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Oil Pan Leak

5K views 43 replies 13 participants last post by  Steve V 
#1 ·
Well, I'm still dealing with my oil leak. Steve, you'll be pleased to know I used my UV lite and found the leak. I got a new oil pan, thinking that the old one may have been damaged, but it is the wrong oil pan. It does not have the baffle. So I had a couple of rubber gaskets and thought I would try it one more time with the stocker. The UV tells me it is coming from the oil pan gasket just behind the oil pump, right below the engine mount. Using the UV, I can see the oil coming out. There is not oil above this point. I guess I will have to get another oil pan. I really don't know if the oil pan is damaged, but I don't know why else it would leak. I have done this many times and I have never had it leak before this last install. I used cork and rubber and both leaked. Comments welcome
On the positive side, I installed my new Flex-a-lite fans with the Casper harness. They are really nice fans and they drop right in. Thanks ED for steering me towards them. Now with the new fans, the RJC fm fits really nice with plenty of room for the pipes.
 
#2 ·
the pan should be flush against the skirt of the block...you said it wobbled, so that does not sound right.

I would tell you to throw the gaskets away and use silicone...but, you might want me to come up there and get it off someday :)

UV lite...you gonna be the highest tech mechanic on the Board...with the exception of Jimmy Testa :)

Glad the new fans fit better. :cheers:
 
#3 ·
Well the weird thing is that when I put the other oil pan up there it wobbled the same way. I figured maybe that's just the way they feel before they are bolted down. I don't get it. I examined the block and pan very carefully and can see nothing wrong. When you put the gasket, before torquing it down, on the pan it negates the wobble. Do you think I should try bolting the other pan down just to see if it leaks? It is the same pan, but without a baffle. I have one more rubber gasket left.
 
#4 ·
I would think it should pull into place...you should be able to reuse the rubber gaskets, I believe.

I would not mess with the other pan...

Did you try snugging the bolts down a little more in the area of the leak?
 
#5 ·
Steve Wood said:
I would think it should pull into place...you should be able to reuse the rubber gaskets, I believe.

I would not mess with the other pan...

Did you try snugging the bolts down a little more in the area of the leak?
Well I tightened them a little, but I'm afraid I'll just end up squishing the gasket. I'll try snugging them up tomorrow. It probably won't work so I guess I'll try to get another pan. :(
If the pan won't fit right, then it must be warped. Can you think of anything else that could cause this.
 
#6 ·
chrisgarrett46 said:
If the pan won't fit right, then it must be warped. Can you think of anything else that could cause this.
Have you check the pick up to pan clearance? Make sure your not hitting the pick up before you bolt it down.
 
#7 ·
YI_work said:
Have you check the pick up to pan clearance? Make sure your not hitting the pick up before you bolt it down.
When I noticed that the pan was wobbly, I wondered about the pickup. But if the bolt holes line up then it seems unlikely that the pickup is causing this. Anyway, surely I wouldn't be hitting the pickup in three separate installs. I don't suppose it's possible that the pickup is too long.
 
#8 ·
Chris you can have my pan..it's the least I can do :yup: I'll need to unbolt it from the spare block. Kept it on so I wouldn't damage it. Just sitting in the garage getting Georgia red dirt all over it. Here's a pic when I picked it up in Nov from Mike.
 

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#9 ·
Jim, Let me talk to Brian Weaver on Monday. He sent me the wrong one. I already paid him, so maybe he'll want to send me another. I appreciate your offer. If I can just get a refund from Brian, I'll take your pan, but I insist on paying for the pan and shipping. Chris
 
#10 · (Edited)
After getting the old pan, block bolt surface and gasket clean and dry as a bone (use carb cleaner to get the oil out of the metal pours) I would put a real thick smear of " The Right Stuff" on both sides of the gasket in that area and than some; than assemble it as fast as (Hell) you can. :D If you use cork you could smear both sides of the whole gasket with RTV.
For me nothing beats the stock gasket on a stock pan installed dry, never had a leak and I like rubber better than cork any day in most cases. Rubber and RTV does not go together very well, in this case I would try it to fill a gap.. :usa:
I would try going around the pan and tighting the bolts a few times before taking it apart though (SW suggestion). I go around three or four times on the tighten up procedure with an inch pound torque wrench on a pan before the torque takes.
The stock pan has numbs that match holes in the OEM stock rubber gasket and it would be real hard to over torque the stock setup. :usa:
 
#11 ·
Mine is leaking here.
 

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#13 · (Edited)
william brophy said:
After getting the old pan, block bolt surface and gasket clean and dry as a bone (use carb cleaner to get the oil out of the metal pours) I would put a real thick smear of " The Right Stuff" on both sides of the gasket in that area and than some; than assemble it as fast as (Hell) you can. :D If you use cork you could smear both sides of the whole gasket with RTV.
For me nothing beats the stock gasket on a stock pan installed dry, never had a leak and I like rubber better than cork any day in most cases. Rubber and RTV does not go together very well, in this case I would try it to fill a gap.. :usa:
I would try going around the pan and tighting the bolts a few times before taking it apart though (SW suggestion). I go around three or four times on the tight up procedure with an inch pound torque wrench on a pan before the torque takes.
The stock pan has numbs that match holes in the OEM stock rubber gasket and it would be real hard to over torque the stock setup. :usa:
I will try tightening the bolts, but I really think they will be too tight. I have installed my oil pan many times and never had a leak. Now, I have been thru 2 cork and 1 rubber gasket and all three leaked in the same place. If there is a leak, don't you agree it must be the pan? I mean why else would this be happening?
 
