I've been thinking I might make a run from Omaha to the west coast to visit family. I'd planned to drive my coupe out there because I'd driven it to Joplin for the HAMB drags a few times with no problems. Checked fluid levels and the plan was to do an "exploratory" run 150 miles west to Grand Island, Nebraska just to make sure everything was ok with the car. Every since I put the motor [Pontiac 370 cu in] together the rope rear main seal has dripped a little but not enough to worry about. I was planning to put my highway gears in the quick change but got lazy....left the 3.54s in and set off for Grand Island. At highway speeds the engine was buzzing more than I was comfortable with [3300-3500 rpm] but what the hell. Everything went pretty good until I pulled into a gas station at G.I. for some $4.70 fuel. I could hear the rear gear a little louder than I liked and at idle the oil pressure was lower than usual. I fired it back up and came home. I noticed the exhaust would puff a little smoke on deceleration ........ that's new. I made it home ok and the next day I checked the oil to see it was ok, in fact it was over full. Hmmmm....the engine is MAKING it's own oil??? Welp, I've been through this before with an old ford pickup I once owned. I have a hole in the mechanical fuel pump's diaphram! Pumping raw fuel into the crankcase! I sniffed the dipstick and the oil fill to confirm my suspicions. Smelled like gasoline. I was pissed and parked the car in the garage for almost 2 weeks without even looking at it. Today I actually decided to work off my 9 point list of shit to fix and number 1 was jack the beast up. Number 2 was drain engine oil, trans oil and drain rear axle. I got the engine oil drained to find the genuine plastic washer under my drain plug has a crack in it. I'm sure I'll find other stuff wrong too. As I think about it I shouldn't be mad at all....the car got me 300 miles of fun and was able to get me home. Tomorrow is another day.
Better to find the problems on your exploratory run than on your big one. That's why you did it -right ? Now get stuck into that list and knock them all off. Then take that Ponty powered coupe on the big run.
No tow truck, hopefully no damage and you know what's wrong. You got off light. Fingers crossed that your rod & main bearings are ok.
That could have been a whole lot worse. Thank your lucky stars, Rocky, and safe travels when you get things sorted and head West again.
My sedan has oil spots like that underneath every place I park it. And my drain plug gasket is actually not one of them.
I got the engine oil leaks fixed with a new pan gasket and rear main seal, but the 39 trans leaks like a sieve from multiple places. Also, not questioning you but, 3500 rpm sounds pretty high for 3.54 gears. Are your rear tires really small? Or were you running 85-90 mph?
@Dan Hay I wouldn’t put it past him! Those Omaha hot rodders got a foot so heavy they sound like a pirate walking across the room. (Think one foot and one loud peg leg ) It’s frustrating when your find the gremlins run is fruitful, at least your legs won’t go up the wall when you lay down under the car to wrench in that garage mahal of yours no hill for a stepper like @porknbeaner tells me
That's it....get rid of it! Just give me a call and I'll remove that pestering thing! Hey, this is what these old jalopies do. Mostly just for fun and to keep you on your toes.
Pontiac engines don't have oil leaks, they mark territory. In real news, if that car has a 28 inch tall tire he was cruising along at about 82 mph and if had a 27 inch tire he was doing 79. http://www.advanced-ev.com/Calculators/TireSize/
Sounds like your plan to do some test runs was a great plan, and it didn't leave you stranded either. So really a success, although not the results you hoped for. But not a total loss, and sounds like it wont be an expensive or time consuming fix either.
Rocky, your coupe is like my old 1956 Harley, if there is no oil on the ground there is no oil in the engine/transmission. HRP
Man those drips are noting compared to my garage soot under the flathead. Been drippijg for years! Lol.
Ya know what’s funny, I had a 221 FH Ford, never leaked a drop on the cement. Bought an engine in a chassis, pulled the engine out it and put it in my ‘42 PU. Had it for 5 or 6 years before sending it down the road, but never had signs of an oil leak. Whoever put that engine together did it right.
That’s kinda what I was thinking. I would be pretty embarrassed to show how much oil and oil dry is where I park my car.
Cardboard under my old cars to soak up the drips. I think the test was successful. Although it creates a lot of work. Better to fix in your garage than on the road.
I worked in a gas station in 1963. A guy came in every day in a '54 Chevy to get a buck worth of gas and a quart of reclaimed oil. Had a pretty good leak. His oil always looked brand new. Never needed to change it.
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