Freakin' Leakin' SBC

[chaditotx]

Guys...

I am sure you have all been there before... you fix a problem, TWICE or more and it comes back.
I just replaced my oil pan gasket and timing cover gasket to fix leaks on my 5 mo old rebuilt 350 in my El Camino. It leaked before from the seal on the harmonic balancer, and the saddle just under it where the cover meets the pan. My timing cover was one of those cheap 19.95 autozone chome ones, so I tossed it in favor of a cast aluminum one for a 1971.
No problems from the crank area, but today I noticed a drip drip drip from the "saddle" area, there the pan meets the cover. I used a Felpro one piece "dry: silicon gasket, and followed all the directions. It was custom made for a pre 79 sbc set up. It went on fine, and didn't leak for 4 days. I am using a cheap chrome pan, pre-79 or whatever. I have a strange feeling that this pan has to go.
My question is..... why is it still leaking? Shitty oil pan? If it is, how hard is it to pull the pan without pulling the engine? Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Chad

[TEXAS-HOTROD]

I hate to do a pain-in-the-@%$ job twice too.
Take a small knife and some sort of a pick and try to remove the saddle seal. Even if it comes out in pieces, as long as you can get it all out.
Clean off the area w/some carburetor spray cleaner and make sure everything is dry. Use a tube of Ultra black silicone and fill up the cavity (and let it dry over night).
I usually throw the oil pan gaskets and seals in the trash can and just use silicone on oil pans. The main trick is to make sure the contact surfaces are clean and dry. I can't verify how it works on chrome, I have nevar tried. I would think the sealing surfaces should be sand blasted for it to adhere correctly.
I just completed an overhaul on an S-10 today. No drips or dribbles anywhere. The black silly works good on valve covers too.
Good luck,
---TEX---

[chaditotx]

sounds like a good idea to me....

I am planning on dropping the pan tomorrow, just a few inches, so I can spray brake cleaner and blow out all the channels on the pan (the lips). The gasket should be fine, because it is one of those one piece things that you aren't supposed to use any sealer on. With the chrome, that crap is so slippery will probably emery cloth the front of the pan lip so I can get good adhesion with the rtv, and do the same to the bottom of the seal on the front too.. I have a feeling I will cinch it up a few turns short of where it should be, and let it dry a few hours, and then torque it down. The thought of lifting the engine up again just sucks.

I have a tube of black rtv waiting for me in the garage..... if it doesn't work, I will find someone that knows how to weld aluminum and steel together and weld the timing cover to the pan. (HAHHAHAHA!!!!)

Thanks Tex!

Chad, Austin Texas.

[TEXAS-HOTROD]

Wow man! It's a small world after all.
I lived in Austin in the late 80s and early 90s. I had a room at Ben White/Lamar Blvd. I later moved off of William Cannon and I-35. My last few years in the capitol city, I worked at Kasson Yamaha on Congress. Visited 6th st. many times, but that was in the days when it was still safe.
There was a Thunder Cloud Sub down by the river that had the best munchies. How I miss that place. I've been away for a long time.

The last time we flew through there I had to stop off at the (newly relocated) Harley shop to scope out the new V-Rods. Seems like we can never pass up El Gaillo Mexican restaurant on Congress. Try the "special" plate if you have never been there.

Oh yeah, I hope you get the leak fixed.
---TEX---