oil leaks at push rod chamber cover & spin on oilfilter

[Anonymous]

I'm new to this list and this is my first post. I have a 223 in my '56 F100 and I started it for the first time this last saturday. I have two pretty good sized leaks, one at the push rod chamber cover and one at the spin on oilfilter adapter between the adapter and the block at about the 9 o'clock position. My factory shop manual says to cement the gasket to the chamber cover and torque the fasteners to 15 to 20 inch pounds. That being done already is there another solution that somebody has already had success with? Also, while reading previous posts the other night, some people are experiancing cracked manifolds and heads. One solution that my father pointed out to me many years ago was on the crossover pipe on the exhaust he said to NOT put a clamp on those two pieces. The idea being to let the two pipes move due to expansion and contraction, same suggestion for the crossover pipe on the Y-block V8. Hope this helps somebody down the road. Can anybody shed some light on my oil leak problems? Thanks

 

[fmartin_gila]

Just make sure the side cover has no warpage to it and the groove is clean. Then make sure you have no old gasket remaining on the block sealing surface. DO NOT OVERTORQUE. You may go back and retorque after a few heat and cool cycles, sometimes that will help. Pretty much the same advise on the oil filter plate that goes on the engine. TorqueIIRC is about 65 Lbs on that center nut. You may have to make a new gasket or go buy one of the old element type filters and use that gasket. Just make sure all old gasket and sealer material is cleaned of the sealing surface. Make sure that the surface where the spin on filter goes is smooth and clean also and do not overtighten. Make sure that the square sealing ring from the old spin on filter is not stuck on there, if you double gasket, you will guarantee a leak. Are you sure that the side cover is the leaking culprit? If the valve cover has any seepage at the back (close to the firewall), it will run down at the rear right side and seem as if from the side cover.
Fred

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Fred for the info on the warpage, I'm positve there is no old gasket material as all parts were hot tanked after machine work was done. Is it common for the valve cover to leak when every thing is clean and fresh? I didn't think to check for warpage on the valve cover too, and I could see how the side cover could get twisted out of shape when cleaning. Thanks again!

 

[fmartin_gila]

Just be gentle with the side cover after making sure it is flat. Also just found this in my notes, Spin-on adapter gasket = Fel Pro 70135. I don't remember where I got that number, But might give you a starting point at NAPA. Have found sometimes when using cork gaskets, use blue RTV, Light layer in the clean groove, lay gasket in, turn over and lay on a flat surface and weight it down a little till the RTV sets. Then lay it out so the sealing surface is flat and lay down a very thin and even layer of RTV and let dry. Then when you install it on the engine, the RTV with the flex of the cork behind it, seems to conform very well to the contours of the cast metal. I always stress using a actual torque wrench, cause overtorqueing is the major cause of leaks in valve covers, side covers, and oil pans. And go over them several times.
Fred

 

[Anonymous]

Sorry to leave you hanging. I finally got around to removing the side cover and there is some warpage there. The part number for the gasket from the fel pro full set is 1-R-10603 that has changed to PS10603R and includes the grommets for less than 10 bucks. The gasket number for the oil filter mounting from the same full set is 1-R-10644 and I haven't been able to find a current part number yet. The old part number for the spin on oil filter adapter is NAPA 4119 and the number on the filter is 1015. Remember those are old numbers from 30 years ago when I bought the parts and was rebuilding the motor. I'll keep you posted as to how this all works out. I'm assuming that the torque spec you mentioned is 65 foot pounds and not inch pounds on the adapter bolt for the spin on filter conversion. Thanks again for the advice.

 

[fmartin_gila]

Yep, that is ft lbs. also the torque for the valve cover and the side cover is 4 to 7 ft lbs. I think I set my 1/4 in torque wrench on 50 inches, this will allow some further tightening in the future if needed. When doing the valve cover, go around and around about six times, each bolt will usually move just a little more, this way you have an even clamping force on the gasket. Same on the side cover, go back and forth several times to put even pressure on.

On those numbers, my NAPA store got me some off brand gaskets(that seems to be working well), so I will leave it as is(would prefer FelPro).
Fred

 

[Anonymous]

I tweaked a little here and there on the push rod cover for warpage, installed a new gasket (rubber) and torqed to specs. and no leaks. On the spin-on filter adapter, I found a small dent in the thin tin piece under the adapter, smoothed that out and put a gasket between that and the block, reinstalled the gasket between the tin and the adapter, installed a new oil filter and found no leaks there. I also adjusted my timing and carb. the other night and have an idle speed of about 650 to 700 rpm. The brakes are adjusted, now all I have to do is install the wiring for the taillights and I can take it for it's maiden drive around the block. Need to get that done before the snow starts to fly here in western Iowa. Thanks for the help, and this is a great web site! I'll try to post a couple of pictures of my '56 in the picture section, I'm computer challenged.

 

[fmartin_gila]

Good to hear that you are gaining on it. The specs call for an idle speed of 500 - 550. I set mine at 500, so smooth and quiet.
Fred