Towed car lost lots of fluids
 

Hi all - Had to have the Model A Fordor towed today for what turned out to be a flooded carb (didn't know that the GAV rod doesn't retract, so flooded). Anyway, when the tow-truck driver was putting it on the flatbed, it lost a sizable amount of gas, and then it appeared to lose another sizable amount of oil from the transmission area. That continued when the car was on the flatbed (albeit it much less), and then when it came off the truck. I think it's about done leaking. Any ideas what may have caused this? Needless to say I'll be checking/filling tomorrow (when I'm not dressed in my better clothes). I'm hoping it's just a problem with the car being at a rather severe angle. Thanks as always in advance!!

Re: Towed car lost lots of fluids
 

Gas will leak if it is not shut off or the valve is bad. the oil most likely was from the rear main.

Re: Towed car lost lots of fluids
 

J Franklin - is that normal about the oil from the rear main if the car is placed at such a steep angle?

Re: Towed car lost lots of fluids
 

It can happen in an A because there is no seal at that location, especially if the crankcase is full or over filled.

Re: Towed car lost lots of fluids
 

Rivcokid,
My '30 town sedan doesn't leak much, but if I park it on my sloped driveway the rear main will leak a little. The first time this happened I nearly went into panic mode.
Marty

Re: Towed car lost lots of fluids
 

The oil that has collected in the flywheel housing will run out when the car is tipped up.Same with the gas in the carb bowl.When tipped up the gas in the bowl will run out the jets and bowl vent.It's normal.Also you have to remember that a spoonful of gas or oil will look like a quart when spilled.I hear people say,I must have lost a quart.A quart of gas spilled under the car makes a puddle much bigger than the car itself.A drop of oil will make a spot bigger than a quarter.

Re: Towed car lost lots of fluids
 

Interesting.....I use a tilt trailer and never have had a leakage issue

Re: Towed car lost lots of fluids
 

There is a tube that comes out of the rear main to direct oil back to the pan, there is no seal back there. It's a gravity drain back to the pan if any oil gets past the rear main. When you tip the car up, oil can run out of that tube and into the flywheel housing.

Grain trucks would have this problem when they were tilted up to dump the grain into the elevator pit. These engines had a check ball in the tube that would roll back and prevent the oil from going the wrong way in the tube when the truck was tilted up.

Maybe Denis4x4 has one of these in his pickup.

Re: Towed car lost lots of fluids
 

Denis has a tilt trailer.Nowhere near the ramp angle of ramp trucks.New low pro trucks are better than the old ones,but still steep compared to a tilt trailer.Very rarely will I drive a car up on a ramp truck and get out,just about the time I get it in park or set the brake the car tries to slide back down.Tilt trailers are nice and shallow.

Re: Towed car lost lots of fluids
 

Thanks all - I went to see it this morning and all was well. The carb was dry etc. Guess I'll know that for next time!!