Oil leak in my 40
 

Gentelmen I need help.
I have an oil leak from the rear main seal, anyway, I think that's where it's coming from. I'm using 50 weight oil hoping that would help, but there are 6 or 8 drops per minute dripping off the cotter pin. I guess my questions for this group are, is there a way to stop the leak without pulling the motor, or if I have to pull the motor, can I easly remove the front clip on a 40 Ford to give me better access? I show the car and I don't want to screw up the paint. Last question, does any one know of someone in the Ocala FL area that can look over my shoulder. I haven't played with flatheads since I was in the Air Force. That was a long time ago, I just turned 80.
Thanks
352 208 6359

Re: Oil leak in my 40
 

Re: Oil leak in my 40
 

Check out "oil leak" thread there were alot of good ideas posted there for similar problem.

Re: Oil leak in my 40
 

If your engine is in fact a 40 engine it doesnt have a seal in the rear but a slinger. Some of the causes could be oil leaking at the oil pump idler cover, oil leaking past the cork strip that seals the rear of the oil pan against the rear main cap,oil could be leaking by the rear main bearing if it has too much clearance. If it comes to pulling the engine ,I wouldnt pull any sheetmetal,I removed mine in my 40 without removing the hood.

Re: Oil leak in my 40
 

Re: Oil leak in my 40
 

Let's hope the advice given will halt the leak - I've been down this road several times myself and it's not fun. My last leaker (and it was major) turned out to be that the crank mains were out-of-spec. Let's hope that is not the case here ....

Re: Oil leak in my 40
 

I ran into that on my 40 and it turns out in the rebuild in 1970 someone had modified the pressure relief valve to have more pressure (it will peg the hand idling) Not having a rear main seal it forces it out the rear. Maybe that is your problem. Dale

Re: Oil leak in my 40
 

I got a lot of information and referinces on my oil leak on my 40 Ford. Thank you all. I had a second question, can I remove the front clip with out to much trouble in order to get better access to the motor? I assume it will come of in one piece, fenders, inter fenders, and grill as in later Fords and Mercury.
Thank again for all your help.
John

Re: Oil leak in my 40
 

Some good suggestions here. First, I would suggest being really certain where the leak originates before taking action. Second I would get rid of the 50 wt. oil as it is more likely to "rope" around the crank rather than allowing the slinger system to function. Third, if the trouble is associated to worn main bearings it might be possible to solve the problem without removing the engine. Fourth, removing and handling the front clip is not "simple" and re-alignment can be a challenge even though "it all came off that way". I have never removed a 40 engine without removing the hood but you have heard here that it can be done, so perhaps that is an option if engine removal is necessary.

Re: Oil leak in my 40
 

Removing and reinstalling the front "clip" is not that difficult, as long as you have some additional help. Three of us removed the front clip on our '39 CS (we left the hood on), when we swapped Flatheads.
http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n..._046/002-9.jpg
http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n...046/001-10.jpg

Re: Oil leak in my 40
 

Be certain that the leak is originating from the drip hole. I have seen pressure senders that will leak and drip down from above. Also be sure you are not overfilling the crankcase.

Re: Oil leak in my 40
 

jbc,
I've had to remove and reinstall the motor in my '41 1/2 ton too many
times and never touched the clip, just the hood. Things went back together real nice
since I did not mess with the hinge location.
The source of one of my leaks was the drain back tube on the rear cap,
it had fallen off and found a new home in the bottom of the oil pan. Had I thought
of that as a possibility I could have removed the oil pan with the motor in place
and repaired it. I sure like the idea of too much oil pressure as well. 5 psi at idle
is all a stock Flathead needs and it's happy with 25 psi goin' down the road.
Not to drag this out, which I always do, be sure the bottom of the pan is
relatively dry. Capillary action can keep oil that is leaking from the front seal attached
to the pan until the oil reaches an edge like the cotter hole at which time it
collects enough weight to form drips.
Charlie ny

Re: Oil leak in my 40
 

do you have to much oil in the motor?