Oil gusher again
 

This 1930 Model A coupe came from my brother in law and he had the engine rebuilt in the 1990’s. It always had an oil leak. He said the rebuilder did not replace the camshaft gasket that fits between the back of the block and the flywheel housing.

So about a year ago I pull the engine and installed a new camshaft gasket. Got it running last week but did not drive it. Today I drove it to the gas station, a mile away, and filled the gas tank. Parked it in the driveway for an hour to check for leaks, no leaks. Then backed into the shop and then the oil gusher occurred?? Big leak.

I am 80 years old and don’t have in in me to pull that engine again. Live in Bishop, CA and looking for some one to fix the oil leak. I have a car carring trailer to haul the thing. I have heard that it is possible to machine out the camshaft hole and install a freeze plug.

Down day for me.

Re: Oil gusher again
 

The good news is, you don't have to do any machine work on the block to put a steel plug in the back of the cam line.
The bad news is, you have to pull the valves and cam. Machine .300 off the rear of the cam and make a shallow cup plug to fit the block.
It absolutely fixes any leaks at that point.

Re: Oil gusher again
 

Are you sure the oil leak is coming from the same place? Maybe there were two leaks and you fixed only one. Did you inspect the rear main bearing cap, slinger, drain tube etc? Is the oil filler cap pushed on too far? There are many possible causes of an oil leak and I'd want to be darned sure I knew where the problem was before going to all the effort of removing the engine.
I'm sure now I have started in this direction, others will chime in with ideas.
Good luck with your "leaky rear end".

Re: Oil gusher again
 

I'm thinking along the same line as Synchro, and, could the oil level be too high ?

Re: Oil gusher again
 

This was my first thought also. When I change oil I add 4 quarts of oil and a bottle of STP oil treatment (Blue bottle, 15 oz.) That seems to be perfect on the dip stick. It sometimes drips for a few days after the oil change but then the oil finds it "happy level" and we get down to a small drip... I am almost 74 and totally understand this concept, LOL... Chap

Re: Oil gusher again
 

There is approximately one quart of motor oil that does not drain from the engine because it is trapped on the tray containing the connecting rod oil troughs, and some is trapped in the valve chamber. The dip stick does not indicate the trapped oil. So only 4 quarts of motor oil are necessary for an oil change.


However, with 4 quarts of oil in the pan, I find with both of my Model A's having Model B engines, the motor oil will leak until the level is about halfway between the L and F marks on the dip sticks. This indicates that more than 3 quarts, but less than 4 quarts of oil are necessary for an oil change. My practice is to pour-in the 4th quart until the oil level on the dip stick is about 3/4 of the way up to the F mark.


For an active Model A or Model B engine, there is always motor oil in the valve chamber, so the main bearings and camshaft bearings will not

run dry. Without this trapped oil, the engine would likely start with inadequate oil feeds to the main and camshaft bearings. So the Ford engineers intentionally designed the A & B motors it to have trapped motor oil.



The exception to this dialog is the engine that has been in storage or on a first start after rebuilding or overhaul. To assure there is motor oil in the valve chamber and oil pan tray, one quart is poured down the distributor's hole. This fills the valve chamber directly, and it fills the connecting rod troughs via the overflow tube.

Re: Oil gusher again
 

Drain the oil level down a bit,check rear of valve cover for a Crack around the bolt hole. Give it a test drive.
Wick