oil leak, right side engine block

C

Clem Smith

Member
I found one of my 3 oil leaks:

1930 coupe, stock 4 cylinder. Rebuilt in 1965. 10K miles later.
I can't remember breakfast.

Right side of engine block.
Middle of block.
Below valve cover.
Below carb.
Below oil tube from valve chamber to oil pan.

There is a boss with a long bolt and lock nut.

WHAT IS IT??? It leaks.

I was afraid to mess with it before I learn what it is.

Perhaps it should just be a plug??
Or does it hold something internal in place?

Thanks, Clem
 
Clem, that should be a 1/8" slotted pipe plug. Someone used a bolt and nut to plug a pipe thread and that's why it leaks. It holds nothing, just plugs a hole.
 
Common mistake to use a bolt instaed of a pipe plug.
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Thanks, That's what I was hoping to hear.

Now I'm wondering what thread bolt they forced into a pipe thread hole and what I can use to plug that leak.

Thanks for the help

Clem
 
This is an opportunity now to add a oil pressure guage. Use the pipe fitting for the oil pressure tube to "plug" this leaking hole.
 
The engine in my double A had a bolt instead of the plug, I was advised by someone on the Barn here not to remove it until making sure the spring was there that holds the oil pump up, having it drop down without knowing could be costly.
 
My big brother Fred (who taught me which end of a wrench is which) wrote and says he recalls:

"That pipe thread hole being for installing a special bolt to hold the oil pump shaft when the oil pan is removed to adjust the rods and mains with the engine still in the car, what you describe sounds like some one left the adjusting bolt in instead of the pipe plug that is suppose to be there."

Does that ring any bells?

Oil pressure guage, good idea.
 
The bolt they used will be a 3/8 fine thread.The plug you need is a 1/8 PIPE thread.If you use a brass one there is a very good chance it will seal up,conforming to the little bit of damage done by the straight thread.The pipe thread is tapered,the 3/8 fine is not.That was a common way to plug up pipe holes in the poor days.
 
Thanks all.
Now knowing what to look for, Snyder's catalog shows the proper pipe thread plug and an oil pump retainer device (page 121) that does what this bolt does.

I do recall removing the oil pan 10 years ago to try and tighten things up and reduce rear main leak (next post). Perhaps we left the bolt in that holds oil pump with pan off.

With oil pan in place, Can I remove the bolt without oil pump position issue? Then replace with plug (if threads allow) or at least seal the bolt?
 
Clem Smith said:
With oil pan in place, Can I remove the bolt without oil pump position issue? Then replace with plug (if threads allow) or at least seal the bolt?
Click to expand...

99.9% of all the oil pumps have the spring that holds the pump up from the bottom of the oil pan. The worst that will happen is the pump will drop down when the bolt is removed and you will have to drop the pan and install the spring like it is supposed to have.

Again 99.9% of the time you take out the bolt and put in the plug, no harm no foul!
 
Did someone say bolt? Now here IS a bolt. This was in the engine block of one of my Model A's when I got it. Luckily the original style pipe plug with a little permatex still fit.
 

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Ran into the same thing on a friends model "A" the other day. A bolt was in the hole and it was leaking. We did not have a pipe plug so we used a grease zerk. That should confuse somebody in the future.
 
sturgis 39 said:
Ran into the same thing on a friends model "A" the other day. A bolt was in the hole and it was leaking. We did not have a pipe plug so we used a grease zerk. That should confuse somebody in the future.
Click to expand...

Look at the bright side. Now someone can and will grease the oil pump the same time that they grease the steering box.
 
Richard Wilson said:
Look at the bright side. Now someone can and will grease the oil pump the same time that they grease the steering box.
Click to expand...
My seven tooth steering box won't hold the thickest oil I can find, so I grease it every hundred miles or so. I've put four thousand miles on it and the play hasn't increased one bit. When it does, I'll pull it, rebuild it and put the proper 600 weight oil in it. Till then, I'll keep greasing it. Got an oil pressure gauge, so don't have to grease the oil pump.
 
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