The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 6 inches south of the oil drain plug

Tonight was the first chance I've had all summer to work on the truck. The clutch needed to be adjusted so under I go. My arms aren't long enough to reach from the top. While I was down there I noticed a drip from the oil drain plug. Also noticed a bit of that same rust proofing spattered back on the clutch housing and tranny. I wiped off the plug and continue working my way back. It gets a bit thicker here so I use a putty knife. I'm scraping under the clutch housing and suddently I have liquid spurting out from a hole. Doesn't smell like antifreese, looks like dirty water. About a cup or so I'm guessing. What's this hole for? I checked through my reference books and didn't find anything. I found a small cork and stuffed it in the hole for the time being. It's roughly 1/4 inch. Is it a weep hole or should there be a plug in there? I took a quick picture but am not set up to post it anywere yet. TIA

It sounds like a drain hole on the clutch cover. It was plugged and held the water in there. Water cooled clutches don`t work too well for your application
Are there about 4 screws holding the tin cover on the bell-housing?

Mech....not that I noticed. More of the "rust proofing" material. I'll check later today.

hmm,interesting..!
i better check for that under my truck then,
anyone else have this happen on their rig(s) ?

thanks

I found the clutch housing cover on my truck to be rusted out. I think it is a self-correcting problem, so to speak. The water gets in there from water that runs down the cowl due to faulty cowl vent drain hose, etc. It runs right down the back of the engine, down the bellhousing, into the clutch area. I observed it with my own eyes. It's a good hole to keep open.

Faulty? I thought they were designed that way, so it can't be faulty! Poorly designed better describes it.

No argument that the use and location of the cowl-vent drain-hose is a poor design. However, if it is "correctly" routed, it does not seem that a lot of water would find easy entry into the clutch (bell) housing. However, isn't there an opening on the front lower face of that side of the clutch housing that might allow "correctly" drained water to enter?" If there is a hole on that side of the clutch housing, what is it for (seems like a bad design)?

Perhaps 4OTF is referring to the faulty situations wherein the hose is broken or missing (or, maybe the hose is pointed to the center rear of the engine and water drains over the rear top of the clutch housing).

I always thought the hole "6 inches south . . " was designed to direct into a single pan (placed by the owner on her/his garage floor) the mixture of engine and transmission (and differential) lubricants that seemed to leak into the clutch housing from old, or poorly installed, or poorly designed rear seals, oil pan gaskets, valve and side cover gaskets, transmission seals and gaskets, and torque tube seal. Also, any water that "correctly" drains (during a heavy rain) on that side of the engine but finds its way into the clutch housing. Isn't that what you all thought?

The caking of grease and dirt than accumulates on the bottom and side covers of the cluch housing appears to be a common, if not a normal characteristic of these wonderful engines.

This drain hole lets the engine (clutch housing) gently weep (it would be nice to say "weep in one place", but we know better).

Tim

Mech...crawled under last night, yup it has the screws you mentioned. I took out the cork I nervously jammed in the hole and took the truck down the road. Clutch worked a lot better. Don't know if was my adjustment or just letting the water out!

Awesome on the clutch working better
Most likely it was the truck being happy that you put your hands on it