| heath72 | -- 02-04-2015 @ 4:57 PM |
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I am a new flathead owner. Is it normal for oil to leak from the cotter pin on the oil pan?
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| ford38v8 | -- 02-04-2015 @ 9:35 PM |
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heath, welcome to the forum! Your question could easily draw a couple dozen jokes about fords leaking oil, and about that cotter key, but I'll keep a straight face with my answer... That's the bottom of the flywheel enclosure behind the rear main seal, which itself is a misnomer. That cotter's whole purpose in life is to wiggle/waggle to keep that hole from loading up. If it isn't leaking, your engine just froze up for lack of oil. Oops! I wasn't going to give that one up so easy! Alan
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| TomO | -- 02-05-2015 @ 7:12 AM |
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The rear oil control system on the 36 engine is called a slinger system. It consists of a disc that is supposed to direct the oil coming from the rear main bearing back into the oil pan and 2 pot metal pieces that have a V-shaped groove for the disc. There is a hole at the bottom of the bottom piece of pot metal the is supposed to direct the excess oil back into the pan. Some oil will escape this system into the flywheel housing due to the design. If the hole at the bottom of the pot metal piece gets plugged with sludge, a larger amount of oil will escape into the flywheel housing and you will have a puddle under the car when it has set overnight. The best solution to this problem is a drip pan under the car. Tom
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| 42wagon | -- 02-05-2015 @ 8:23 AM |
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Yupp - just one of the quirks of owning and old Ford. Model As leak, Flathead V8s leak, probably Model Ts too. Why Henry couldn't solve the problem is a mystery. But Hey oil was cheap and many people had dirt garage floors so Henry was doing a favor by keeping the dust down in your garage.
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| alanwoodieman | -- 02-05-2015 @ 4:31 PM |
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if a Ford is not leaking it is out of oil. They do not leak , they just mark their territory. Are a few of the best Jokes about Ford. Have fun oil is cheap. Drip pans are in the kitchen cuboard, my wife now watches me everytime I buy a "new" to me Flathead!!
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| len47merc | -- 02-06-2015 @ 6:11 AM |
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Heath72 - all kidding aside, it all comes down to what level of leak you have and whether you can accept and live it. After bringing an idled and original 59AB back to life after 35 or so years of sitting it was leaking oil through the cotter pin hole at a rate of about a quart every 500 miles which was beyond my ability to accept. Parking it for even an hour after a drive in a neighbor's driveway then produced a 1"+ circle minimum drip on their concrete. Pulled the motor and among other preventive maintenance items replaced the front and rear main seals. The front now does not leak, but the rear, even with the newly designed rear seal, still leaks, though at a much improved rate of ~1 quart per oil change/3,000 miles or so. Can now park it in my or my neighbor's driveway for several hours after a drive and know at most I'll see only a drop or two. I can live with this level of oil loss and accept that no matter what it is going to leak. As noted above, the best solution is a drip pan. Btw - credit should be given to Alan for his remarkable (yet perhaps somewhat limited) restraint! Steve
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| Grant | -- 02-06-2015 @ 6:16 AM |
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Our '36 constantly drips oil. Free cardboard from the local grocery store soaks it up.......no problem. That leakage is not entirely disadvantageous. It tends to get sprayed around underneath when the car is being driven, and helps keep the Ford metal from rusting. Alan's comment that "if a Ford is not leaking it is out of oil" also applies to other vintage modes of transportation like Harley Davidsons and DC3s. The chronic piddling is nothing serious to be worried about. Pulling your dipstick and checking the oil level before starting the engine is always a good safety precaution. The most important question might be "what kind of oil is slowly leaking out of that flathead?". My preference is Valvoline VR1 20W50. Other members have their own favorites, but high quality petroleum products are an absolute must. Please join us at an upcoming EFV8 Club meet.
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| 1934 Ford | -- 02-06-2015 @ 7:30 AM |
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After 42+ years of ownership of early Ford V8's, I can attest to all of the above information. In addition to my V8 expserience, VW's have been part of our family since 1961. In VW circles, we say "they mark their spot". Mine has a window sticker that says "Genuine VW Oil Dripper". Anybody want to make a Genuine V8 Oil Dripper sticker? 1934 Ford's since 1972
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| ford38v8 | -- 02-06-2015 @ 4:52 PM |
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And much credit to Steve for having the foresight to park in his neighbor's driveway! Alan
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| TomO | -- 02-07-2015 @ 7:44 AM |
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Alan, I wish that my neighbors were that understanding. Tom
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