Motor runs great, but rookie mistake.. Lesson Learned.. again.

Well finally after getting everything setup on my '49 Deluxe ...yesterday was the day to fire up the newly installed Chevy SB. This was a good used motor that I got from another car guy. He said he had pulled it out of his vette.. it was a good motor that he had no problems with. So I cleaned it up a bit, painted it, put all those little pieces on it that didn't come with it (intake, carb, distributor, manifolds.. yadda, yadda). Finally get everything setup, get it installed.. fired it up.. and it is running and sounding so sweet... Very happy with it. OK.. so after letting it run for about 15 minutes I notice oil dripping from in front. Get underneath the car and it looks to be coming from the front of the oil pan.. but then I'm thinking .. more likely from the bottom of the timing cover.. just can't see it at this point. Ugh.. after all that I'm going to have to drop the suspension ('51 chevy) so I can drop the oil pan. I'll have to pull the radiator, pulleys, balancer pulley, just to swap out stinkin' gaskets.

Lesson learned: From now on, before I install motor/****** I will make sure cover gaskets are new so I don't run across this problem again. Ugh.

At this point I've decided to go ahead and finsih the rest of the car, then come back and address this.. pisses me off. Stupid mistake on my part. Hope others can learn from my mistake. I should know better.

 

I made the same mistake... Been almost 3 years and my frame has a nice coating of rust preventative.

 

I've had this happen and here's how I fixed it. I cleaned the area where the timing cover meets the pan with lacquer thinner, and then I filled the gap with high quality silicone sealer. Let it set overnight, and it never leaked again. You might try it. Sure would save a lot of work.

 

I just pulled mine to replace the rear main. I ran it for months in the donor, then for a few weeks in my car. suddenly, i had a mosquito fogger. go ahead and replace the timing chain while you're in there. $18 insurance.

 

At least it's fixable. Some motors leak straight from the factory.

 

I have also used this method, and it worked for me too.

 

did you change the oil pan? chevy used two different size front oil pan to timing chain cover seals. you may have used a thin one and should have used a thick one ?

 

AAAAH, mint green, 73super, Make sure its not coming from the crank seal before going to all the trouble of sealing the pan. Check the balancer for a groove and either replace the balancer or use a "speedy sleeve" (yes they do work).

 

Before you blame the pan or timing cover- take a look at front p***enger side of block where pad is for front motor mounts. The upper threaded hole is used for holding up the fuel pump push rod. If you are running side mounts & didn't install a short bolt to seal the opening- it will leak out oil.

 

No.. no swap out.

 

If you end up having to pull the pan, wouldn't it be easier to take the engine back out than to pull all the suspension apart? Engines seem to come out much easier than suspension for me!

 

Ever notice a Chevy smallblocks in stories come from Corvettes?

 

I had the same problem. There is a product, I think Loc***e but not sure that you spray into problem area while warm. Then start engine, as engine warms up product is ****ed into gaps. It worked surprisingly well, and no more leak. I gave the remains of the can to a friend to use on his Triumph motorcycle who also had great results.

 

Much easier to drop front suspension.. a few bolts, and steering arm and you're good to go.

 

YES, what he said, but use a SHORT bolt, a long bolt will bind the pump rod. Also, why not just drop the front of the pan slightly (remove the front pan bolts and lossen the others down the sides, pry the front corners loose with a screwdriver) and shoot a dab of silicone sealer in each corner, where the timing chain gasket meets the corners of the pan. That is where they typically leak. No need to pull the whole thing out to do that.

 

Several very good points to consider here. I personally always change the oil pan gasket, timing cover gaskets as well as the front and rear seals AND the timing chain whenever I use an old "good running" engine (and, as has been mentioned, check the condition of the balancer where it rubs against the seal).

I have also made two other mistakes that have been mentioned here as well ... I had a leak from one of the holes at the front, p***enger side of the engine (as mentioned by someone else here, it must have a short bolt in it or it will leak ... I had a hell of a time figuring that leak out, to be honest it was actually the wife who suggested the possibility of it leaking from there, I had no idea it wasn't just a blind hole) and I have also installed the thin oil pan-timing cover gasket when I needed the thick one (big leak there too).

 

Try this if the leak is coming from where the timing cover meets the pan. Clean the area good with brake clean,then apply silicone to the area. Use your shop vac hose and put it in the oil fill plug and turn it on. The shop vac will pull a vacuum in the engine pulling the silicone into any small opening around the leak.

 

Yeah- what most people don't know is that the first corvette each year would go to the engine ***embly plant where every sbc would be installed, and then pulled, crated and shipped to the other factories.

That's how come EVERY sbc is a factory corvette motor.

 

I have done two of these deals for other people over the years, they both had replaced valve covers with no PVC function. The crankcase was pressurizing and when we hooked a PVC up they both stopped leaking. Best of luck.

 

yep when ever I get a engine out I buy a gasket set and install all I can new and it gives me a chance to peek at the engine so i know what is going on

 

That's funny! I just figured every single SBC engine build code is for Corvettes!

 

I think I'll try a few of these "quickie" remedies before going further.. really don't have anything to lose, but more oil that is. Just don't know how confident I'd be for a long trip. Ahh we'll see. Thanks for all the ideas... still feel stupid that I didn't change out those gaskets.. argh.

 

...Does anyone know the name of this Loc***e product or if it's not Loc***e, who does make it and what is it called?..Many thanks, Don.

 

Anybody?.....Thanks.

 

Anybody? Nobody? Anyone familiar with this product?...Thanks.

 

Anybody?

 

Well, the latest BIG NEW thing is "Right Stuff" by Permatex. There's a thread about it.

 

Thanks Fred!

 

I just keep a drip pan under my SBC.

 

Clever