvc hose off. It hooks to the oil fill cap and I forgot to hook it up when I added a quart. Hooked it up and the leak stopped.
     
  27. Hotrodbuilderny
    Joined: Mar 20, 2009
    Posts: 1,646

    Hotrodbuilderny
    Member

    This 57 has breathers and a pcv system, that's the first thing I tell people to check,this is a fresh motor, he replaced the rear main seal twice, and the pan gasket twice with Fel Pro gaskets,he changed the pan, it still seams to be oozing out the bolts towards the rear. I told him to put a stock pan on it at least this way he can either eliminate it as the problem, or know for sure.Oil is a pan in the ass to detect unless you see the actual drip it spreads so fast.He pulled the tranny back to see if any of the plugs looked wet,it's dry,we'll see what happens when he changes the pan.
     
  28. MAD 034
    Joined: Aug 30, 2011
    Posts: 775

    MAD 034
    Member
    from Washington

    Milodon makes a nice stamped steel OEM looking pan for a SBC -- I put one on my 283 in my coupe and it sealed up nicely.
     
  29. unkledaddy
    Joined: Jul 21, 2006
    Posts: 2,865

    unkledaddy
    Member

    Mr. Gasket here.
     
  30. dirttoo
    Joined: Feb 17, 2009
    Posts: 136

    dirttoo
    Member

    If it's a ventilation issue wouldn't a stock pan do the same thing?
     

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