Rear Main Leak

[wayne1953]

I guess its time to pull the engine and get serious with my leaking rear main
the guy at the gas station asked me to buy my gas elsewhere said I was costing him money having to clean up after I leave each time...then he smiled and laughed. but it does leave a puddle.. oh well fun winter project.

[Greg Jones]

Much as I hate doing it, I also need to check bearing clearances as I have a bit of an oil leak. Not a puddle, per se, but more than I want. I know you can do it by dropping the pan but I am wondering if pulling the engine is the way to go. (There are other things I would want to check out on my somewhat new to me Cabriolet like clutch plate, tranny bearings, etc.) Or I might consider trying the foil method that Tom Wesenberg has described:

Using plastigauge on the mains can be tricky with the engine in the car. You have to push up on the crankshaft to make sure the weight of the crank and flywheel aren't flattening the plastigauge. I have put a jack under the crankshaft to push it up.

You might want to try the foil method, where you cut a piece of aluminum foil about 1 1/2" x 2" then fold it in half so it's 3/4" x 2", lay it lengthwise on the crankshaft and bolt the cap back in place. If the crankshaft can be turned, then remove one shim and try it again. Be sure to mic the foil so you know what thickness you are dealing with. You want to have about .0015" to .002" clearance when you are done.

[Afordman31]

Wayne, I thought I had a rear main leak, checked the rear main for condition of the babbitt, checked the crank to main clearance, made sure the return pipe was tight and clear (not plugged). The engine was out of the car so I pulled the flywheel off, found that the gasket that seals the rear cam bearing was leaking. Put a new gasket on and it cured what I thought was a rear main leak. Afordman31

Originally Posted by wayne1953

I guess its time to pull the engine and get serious with my leaking rear main
the guy at the gas station asked me to buy my gas elsewhere said I was costing him money having to clean up after I leave each time...then he smiled and laughed. but it does leave a puddle.. oh well fun winter project.

[P.S.]

Mine used to leave 2-3 drops after a long drive. Now it leaves a capfull. At what point does one absolutely NEED to fix it? I mean, when is it harmful to the motor to have X quantity of oil coming out?

[QGolden]

Originally Posted by P.S.

Mine used to leave 2-3 drops after a long drive. Now it leaves a capfull. At what point does one absolutely NEED to fix it? I mean, when is it harmful to the motor to have X quantity of oil coming out?

When it comes out faster than you can put it in? . Not to be a smartass on you, but back in the 60's I knew a man who worked at a Truck Shop where they would do oil changes on big rigs and equipment. 'Course in those days waste oil was spread on gravel roads to keep dust down. Anyway he had an old Dodge station wagon with an inline 6 that burned so much oil he could not make the 40 mile daily commute without adding oil on the way. He set up a 10 Gallon grease barrel in the back of the wagon on a barrel stand, drilled a hole in the Firewall. Ran a length of copper tube with a valve from the barrel into a hole drilled in the oil filler cap. When he would hear it tapping, he would reach over and open the valve and run in waste oil till the motor ran quiet! When his barrel ran low he refilled from the waste tank at work. Drove that old dodge for a few years like that. Can you imagine getting into a wreck with that barrel of oil in back of you?

[P.S.]

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Now, THAT is an oil problem!

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Golden,
Dog & I have been doing popcorn/beer & watchin' our 23 007 movie series. That guy should put a sprayer on that barrel & "play like" JAMES BOND in his "SLICK" Aston Martin! Bill W.

[glenn in camino]

My friend who had an AA wired an aluminum turkey pan under his flywheel housing to catch the leak and poured it back into the oil filler tube. It ran for several years until he sold it.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Originally Posted by glenn in camino

My friend who had an AA wired an aluminum turkey pan under his flywheel housing to catch the leak and poured it back into the oil filler tube. It ran for several years until he sold it.

If your friend got it up to 57 1/2 MPH, on a downhill & with a load of pea gravel, the pan would EMPTY itself, or blow off, scare another driver & cause a bad accident!!! THEN, their next Thanksgiving might NOT be a HAPPY occasion.
Bill W.

[Brendan]

[QUOTE=QGolden;757564]When it comes out faster than you can put it in? . Not to be a smartass on you, but back in the 60's I knew a man who worked at a Truck Shop where they would do oil changes on big rigs and equipment. 'Course in those days waste oil was spread on gravel roads to keep dust down. Anyway he had an old Dodge station wagon with an inline 6 that burned so much oil he could not make the 40 mile daily commute without adding oil on the way. He set up a 10 Gallon grease barrel in the back of the wagon on a barrel stand, drilled a hole in the Firewall. Ran a length of copper tube with a valve from the barrel into a hole drilled in the oil filler cap. When he would hear it tapping, he would reach over and open the valve and run in waste oil till the motor ran quiet! When his barrel ran low he refilled from the waste tank at work. Drove that old dodge for a few years like that. Can you imagine getting into a wreck with that barrel of oil in back of you?[/QUOTE


I had a 63 Ranchero that would burn 3 and a half qts of oil an about 60 miles. I could hardly see the cars behind me in the mirror, when I pulled off the freeway it would rattle and idle very rough, dump in 3 qts of oil and good to go!

[MrWzrd]

Hey! They do NOT leak!

They mark their territory.