Well? My 350 has like 1000 miles on it, and it leaks more oil then my 305 with 80k miles and a bad rear main. Ever time I go under the car the oil pan is just covered in oil.

It was leaking in front by the timing chain cover, so I put a nice thick bead of RTV there, oil is still accumulating there, and it looks like it's leaking everywhere. It was a used oil pan, so I'm guessing it might be an issue that the pan isn't sitting flat on the block.

Someone told me I could pull the pan with the engine still in the car, and then just put a new one in with a 1 piece gasket.

 

I did it once.

To be safe, it might be prudent to pull your distributor or at least take off the cap and rotor.

place the car on jackstands and using a 2x4 under your oilpan remove the engine mount bolts and jack the engine up. Once youve got some clearance, you need to place something (blocks of wood, etc) between the motor and the mounts. This will let you remove the jack from under the oilpan, but leave the motor sitting high.

at this point you can try to remove the oilpan. In my case, I could get the pan to drop, but not enough to remove it. remove the old gasket and clean all the surfaces of old gasket material and oil. apply the new gasket. replace oilpan torque to manuf specs. the rest should be self explainatory. Its a PITA, but if you dont have access to an engine hoist it will work.

HTH! :lala:

 

This motor doesn't have a smog pump, right?

 

It would be easier to rent a engine hoist to lift the engine IMO.

 

Of course not

I know someone with a fold up engine hoist, thats not the problem.

Like you said, will I be able to slide the pan out?

Even if I unbolt the bellhousing and lift the engine up, am I going to get screwed and not be able to remove the pan? Geez...If I'm going to have to unbolt the Ypipe and remove aALL connections I might as well pull my engine out and put it on a stand.

The oil is just driving me nuts though, I just don't know what else I could possibly do. Tracking oil under the car is a nightmare....

 

I think it will just vary depending on your car. Wont know until you try. Not being able to COMPLETELY remove the pan really isn't a huge deal, unless you plan to swap the pan itself.

 

I want to switch pans. I'm going to buy a new one and get a 1 piece gasket. I have no idea why I'm loosing SOO much oil, like a quart for every 150 miles I drive. My exhaust isn't blue, so I'm not burning it.

Just annoying, it shouldn't leak, it was prepped and sealed like it should have been when it was built.

 

you should pay more attention to RB.. the no smog pump was a hint, not just a random question, check the passanger side of your block where the smog pump would be, in the tapped hole slightly to the left of the timing cover.. do you have a bolt in this hole? if not thats your oil leak.

 

Exactly!

There are 2 bolt holes on the front of the pass side of the block that hold the smog pump bracket on. The upper one of the 2 looks right at the fuel pump drive rod. In other words, if there's not a bolt in that hole, you are looking RIGHT DIRECTLY INTO the crankcase.

Put a short bolt, like ¾" or so, in that upper hole, with a flat washer and some silicone on the threads; then take the car to the car wash and clean up the mess, and see if it's any better.

 

i just changed out my stock pan with a 6qt moroso and yes its a pita. take your motor mount bolts out and gently raise your motor with a good floor jack and place a 2*4 between the mounts...but i would check what the other guys here are telling you before i would go thru changing the pan.

 

Yes, that no smog pump crap plagued me and my new engine for quite a while, thought something was seriously screwed up. It wouldn't really leak at idle, but then I got on it hard oil would squirt out and burn off on the exhaust as it got blown up under the car. Made me think I was burning oil on top of the annoying leak I could see getting crap all over the front/bottom of the engine.

Boy was I relieved when I happened to check those holes and find one goes straight into the stupid fuel pump pushrod channel... Plug em up if you haven't...

 

I agree, I've done this TWICE and really wish I had a cherry picker to lift the motor out. I used two bottle jacks to push the motor up, pulled the dizzy first though, and unbolted my headers, removed the starter, and had to jack the motor up quite a bit for clearance. the oil pump is the biggest hinderance I think. It was worth it though, 6 quart chrome oil pan is very trick and the fel pro gasket I recently did seals better than anything else! if you do it inside the garage, on a nice warm and dry day its not so bad... I unfortunately had to do the gasket on a rainy, cold day in the driveway cause I needed to get it done ASAP and it was MISERABLE

 

you know what I have a rebuilt 350 with 500 miles on it and the same PROBLEM.
The oil is collecting on the bottom of the front timing cover. I changed the fuel pump block off plate gasket 4 times because i thought that it was the problem.
However those exposed bolt holes seem to be it.
Ill try to plug em up..
later

 

I actually think it's not the timing cover anymore, but actually the crankshaft seal, the hole in cover where the end of the crank extends out.

 

So did you ever put that bolt in there? Or are you going to spend however much time in "maybe it's this, maybe it's that" land?

 

There's no smog pump bolt leaking as far as I can tell, I checked, nothing.

It's a late 70's early 80's truck block.

I'll take some pictures sometime this week to better illustrate what has me confused. I've got oil appearing on the block, in the front, where the head meets the block, but the valve covers aren't leaking, and there doesn't appear to be any place it could be coming from.

 

Make sure your pics include the place where the smog pump bolts to. If I was the betting kind, I'd be willing to bet money that there's no bolt in the upper hole, and that that's where the oil is coming from.

Just FYI, those were the motor mount bolt holes from 55 to 62. They've always been there since the SBC was introduced. They didn't appear sometime after the late 70s early 80s. They only started being the smog pump bolt holes when they started using smog pumps, in the late 60s.

Go check it. Put a bolt in it. What have you got to lose, besides a few more quarts of oil? (Your oil, not mine, no skin off my nose.... my car doesn't leak there, because I have a bolt in mine).

 

 

i just threaded in 2 bolts in the holes and it slightly leaks still.
It might have been other old oil from previous leaks,, but ill keep an eye on any leaks.

 

Take it to the quarter car wash, and clean up the mess from the missing bolt; then it will be a whole lot easier to spot any remaining leaks, without the whole engine room being drenched in freshly spewed oil.

 

try some PST on the bolts or loctite

 

This hole that you guys mention on the passenger side of the block. Is it the upper one that is on the mechanical fuel pump housing? If so, looks like I've been running with it open for a year now.
A) Is this the one that should have a bolt in it?
B) This one doesn't go into the crankcase, I can see up in that one.

 

that the 1.. and I'd put money on it that that is why theres oil all over the front of the block there..

 

er yeah A to be more specific. oh and thats a snazzy blockoff plate mine have a bowtie on it

 

I saw the bowtie one after I built the engine. Wish I had it. Oh well, how many people see your block off plate anyway? That does seem odd that I haven't lost as much oil as one would think if it's open to the crankcase. Any votes for the Dex-cool leak? I'm pretty sure I know the answer to that one.
To-do list:
Feed dog
Feed self
Take nap
Plug open hole to crankcase

Thanks for the help. I've been trying to track down the oil leak since I built the thing. Rear main probably leaking too. *sigh* But I'll plug the easy one first.

 

89RS, tonight I looked at the old block I pulled out of my '86 and sure enough, it looks like that bolt hole takes a 90* turn down into the fuel pump housing (crankcase). So I put a bolt in my engine and I'll pray for a reduction in oil leakage. It never was really too bad (never had to add more than a quart), but I can't believe that I ran it that way for almost a year. When I built the new engine, I just didn't put the smog pump on and never thought twice about it. I'm glad I stumbled onto this post..... I wasn't searching for a solution, but happened upon it. Thanks.