Re: Oil Leak

["John Stricker" <jstricke@domain.elided>]

Steve,

At peril of feeling really foolish, do NOT neglect to check your valve cover
gaskets.  If your flywheel is clean, I'm betting against a rear main seal
leak.

Reach up there with a phillips screwdriver on the screws of the pan and make
sure they're snug.  Same goes for the 5/16 bolts that are up there.  Don't
tighten them like your life depends on it, just make sure they're not loose.
And really, really check those valve cover gaskets.

You'll be amazed at where that oil can run down to from the top.

In fact, before I did anything else, I'd just replace them so I could take a
look at them.  If everything seemed ok, then I'd go to the pan gasket.  If
you jack your scout up so the springs can fully extend, you'll have plenty
of room to get the pan off.  It's not a bad job, but it is a dirty one.
Hope you like the taste of 50W.

John Stricker

jstricke@domain.elided

"I didn't spend all these years getting to the top of the food chain
just to become a vegetarian"

-----Original Message-----
From: Stegmann, Steve <Steve.Stegmann@domain.elided>
To: 'EldonMcf@domain.elided' <EldonMcf@domain.elided>; 'ihc@domain.elided' <ihc@domain.elided>
Cc: jstricke@domain.elided <jstricke@domain.elided>; jlandry@domain.elided
<jlandry@domain.elided>; n9ads@domain.elided <n9ads@domain.elided>
Date: Monday, March 15, 1999 9:29 AM
Subject: Oil Leak


:Guys,
:
:I'm searching for an oil leak.  I stopped the leaking pressure sender with
a
:new one, same pressure readings, no leaks.
:
:Next lets turn to the rear of the engine.  Take off the front flywheel
:cover, and the throwout bearing inspection plate.  there's oil dripping
from
:the cast block to which the clutch pedal fork attaches.  I imagine this is
:coming from the transmission, it looks like the 50w I just put in there.
:
:I should say here that the entire inside of the clutch housing from the
:engine to the transmission is wet with oil, always has been.
:
:There's oil leaking from the back of the engine.  I'm leaning toward the
oil
:pan gasket, every other gasket seems to leak except the head gaskets.  I
:inspected the rear main as well as I could, can't really get to it, pretty
:tight fit.  I worked a piece of clean paper toweling between the flywheel
:mounting hub and the rear main bearing and it came out clean & dry. (The
:front main is also dry) The flywheel has had some oil, or liquid on it at
:one time or another, it isn't perfectly clean, but then it seems "way" too
:dry to account for all the leakage back there. It looks the same as it did
:when I last looked in here a year ago.
:
: I've noticed that if the oil pan gasket leaks back there, it will drip
down
:inside the front flywheel cover plate, and then the wind from the clutch
and
:flywheel can easily whip it arount in there.  BTW the starter gears, and
the
:clutch side of the flywheel are dusty dry.
:
:Any comments?  I'm way to lazy to replace the rear main unless I *really*
:need to.
:
:How much clearance do I need between the axle and the front part of the oil
:pan to get the oil pan out without disconnecting the axle?  I have a 2"
:skyjacker which works out to 4" of lift in the front and 3" in the back
:based upon Eldons ride height information.
:
:Thanks,
:
:Steve