The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop oil drip from flywheel pan

(1957 235cui)
2day I noticed a drip from the pan that covers the flywheel. This is the pan which has a small hole in its center.
Is this an indication that my rear main seal is shot?
If not, from where else can the oil come from?
THANKS!

Thats an indication that the rear main oil seal is shot.
The hole is there for exactly that purpose.
Good luck,
Marty

Can you tell if it is coming from inside the flywheel pan? My egin has a leak in the front, but from driving the oil is blown all over the rear of the engine too, so there is oil on my flywheel pan aswell. If that is the only place you have oil dripping from then good bet it is the rear main seal.

It is likely the rear main seal but like Mr. Fiend says sometimes other leaks can run out of there. Check the valve cover gasket & the side cover. Pull the flywheel cover & check the oil pan gasket.

If your rear main is leaking a lot, you will be able to see oil on the flywheel with the cover off.

216-235-261 engines sit lower in the back than the front causing any oil escaping from the engine or engine parts to run to the back lowest point. That point is the flywheel cover. Before I went down to your FLAPS to buy a new rear main seal, I would check and be sure no oil is coming from the back of the valve cover toward the back and at the back, check the lower bottom rear corner of the side cover, check the bolts which hold the coil bracket in place. This is one spot more oil than you think comes from. Of course, you want to check the oil pan bolts and the timing cover bolts. Make sure no oil is coming from these spots. If there is still oil coming to the flywheel cover, you may have a problem. A little oil is expected IMHO, but a bunch is not. As said, also check the flywheel. If there is oil on it, you have aproblem, but if it is dry, your oil acculmantions are coming from some of these other places.
Best of luck hunting down you oil leaks.

Just to emphasize what was said above, I chased an oil leak all last season that put oil on the bottom of the pan, the entire length, oil on the head/block interface, oil on the back of front plate, oil on the bottom of the starter and oil on the front of the bell housing. It turned out that the fuel pump was leaking from the pivot pin below my sight line and only at speed. The fan air blew it all over the engine.

thanks for al the advice, guys.
I will pull the flywheel cover and see. I dont think its the rear main seal. the engine was just rebuilt. It may be blowing to the back as stated above. I did notice some oil coming from the lower drivers side oil lines that go into the block. It may be coming from there and blowing back to the pan. At least I hope its coming from there. Its a much easier fix than the rear main seal.