The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Water from the rear main bearing cap????

Well I got one that’s scaring the bajeppers out of me!!!
Rear main or pan seal is leaking quite a bit of oil, bout a qt to 100 miles. So I drain the pan and pull it down, oil only, no sign of water. Flywheel covers are both off, oil only, no sign of water. I pulled the two front bolts for the rear main and the back two won’t come loose with a 1/2” breaker with a pipe extension, 1/2” impact won’t break them loose either, oil only, no sign of water. So when I got out the big guns, my 3/4” “Earthquake” impact and find I don’t have a 3/4” 6point drive socket small enough to fit the rear bolts. This was last night and it laid there all night, drippin’ oil only, no water.
While I was out shopping this morning I picked up a 3/4” to 1/2” adaptor and a 1/2” drive 3/4” socket. When I got back four hours later this afternoon I assembled everything and crawled under to see if this combo would break the bolts loose and what do find on the paper I had on the floor to catch the drip? WATER, not much just a few drops, bout enough to wet a tissue. Now I’m starting to worry, the bolts, they took two slaps from the Earthquake set bout half way up and spun loose. I’m seeing a few drops of water now seeping from the front of the bearing cap. I haven’t pulled the rear bolts out or the cap loose yet till I figure out what’s going on. I it possible for one of the bolt holes to go up into the water jacket back here???? First thought was freeze plug or cracked block at #6 but put that those out of my mind because this wasn’t leaking before I loosened the rear cap bolts.
Also I see the corner edge of a piece of shim stock sticking out from between the cap and the block. I know the rods were shimmed but I didn’t know the mains were shimmed, are they????
I really counting on some experience voices here guys, anyone ever run into something like this before?
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

I,ve never run into anything that strange on the water but the mains are shimmed even on the full pressure engines.

Denny,
the mains are shimmed for sure. On my 216, the rear frost plug was leaking and it used to drip antifreeze along with oil from the flywheel cover area. I have pictures of the seal being replaced on my webshots.

Fred

I remember it Fred and that's what I'm afraid is happening. If the plug is leaking It may be running down the back of the block and forward along the parting line of the rear main. That's why I'm seeing it at the front of the cap. Just a few drops mind you. I’m not really ready to pull the engine at this time. The kicker is that I’ve seen no, none, nota drop of water prior to loosening the main cap. That’s the part that doesn't make any sense.
Gotta go, got a trip this morning.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

are you sure the few drops of water are not just condensation from the block being open overnight in the cool night plus the humidity since you have had quite a bunch of rain up your way. you say water does it have the antifreeze color?

Nope, just runing straight water this summer for the shakedown. If it were condensation it would be in the whole block not just at the rear main.
Denny G

The freezeplug on the back of engine was seeping on mine when I took it apart to install hydramatic driveline. It is a plug without sides that you put in place and smack to expand. [img]http://thumb17.webshots.net/t/54/54/2/59/1/400725901YIwpbM_th.jpg[/img]

Yes, that plug is exactly the same as the one on the front of the motor, and probably in similar shape.

Very typical of the freeze plugs they used years ago. Most of the later ones use the cup type. I've got a 216 sitting in the barn that I picked up a while back so I know where and what I have back there, I just don't want to pull the endgine now just to put a freeze plug in. I'm was hoping to hold off till the winter when I planned to start my frame up restoration work.
So it'a probably going to be the old domino affect again and I might end up pulling the engine and sending it out to the machine shop.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

I didn't notice any coolant loss or even a drip in the one pictured. I removed the bellhousing to install the adapter plate that goes between the engine and hydramatic trans and found what you see there.

Denny,
I just got the 53 235 which you could bolt in and ust while you sort out the 216

Call me

Paull gossett

Put a can of Barsleaks in it.