[DeTomaso] Oil pan gasket recommendation?

[MikeLDrew at aol.com]

In a message dated 10/1/08 10 03 3, msm at portata.com writes:


> Are you running with the stock pan?
> 

What a silly question.   What right-thinking race-track-driving Pantera 
driver would run with a stock pan???? :>)

I've got an Aviaid 10-quart pan, and a huge oil leak from the front of the 
engine.   Everybody presumed it was from the front of the intake, but no--I 
pulled the intake earlier this year to have the top machined down so that the air 
cleaner would fit under the screen, and there was no evidence of leaking 
there--either before or after.

It's either coming from the front seal on the oil pan, or the front main 
seal.   I need to troubleshoot it further.   I will probably just go ahead and 
change the oil pump and the oil pan gasket at the same time, although hopefully 
before then I will have found the source of the leak, so if it's the front main 
seal, I can do everything at once.

Interestingly, the engine doesn't leak oil during normal cruise (at least, 
not as far as I can see?)   However, two dyno runs (totalling perhaps 15 seconds 
of wide-open throttle between them?) resulted in a dinner-plate-sized puddle 
of oil on the dyno. :<(   

So the problem seems to be rpm/load dependant.   FWIW I have 75+ psi of oil 
pressure at 2000 rpm; the gauge is pegged so I can't see how high it actually 
goes.   But the oil appears to be leaking from a low-pressure area, i.e. oil 
pan or front main seal, so that doesn't seem to be a contributing factor.

Mike



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