Dropped oil pan !!
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Registered User
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 39
From: Dallas tx
Dropped oil pan !!
I own a 72 cutlass 4dr 350 rocket. I started leaking oil from around oil pan and with the motor still in the car and 6 hrs later dropped the oil pan to replace gasket. My question is what should I look at since I can look directly into the block? I'm a novice and anxious to learn. So far it looks very clean and found very small amount of shavings. All comments are welcome.
Registered User
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 3,145
From: Far Northeast Philadelphia, PA
Stock pan?
When I removed the stock pan off my 330, it was dented in a few spots. Not enough to hit the crank, but the plug area was pushed up enough that the oil did not completely drain out and there was a fair amount of sluge there.
Also look for any little plastic or metal things that look like this ^ they are parts of the teeth from the timing chain which means the chain needs to be replaced
"pixie" dust type shavings are OK, but if they are bigger, that spells problems.
Look at the oil pump screen, see that it's clear
When I removed the stock pan off my 330, it was dented in a few spots. Not enough to hit the crank, but the plug area was pushed up enough that the oil did not completely drain out and there was a fair amount of sluge there.
Also look for any little plastic or metal things that look like this ^ they are parts of the teeth from the timing chain which means the chain needs to be replaced
"pixie" dust type shavings are OK, but if they are bigger, that spells problems.
Look at the oil pump screen, see that it's clear
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 39
From: Dallas tx
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 39
From: Dallas tx
Stock pan?
When I removed the stock pan off my 330, it was dented in a few spots. Not enough to hit the crank, but the plug area was pushed up enough that the oil did not completely drain out and there was a fair amount of sluge there.
Also look for any little plastic or metal things that look like this ^ they are parts of the teeth from the timing chain which means the chain needs to be replaced
"pixie" dust type shavings are OK, but if they are bigger, that spells problems.
Look at the oil pump screen, see that it's clear
When I removed the stock pan off my 330, it was dented in a few spots. Not enough to hit the crank, but the plug area was pushed up enough that the oil did not completely drain out and there was a fair amount of sluge there.
Also look for any little plastic or metal things that look like this ^ they are parts of the teeth from the timing chain which means the chain needs to be replaced
"pixie" dust type shavings are OK, but if they are bigger, that spells problems.
Look at the oil pump screen, see that it's clear
Screen is clear.
Overall it looks pretty clean inside the block.
Registered User
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,124
From: Fort Pierce, FL
Metal wears and small shavings and dust like pieces are normal and typical. As with any engine, eventually an engine wears to the point it needs rebuilt. Ad bad sign would be finding larger pieces, ships, chucks broken gear teeth or maybe the kitchen sink. But what you described sounds like normal wear. And remember, you didn't go in there because of an oil leak, not because you heard parts rattling arouind. Oil pans leak because the gasket dries out, the bolts get loose, which can let grot and dirt get onto the loose area of the gasket. That is why just retightening the pan on an old gasket doesn't neccessarily totally stop a pan leak like a clean gasket surface and a new gasket.
Take great care to get the surface as clean as possible, and without any old gasket material left. I might use Permatex on the gasket, but what do you guys think best to coat the new gasket with? Tighten the bolts gradually, criss crossing around the pan and carefully torque them properly, and DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN, which can distort and damage a new gasket. But I would definitely use a torque wrench for the. I think the torque is somewhere around 6 to 8 foot pounds, which takes a small inch pounds torque wrench. Doind it by feel might work well for an experienced mechanic, but for you and me, it is almost impossible to tell the difference between 4 pounds and 14, and that is a HUGE difference. Don't do the work to fix it today to have it leak tomorrow.
Take great care to get the surface as clean as possible, and without any old gasket material left. I might use Permatex on the gasket, but what do you guys think best to coat the new gasket with? Tighten the bolts gradually, criss crossing around the pan and carefully torque them properly, and DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN, which can distort and damage a new gasket. But I would definitely use a torque wrench for the. I think the torque is somewhere around 6 to 8 foot pounds, which takes a small inch pounds torque wrench. Doind it by feel might work well for an experienced mechanic, but for you and me, it is almost impossible to tell the difference between 4 pounds and 14, and that is a HUGE difference. Don't do the work to fix it today to have it leak tomorrow.
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 39
From: Dallas tx
Metal wears and small shavings and dust like pieces are normal and typical. As with any engine, eventually an engine wears to the point it needs rebuilt. Ad bad sign would be finding larger pieces, ships, chucks broken gear teeth or maybe the kitchen sink. But what you described sounds like normal wear. And remember, you didn't go in there because of an oil leak, not because you heard parts rattling arouind. Oil pans leak because the gasket dries out, the bolts get loose, which can let grot and dirt get onto the loose area of the gasket. That is why just retightening the pan on an old gasket doesn't neccessarily totally stop a pan leak like a clean gasket surface and a new gasket.
Take great care to get the surface as clean as possible, and without any old gasket material left. I might use Permatex on the gasket, but what do you guys think best to coat the new gasket with? Tighten the bolts gradually, criss crossing around the pan and carefully torque them properly, and DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN, which can distort and damage a new gasket. But I would definitely use a torque wrench for the. I think the torque is somewhere around 6 to 8 foot pounds, which takes a small inch pounds torque wrench. Doind it by feel might work well for an experienced mechanic, but for you and me, it is almost impossible to tell the difference between 4 pounds and 14, and that is a HUGE difference. Don't do the work to fix it today to have it leak tomorrow.
Take great care to get the surface as clean as possible, and without any old gasket material left. I might use Permatex on the gasket, but what do you guys think best to coat the new gasket with? Tighten the bolts gradually, criss crossing around the pan and carefully torque them properly, and DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN, which can distort and damage a new gasket. But I would definitely use a torque wrench for the. I think the torque is somewhere around 6 to 8 foot pounds, which takes a small inch pounds torque wrench. Doind it by feel might work well for an experienced mechanic, but for you and me, it is almost impossible to tell the difference between 4 pounds and 14, and that is a HUGE difference. Don't do the work to fix it today to have it leak tomorrow.
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