Having enjoyed reading the various problems and cures suggested by this learned
group, I feel that I know you well enough to bring up this
embarassing and somewhat personal problem. I have been battling a serious oil
leak in my 79 Midget. I replaced front and rear seals and oil
pan gasket when I recently pulled the engine to overhaul the transmission, but
the leak remains. In hopes that this problem has been
observed and cured by some of you 1500 cc guys, here are the embarassing
details:
My dipstick dribbles! I have been disappointed with the thing since I got it,
as it is too short anyway, and groping around down there to get it
pulled out has always been a real chore. Trying to get it back in the tube is
also a problem, especially in the dark. But all those problems I
have been living with. Now the damn thing appears to be the source of a leak.
Spots everywhere. What an embarassment!
Having convinced myself that the new oil pan gasket hadn't sealed somehow, even
after double checking the bolt torques, I pressure washed
the engine and watched for the first sign of a leak. It sure looks like it is
dribbling out of the dipstick tube. My plan is to run the engine with a
Mark 1 wooden dowel installed in dipstick tube first to see if leak goes away,
or to see if the leak is around the base of the tube rather than
coming out of the top of the tube. If the leaking is around the base, I will
try some type of sealant (gasket compound?) around the base of the
tube until next time the engine is out--then silver solder the thing in place?.
If the leak is around the top of the tube I may try an O-ring or some
sort of seal between the dipstick and the tube, or better, extend the tube and
fit a longer dipstick (what I always wanted anyway, right?). Is
there some sort of crankcase pressure relief system which I need to check? If
anyone has already solved this problem, or has better ideas, I
sure would welcome their comments. (I expect the crumpet crew will have a
field day, in any case).
Happy dipping,
Ray James
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Name: Ray W. James
E-mail: Ray James <rwj4123@sigma.tamu.edu>
Date: 06/23/94
Time: 08:29:48
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