#14 · (Edited)
chrisgarrett46 said:
I will try tightening the bolts, but I really think they will be too tight. I have installed my oil pan many times and never had a leak. Now, I have been thru 2 cork and 1 rubber gasket and all three leaked in the same place. If there is a leak, don't you agree it must be the pan? I mean why else would this be happening?
Don't know, I am not there to look but I have a suggestion if the tighten up does not work. Take good pics of that area of the pan (plus whole bolt surface of the oil pan) and the same for the block bolt surface than someone might see something also use a straight edge on each side rail of the pan and ends too.
 
#15 ·
Just a shot in the dark here but do you think you may have pulled some of the thread out of one of your bolt holes? It might be difficult to see if it was over the cross member and could explain why both pans rocked. It could hold the pan enough that the gasket would not get enough crush. Or maybe the side of the pan lip is resting against the motorsupport just enough to keep it from going flush and sealing. :dunno:
 
#16 ·
corsair231 said:
Just a shot in the dark here but do you think you may have pulled some of the thread out of one of your bolt holes? It might be difficult to see if it was over the cross member and could explain why both pans rocked. It could hold the pan enough that the gasket would not get enough crush. Or maybe the side of the pan lip is resting against the motorsupport just enough to keep it from going flush and sealing. :dunno:
I have to admit they sound unlikely, but weird things do happen. If I end up taking the pan off again (looks like I will), I will check these things too. Not sure how the pan could make contact with the motor mount though.
 
#18 ·
Chris, not to doubt you...but listen. One time I bought a front cover from Poston,and the supplied me with a GM gasket(for the front cover). I did not line it up against the Fel pro,but it was different down by the oil pump area. Only slightly and it LEAKED!!! It was not a pressure leak. Had to drive the car. I did not find this until I removed to front cover 3 months later. Looked just like an oil pan leak. :6:
 
#19 ·
Steve V said:
Chris, not to doubt you...but listen. One time I bought a front cover from Poston,and the supplied me with a GM gasket(for the front cover). I did not line it up against the Fel pro,but it was different down by the oil pump area. Only slightly and it LEAKED!!! It was not a pressure leak. Had to drive the car. I did not find this until I removed to front cover 3 months later. Looked just like an oil pan leak. :6:
I also used a GM gasket. You could be right about this. Maybe there's a leak just at the bottom there and it's running out along the seam. I will try another tightening the bolts, then another pan and if that fails, I will replace front cover gasket.
I thought the GM was the best choice. Are you saying the Felpro is better?
 
#20 ·
He said it was made differently in this case.

That is certainly an area of possibility :)
 
#21 ·
Maybe I missed it??? But did you try to seat the other oil pan with out a seal as well to see how it fit??? If they both wobble I would think that something is hitting the pan stopping it from seating. I would put a bet on something on the right front..basical same same as others have said..
 
#22 ·
Ttype83 said:
Maybe I missed it??? But did you try to seat the other oil pan with out a seal as well to see how it fit??? If they both wobble I would think that something is hitting the pan stopping it from seating. I would put a bet on something on the right front..basical same same as others have said..
I only have experience with my oil pan(s) and I never noticed that it was not a perfectly flat fit without the gasket in place. Maybe they are all like that. If you had asked me before I checked, I would have sworn that my oil pan fit perfectly. The wobble is from side-to-side and it is about an 1/8" or less of deflection. I thinking maybe they all are like that and tightening the bolts straightens them up. :dunno:
Not sure but I will check on all things mentioned here. As a last resort, I will replace front cover gasket. :(
I spoke with Brian and he is sending me the correct pan. With the holiday and getting everything cleaned up, this is going to take a few days. I should have the car finished just in time to put it away for the winter. :rant:
 
#23 ·
I am sure they all have a little "twist" :)

If a gentle snugging will not compress the gasket enuf to seal, I would begin to wonder about the front cover being a possibility.
 
#24 ·
So what front cover gasket should I use? GM or Felpro?
 
#25 ·
Okay, I re-tightened the pan bolts and snugged up the ps lower front cover bolt and it was still leaking. I put on my UV goggles and light and I can see a thin line of oil behind the cover. So it's not the pan, it's the cover. It leaks down onto the pan gasket and trails back along the gasket line.
This really hurts, because I did everything by the book and it leaks. This is really a labor-intensive, time-wasting job, just to replace a damn gasket.

Thanks for the tip Steve V.
 
#26 · (Edited)
Should I go with the Felpro gasket? If so, what is the part number, please. Also, does anyone know the part number for the themostate housing o-ring. May as well do that too. I think it has a drip.

Can I remove the front cover without removing the water pump? And what about the fuel lines? Can I just take off the holding bracket from the front cover?

I only put in 1 ounce of the UV dye and the entire crankcase is draining orange. Creepy. I will probably cause me to wipe a lobe.
 
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