The Ford Barn

philcobill · 08-11-2021, 05:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greg Jones

I am not sure about aluminum torque values, as I have never had an aluminum head. Hopefully another forum member can offer advice. Do you know what type of head you have so someone can help with a torque value?

Greg,
I have been trying to figure out exactly which type of head it is. There are two "marking" on it. One is the letter "R" with a circle around it, and the other is the 1964, which I imagine is the year of manufacture. It looks very much like a stock Model A head.

philcobill · 08-11-2021, 05:45 AM

Well, I just drained the crankshaft oil and the coolant out of Little Willie. The coolant was most clear, with a rusty tinge. No oil noted. The crankcase oil had a small amount of water at the bottom; I imagine no more than a cup or so. (It could be more, but I have no way of accurately measuring it. I think that the coolant was mostly going out the tailpipe, even though we did not see white vapor coming out. In my uneducated estimation, I believe it could have been worse.

So, the next step is what? A boat racing friend suggested filling the crankcase up at least two times with cheap oil, and turn the engine over to get rid of any residual coolant which might cause corrosion. He called it a dry run and something apparently boat racers do, if water gets into the crankcase. That makes sense to me.
⁠
Obviously, we will pull the head and see what is going on. Given that the car ran well and the compression was still good even with the water in the cylinder, I am leaning towards a "simple" blown head gasket. Or at least I hope so.

philcobill · 08-11-2021, 05:49 AM

I don't feel comfortable working on this by myself, and our local Model A mechanic is busy with other projects for the next several weeks. So, Little Willie will take a rest in our garage until we can work on him.

It will be interesting to see if the oil leaking out of the rear main seal and the water getting into the cylinder and crankcase are related. I imagine they could be. More later.

philcobill · 08-11-2021, 06:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by denniskliesen

In your case I’d drop the pan and look for the tube on the rear main. Look for metal in the dipper tray and in the pan. Check end play with a dial indicator. Have someone with a lot of experience do this if you don’t feel you are capable of the task. Does not matter what is wrong to make it leak as bad as you claim. Everything mechanical fails eventually, sometimes sooner or later.

We will definitely pull the oil pan. It will be interesting to discover what is going on.

Benson · 08-11-2021, 07:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by philcobill

I have not touched any of the head bolts for torquing them except for the one with the ignition switch cable and I torqued it down to whatever the specified number was.

About loosening head nuts:

Did you drain the radiator BEFORE loosening the head nut on distributor cable?

If nut is loosened (even one nut) with coolant in radiator there will be a leak.

The longer the nut is left loose with coolant in radiator (like over night) the more it will leak.

Always drain coolant first.

philcobill · 08-11-2021, 07:20 AM

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Benson

About loosening head nuts:

Did you drain the radiator BEFORE loosening the head nut on distributor cable?

If nut is loosened (even one nut) with coolant in radiator there will be a leak.

The longer the nut is left loose with coolant in radiator (like over night) the more it will leak.

Always drain coolant first.

Check. The coolant has been drained from the radiator.

31Tudor · 08-11-2021, 09:00 AM

It will be interesting to see if the oil leaking out of the rear main seal and the water getting into the cylinder and crankcase are related. I imagine they could be. More later.[/QUOTE]

In my opinion, there is no correlation between a rear oil main leak and water issues. The rear main leak is probably from either a rear cap that needs to be adjusted, or the babbit has cracked or chipped, or something with the drain tube. One will not solve the other.

philcobill · 08-11-2021, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Benson

About loosening head nuts:

The longer the nut is left loose with coolant in radiator (like over night) the more it will leak.

Where would the leak happen in such a case? Could the leak happen at Number 1 cylinder and none of the others?

08-11-2021, 05:45 AM	#42
philcobill Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2021 Location: Walworth, New York Posts: 138	Re: Do I panic? - Rear main oil leak. Well, I just drained the crankshaft oil and the coolant out of Little Willie. The coolant was most clear, with a rusty tinge. No oil noted. The crankcase oil had a small amount of water at the bottom; I imagine no more than a cup or so. (It could be more, but I have no way of accurately measuring it. I think that the coolant was mostly going out the tailpipe, even though we did not see white vapor coming out. In my uneducated estimation, I believe it could have been worse. So, the next step is what? A boat racing friend suggested filling the crankcase up at least two times with cheap oil, and turn the engine over to get rid of any residual coolant which might cause corrosion. He called it a dry run and something apparently boat racers do, if water gets into the crankcase. That makes sense to me. ⁠ Obviously, we will pull the head and see what is going on. Given that the car ran well and the compression was still good even with the water in the cylinder, I am leaning towards a "simple" blown head gasket. Or at least I hope so.

08-11-2021, 05:49 AM	#43
philcobill Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2021 Location: Walworth, New York Posts: 138	Re: Do I panic? - Rear main oil leak. I don't feel comfortable working on this by myself, and our local Model A mechanic is busy with other projects for the next several weeks. So, Little Willie will take a rest in our garage until we can work on him. It will be interesting to see if the oil leaking out of the rear main seal and the water getting into the cylinder and crankcase are related. I imagine they could be. More later. Last edited by philcobill; 08-11-2021 at 05:55 AM.

08-11-2021, 09:00 AM	#47
31Tudor Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: North Carolina Posts: 611	Re: Do I panic? - Rear main oil leak. It will be interesting to see if the oil leaking out of the rear main seal and the water getting into the cylinder and crankcase are related. I imagine they could be. More later.[/QUOTE] In my opinion, there is no correlation between a rear oil main leak and water issues. The rear main leak is probably from either a rear cap that needs to be adjusted, or the babbit has cracked or chipped, or something with the drain tube. One will not solve the other.