I need some help trying to track down the source of this leak, I recently bought my 53 Chevy 210 with a 235 and 3-Speed tranny. I noticed that the car had a small leak from the clutch housing (inspection shield) there was a slow drip out of the bottom of the housing shield (which I am pretty sure should have a plug in it??) I decided to put the car on jack stands and drain the oil (wasn't sure the last time it was drained) and took off the inspection shield. Is there a gasket that is supposed to be on this? (there wasn't one...) I took some pictures to help explain the issue, but I am stuck as to where the leak is coming from. Rear main bearing bad?? Please help. Sorry if the pictures suck...there is oil drips on the bolts in the pics. P.s. - speaking of oil, what type of oil should I put in this thing..I live in south Texas...shop manual calls for 20w... and how many quarts? Thanks.
No gasket its just a sheild. sounds like you got a rear main seal leak, there famous for that. Good luck there a bear to get sealed up without pulling the motor to pull the crank to do the job right. Ive got lucky and loosened the mains and let the crank drop a little and roll a new rope seal in but its a bitch. I use 30w or 15-40 in my 235s.
Unsafe: If it was a seal would there be oil sprayed all over the clutch and fly wheel? Mine are pretty dry.
Most likely a rear main seal. It is near impossible to make them stop leaking. A leaking rear main does not automatically mean oil on the clutch.... Degrease everything, change engine oil and add some dye. Check it for leaks with the black light that comes with the dye. An original '53 3spd car would be a babbit pounder 235. Don't try to spin the crap out of it going down the highway and it will live awhile...
Based on what I reserached the rear main seal was the only thing I could come up with, but I am new to this stuff so trying to learn. Now my only worry is how to get this fixed on a budget...that or just keep putting oil in it. Thanks for the info Snarl, where can I get this dye from? Also, what is a babbit pounder 235?
clean everything up, run the motor with car raised on 4 jack stands with inspection cover off and see where leak is coming from. if it leaks in front of flywheel more than likely bad rear main seal, if leaking from front of tranny it will need to replace the gaskets.
I was thinking of the same idea, I'm just kind of bummed that if it is the seal I gotta pull the motor out to get it fixed
you don't have to pull the motor. rope seals can be changed with the right tools in the car. a "sneaky pete" chinese finger type tool that wraps around the crank and pulls the seal around , a remote starter button and some patience.
due to my youthfull enthusiasm i usually drove a shim or two in the upper seal, there is a antique Lisle tool for that, then replace the lower 1/2 i have even drove some extra seal in the top 1/2, makes sure to trim so none is between bearing caps also the center mains come loose sometimes and will Rap when accelerating, solution, pull the center cap shims best thing is to find a good 90 year old mechanic to help you deal with this high tech stuff
How bad does it leak, how many miles to quart of oil. ??? 100? 1000? 10? This is a backyard fixable problem. The oil pan comes down easy and the seal replacement is not hard. it rolls in on the top while you or a helper slowly turns the engine by the front pulley. But it is still gonna leak. a little. That;s what they do. This keeps the frame from rusting away
I thought that particular leak was intended to keep the starter drive unit lubed? Old chevys leak, some more than others. How big of a puddle does it leave when you park it? It might be worth trying to fix, or it may not. If it leaves a good sized puddle every time you park it then you probably want to try to fix the seal. Less than 3 inches diameter = small puddle.
If your rear main leaks, the oil will run on the engine side of the flywheel and drip onto the pan you removed. With the engine running the oil will be thrown out into the bell housing and run down into that same pan. If your transmission was leaking it would be thicker than engine oil. There are some chemicals that claim to stop such leaks that might be worth a try.
Well, I just recently purchased the car, I have only drivin it around the block a couple of times. The front needs a complete rebuild. I drained out all the oil today and pull the housing shield to inspect the leak, I am going to drop the pan tomorrow and inspect somemore. Where can I pick up a new seal? Would they have them at local parts store?
They might not have it in stock as there probably isn't a lot of call for them today. Newer engines use a different type of seal. They can likely get a pan gasket and seal set in a day or two.
I mean a part of me agrees with some of you, in that when I noticed the leak, I checked the oil cold and the after the car had ran. The stick showed full both times. It looks to me that the leak is small and slow right now, but my worry is it may get bigger and faster. Some would say not to worry about it. This is where some highly descriptive pics would be great! but it's never that easy haha...
It's not an oil leak. You've discovered the "Dynamic chassis lubrication system". If it's not a bad leak, just drive it a while and see what happens. If it wasn't someones regular driver then the leak may slow up a bit as everything starts working again. Shawn
Another chime for this one. Looking at photos I say front seal on trans. If you look at the teeth on the flywheel there dry. Which leads to this ? that goes with above comment. Is the front of flywheel dry ? If so it's not the engine.
Upon my inspection there is some residue on the teeth, not sure if its from this potential issue or not. I can run my across the front of the flywheel and see if there is any oil on it. Which I am assuming there shouldn't be.
I replaced the rear main seal in my 235 a few months ago - it was leaking a LOT. Pushed in a new neoprene seal top and bottom by just dropping the oil pan and the rear cap, bolted it all back up and hey-presto, it hardly leaks at all now. To say it didn't leak would be a slight exaggeration. Good luck. Have a look at page 7 of my build thread (link below). Mark.
Rock Auto has the neoprene seal. I tried getting one from our local parts store, he could not get one. My son needs to fix the rear main on his old truck....yeah, it's my fault it leaks.
Take the bearing cap off and then get a gas weld filler rod about 1/16" in diameter and rind a point on it. Pull the old rope seal out of the cap and measure how long it is. Cut the welding rod the same length. Lay on your back under the car and gently tap the welding rod behind the rope seal in the block. Use a small hammer. When it comes all the way around and you can see the end, stop. Install the new rope seal in the bearing cap using one of those tools shown in Chevrolet shop manuals, or just a round pipe to roll it in. Leave about 1/16" extra length beyond the bearing cap. Now put it back together. Use oil on it of course. Or before you do any of the above check to see if the oil is coming from the rear of the valve cover and travelling down the bell housing which leaves the exact same oil spots on the garage floor. They are not state of the art "Yuppiemobiles". Most of the rope seal Chevrolets and GMCs will put oil spots on the garage floor. If the spot gets bigger than 2" diameter between times you use the car then the entire seal needs to be replaced. The neoprene seal is only for later model 235s. The block must be machined for the vinyl seal and this was done at the factory. Sometimes the vinyl seal works in older models but this is just luck because the cast groove is the right size.
also if you can, drop the pan one evening then work on it the next day. you will still get dripped on... but not as much.
I just pushed it in by hand and used wellseal to seal. Mine is a '54 engine and the neoprene seal works fine. I can only speak from experience.
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