I'll ask again

[Krawler68]

I was talking with Austin and the other drunks last night and got a consensus on this, but I am wanting to ask again.

My 302 is leaking oil in a pretty mean way out the back of the motor.


I didn't have any agregious oil leaks when I first took it apart... I've been driving it around some these last few weeks and have a pretty big leak coming out between the dust shield and the bellhousing, moisture at the clutch fork hole, and a slight moisture at the driver's side head. The oil in the motor is fresh and looks brand new when it drips. I also only have 25 lbs. of oil pressure at idle, and 50 while driving. The idle pressure on my oil pressure drops slightly as it is being driven more.

I had a hard tiem getting the oilpan to seal in the back the first time I did it... I thought I had it under control this time, but maybe not.

The leak is pretty sizable, after a good drive this morning I had oil dripping off places where it wasn't even leaking... the wind had managed to migrate that much oil to other places. My dipstick indicates I'm not losing a TOn of oil, but it's enough to keep me guessing.

I am wanting to go on a trailride this weekend, and was wondering several things:

1) does this sound like it is a rear main seal?

2) I won't have to drop my tranny to replace the rear main seal will I? I was thinking I could loosen bearing caps without pulling the tranny. wrong?

3) Is it possible that I have failed to ensure a good seal on the rear seal of the oilpan?


I know NOTHING about motors and have had hell with my old POS 302... any Ideas guys?

WHile I am REALLY wanting to fix this... I realize I don't think I'll have time before I head to Llano this weekend... what are the problems I could have from wheeling with this bad of a leak?

Doug

[Krawler68]

Yes, yes, I know...I'll hook up a bag underneath it you hippie...

Now to the real problems

Doug

[aggielr]

pull the oil pan off, see what the gasket looks like, but having some at the fork probably indicates a rear main, and are you 100% sure it ain't the transmission, just a thought

[Seth]

OFF TOPIC

Doug come on now - that is the second lonesome dove avitar i have seen. Come on now any originality? I admit I wish I had thought of it first, but at least I know there are other LD fans out there. Also - I believe the quote is "How bout a poke" Maybe there is more than one in the whole 6 hours. Done.

Seth

[Fredo]

Doug, I'm kinda with Landon on this one. You could pull the pan and redo the pan gasket and see if that does it but if there is oil on the inside of the bellhousing and on the clutch components, it's more than likely the rear main seal. But, if as you were saying, the wind was blowing it other places? Where at, like up the back of the heads or around the side of the pan? If it's blowing it on external parts of the motor it very well might be the pan. My suggestion would be to power wash the **** out of the whole back of the motor and tranny, then go for a drive around town, come back and see where oil is. Then go from there.

[Krawler68]

I just pussed out and dropped it off at a shop here in town... told them to find the real source of the leak, which was most likely the source of the abundant oil and get back with me... they said fine...

I am frankly tired of working on it... I just want to make the run this weekend without some BS that i couldn't have forseen breaking down... and not making an oil slick in the Llano would be positive.


any idea how much I'll be paying for this? It's a mid 70's 302...should be a 2 piece main seal right? If so they shouldn't have to pull the tranny to replace it right?

Doug

[Krawler68]

Originally posted by Seth
OFF TOPIC

Doug come on now - that is the second lonesome dove avitar i have seen. Come on now any originality? I admit I wish I had thought of it first, but at least I know there are other LD fans out there. Also - I believe the quote is "How bout a poke" Maybe there is more than one in the whole 6 hours. Done.

Seth

Yeah I saw Thaxton's avitar and it inspired me... I thought about taking the messican cook... but Gus has always been a hero of mine... and Miss Lorie was hot...

Doug

[crawlingno5]

He asks for a poke from laurie darlin many of times in that movie. Besides, you can never have too much Lonesome Dove representation. I feel it doesnt get enough respect as the greatest movie of all time.

oh and about the motor, i have no clue.

[robertf03]

it could also be the intake manifold gasket. I had to redo mine because it didnt seal over the lifter valley

[Krawler68]

we shall see... hopefully it won't be too outrageously expensive...

Doug

[Cajun]

Originally posted by Krawler68

...I thought about taking the messican cook...

Doug

"...my wife is in hell, where I sent her."

[mark]

Rear main seal. My guess is $200-$300 bucks for a shop to dig in there and replace it.

Your oil pressure is fine. The rule of thumb is 10psi for every thousand rpm. Some engines, particularly IH and AMC's are notorious for almost zero oil pressure at idle. But it doesn't seem to hurt them too much.

-Mark

[aggielr]

mine right now, w/ 20-50 and some lucas adative sits at about 55 at idle and gets to about 65 at 2K

[Fredo]

Originally posted by mark
Some engines, particularly IH and AMC's are notorious for almost zero oil pressure at idle. But it doesn't seem to hurt them too much.

-Mark

You gotta remember, if you find an IH vehicle with a working oil pressure gauge, you're doing good. My aftermarket oil pressure gauge shows about 18-20psi at idle and 40 at 3000rpm.

[agjeeper]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Krawler68

...I thought about taking the messican cook...

Doug






"I will whack de bell if I want to....Besides Robert E. Lee freed the slaves" -the other messican cook

[crawlingno5]

it wasnt mexicans that he freed ball, it was americans (pea)

your getting in over your head pea, it wasnt but a bunch africans that he freed. no more american than call here (augustus)

im american by god (call)

last i heard you was dragging on the tit when they brought you over here from scotland (little sketchy on that sentence) (augustus)

im as american as anybody from tennessee (woodrow)

<cue woodrow picking up his rifle and exiting the door>

[Krawler68]

Originally posted by Cajun


"...my wife is in hell, where I sent her."

Quite possibly the best quote in the entire movie...

It amazes me to see Burbach chime in... once again affirming my suspicions that Lonesome Dove is the main reason he has that Montana dreamin'.

Doug

[agjeeper]

That's pretty much right on doug. As a matter a fact I have watched Lonesome Dove 8 times in the last two months up here. Not much else to do between checkin cows.

[redcagepatrol]

Damn Burbach - just got back from San Diego for a meeting with Solar. - Real hard work, we had to go to the aircraft museum, car museum, tour the Solar plant, and ride on the 86' Solar Yact in the evening (open bar of course).

see what your missing...

[Krawler68]

Missing what? Extravegant tours at a company that by all rights should be bankrupt? That's pretty sorry that they continue to opperate like that.

Doug

[redcagepatrol]

all of the extravagant stuff was put on by the customer (Museum's were free) - Solar Turbines (CAT parent company). The meeting was actually very helpful and interesting also, well worth the trip.

our stocks going up, we settled with CA...