[DeTomaso] oil leak questions

[John Taphorn]

Chris

I have disassembled a couple 351C engines this past month that were 
assembled by professionals.  In both, the split rear seal was installed 
incorrectly.  The seal should be rotated or staggered slightly so as the 
split does not line up with the mating of the block to the cap. If it does 
line up, the opportunity for as leak is higher. In both engines the seal 
lined up with the mating surface.

When you read Tom Monroe's book he points out several unique sealing 
practices with the Cleveland to reduce the likelihood of leaks.  I am pretty 
sure most generic shops don't bother researching individual engines' 
idiosyncrasies and simply follow their own learned experiences.

My suggestion is to follow Tom's sealing recommendations, drop the pan, 
check the rear seal alignment and put on a new gasket for the oil pan.  It 
takes one day and you can be sure it is correct.

JT
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Christopher Kimball" <chrisvkimball at msn.com>
To: <michael at michaelshortt.com>
Cc: <teampantera at yahoo.com>; <jderyke at aol.com>; "Pantera List Serve" 
<detomaso at realbig.com>
Sent: Sunday, May 02, 2010 12:48 AM
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] oil leak questions


>
> The block was checked out and sonic tested before the build, and the oil 
> pan is a brand new Armando 10-quart.  The original leak, as far as I 
> remember, was just from the rear main seal.  That leak is still there, 
> although a lot less significant, but this leak seemed to begin after the 
> errant mechanic took the engine out, the builder replaced all the seals, 
> and then the errant mechanic put the engine back in.
>
>
> Chris
>
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> Question?  Same oil pan as before? Could the mating surface to the
> block be warped and not sealing completely?  Is the block's bottom
> surface truly level?  Is the leak in the same place?  Michael Shortt
>
> On Apr 30, 2010 9:21 PM, "Christopher Kimball" <chrisvkimball at msn.com>
> wrote:
>
>
>
> What I'll probably do is live with it--at least for a while.  This is
> mainly because when I first got the new engine in the car the rear main
> seal starting leaking almost immediately.  That's when I had the engine
> builder give the car to his mechanic to pull the engine so the engine
> builder could replace all the seals, which he did.  Three months later I
> finally got the car back, trashed by the mechanic with $4K worth of
> body damage.
>
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> And the motor still leaks.
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> After having all the seals replaced once already--on a new engine--I
> don't really want to face the huge hassle of taking everything apart
> again, unless it's absolutely necessary.  If the drive to Reno makes it
> absolutely necessary, I guess I'll find out then!
>
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> Sincerely,
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> Chris
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