Thread: Crankcase ventilation

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Thanks Fordsfairlane,

Is that some type of contact adhesive? If so, I have used a product similar to this to keep the gaskets located whilst tourquing.

I have a feeling that the oil pan may be defective. Here in Australia, a common engine conversion for a Torana is a SBC. This is quite a small car but came out standard with a GM Holden V8. The SBC conversion is fairly straightforward but we are unable to use a standard oil pan to clear the crossmember. Therefore, an aftermarket oil pan must be used. There are limited manufacturers of these items and I may have just got unlucky with my choice.

I don't think I am going to try installing this pan again without at least checking it's shape and build quality.

Cheers again and Happy New Year!!

sad to hear that. is there anyway you can contact any local salvage yards for a replacement oilpan?

Not really... Even Standard Torana parts are getting hard to find.

Worst case senario, I have to get something custom made... Like I said, if it costs me $1000 and I know that the damn thing wont leak then I will be happy to pay it.

I think the problem lies in the oil pan. Some pans are thin and when you tighten it, warpage can occur. Also, the bolt holes tend to push up and then you have a metal to metal contact and loose in between the pan bolts. Over tightening is the main factor of this problem and the front seal should not have to squish as far as you say it did. If it's leaking already, taking the valve covers off won't stop it from leaking at the pan now. I don't always run a pcv valve and I never had any problems so that's not the problem I don't think. You are going to most likely have to pull the engine again and I would really go over it with a fine tooth comb and change the rear rope seal and check the timing cover also. I wouldn't put it back in till I found something I could be confident is the problem. If I didn't find anything I would put it on a stand and run it till I was confident that it wouldn't leak anymore.

Is your oil pan chromed? I have had trouble getting chromed steel to seal before. I like to lightly bead blast the sealing surfaces to rough them up some and found this to help. Now I won't use a chromed steel oil pan because they leak.

You might also want to try a pair of the pan rail reinforcement bars, they really help control the warpage on a thin wall pan. Going back to my boat days, I remember that a lot of the MercCruiser 305 and 350 chebbie engines used them.

I would chuck the rubber seals and use the best RTV silicone I could find to make seals. Put a good bead on both surfaces, being sure to "wrap" it around the edges, then set the pan in place and bolt it, but don't tighten the bolts until the stuff sets up. Done this on a few problem leaks, and it works every time. A bit more work, but how many times do you want to pull the engine?
Love to see a photo of your ride!

Originally posted by Dave Severson
You might also want to try a pair of the pan rail reinforcement bars, they really help control the warpage on a thin wall pan. Going back to my boat days, I remember that a lot of the MercCruiser 305 and 350 chebbie engines used them.

try to use RTV on one the pan side of the pan gaskets and block side i use gasket cement if it is a four pice set .i run the pan up and let the RTV setup good a day and then give the pan bolts bite bit more. this i do so you do not push all the RTV out and the cement keeps the gasket from sliding a round all oil must not be on pan or block zero oil or it will not seal up. if you are doing it on the car and they are cork i cement the side rails and front and back seals up first and use the pan to hold them up use do not use much cement ! when dry take pan off . if you put to much on you may not get the pan back off ! now when the pan is off. run the rtv on pan sid and put it back on let dry . like i said give the pan bolts a bit more when dry . this is the way i do it works for me good luck

I had the same problem with my SBC and was replacing the gasket every month. Found out that the stainless steel pan I bought wasn't sealing right. Changed over to a regualr pan and that took care of my problem with leakage. For some reason S.S. doesn't seal right.

i use silicone adheasive on pan gaskets. most push in breathers dont have enough opening in them. my guess is your running fat, washing down cyclinders and getting a lot of blow by. the breathers should be messy too.

Thank you all for all your helpful information!!

I will be sure to go over everything which you have mentioned in this thread and hopefully conquer this final hurtle.. I will be sure to post some pics and stats on the car when it is all running well and together. I'm sure you guys will like the car.. they are one of Australia's most famous classic muscle cars.

Thanks again.. Muchly appreciated.

Adam

What oil pan do you have? Stock or aftermarket?

What type/brand gaskets have you tried?

Does oil smoke come out of the breathers when the engine is idling? (indicates blow by)

Is the rear main seal leaking and not the oil pan gasket?


Just some thoughts and questions to ponder.