oil leak

Maclab58

Maclab58

Well-known member
The Exxon Valdez has landed in my driveway! I have had a leak a the the rear of my 28 sport coupe that has gone from pretty bad to OMG! A few months ago I pulled the pan off and took a few shims out of the rear main and put a new pan gasket on. Made it better but not great. We were out looking at christmas lights in "Gracie" last nite and I noticed she was starting to knock. We made it home with a stream of oil following us down the road and a big puddle in the driveway. I dont have the dough for a rebuild right now and I am hoping for a possible easier fix. Suggestions?
 
While you had the pan down did you check that the oil return pipe on the rear main was in place and not plugged up with babbitt debris and sludge? This can cause an oil leak.

Tom Endy
 
addendum............... when I had the pan off I checked and cleaned the drain tube on the rear main, it was fine. this morning I added 2 quarts of oil and fired her up. there was a distinct tapping coming from the front of the engine which progressed to an knock you could hear from 30 feet away! I shut her down and watched half a quart of oil pour out of the rear of the engine. Time for a new engine im afraid. So with that in mind, what kind of rebuild would yall suggest? Babbit? Insert? balanced crank? Im new to this and I want a reliable car that I can get on ther road and do reasonable road trips. Again, thanks for everyones help and advice.
 
Armchair diagnosis is difficult at best but it is possible you lost a center main bearing to fatigue, or maybe the thrust has disintegrated. I read your comment about not having the money to rebuild it however I also concur with Brum that this is not an easy fix. I also read where you are wanting a reliable car worthy of reasonable road trips. Again, you get what you pay for but one option that might be available to you is checking with an 'A' engine rebuilder to see if they have a used engine for sale that may have some life left in it. I know that fellow Fordbarner James Rogers ( Dreamwerks ) sometimes takes good running used engines in on trade where the customer has upgraded their car to a serious Touring or hi-performance engine. I have no idea if he even has something right now nor do I have any clue what he gets for something like that but it may be worth investigating if you thought this would be an option for you.



As far as what is best with regard to babbitt vs. Inserts, Counterweighted Cranks vs. Non, this has all been covered here many times in the past and I think each of those upgrades have strong merit if they are a financial value to you. Dad always said "A good deal ain't really a good deal if you can't afford it!" If you are limited on funds that probably applies even though these are great upgrades, however sadly they probably aren't for you (BUT maybe you could win the lottery this week!! :D ). Best wishes in whatever direction you decide to go!

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