The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop oil leak

My rebuilt 1962 261 engine has an oil leak. When parked after an hour or two, there is a spot of oil on the floor from the engine breather pipe. Called the shop where the engine was rebuilt and made an appointment.

What does the stovebolters say about the problem?
thanks, Larry

That is the way that you can tell that you still have oil in the crankcase. Show me a stovebolt that doesn't leak some oil and I'll bet the oil pump pickup is high and dry. The breather pipe is there to suck fumes out of the crankcase as the truck is going down the road. With the fumes, some oil droplets are drawn out as well. Unless you have a puddle of oil, you need not worry. There is a plate inside the crankcase behind the hole where the pipe enters the block that is there to reduce oil from entering the pipe. It is held on by a slot head screw from the outside. If you can see the screw, then it is likely that the plate is there since that screw threads into the plate. If the plate was not replaced during rebuild I believe that you would have a significant leak.

a "spot"? lucky you ... as Carl points out, the only sure way to avoid any oil drips on a stovebolt 6 is to not put any oil in it

there should be a bunch of shredded metal fiber in the breather can as a 'filter' that will trap some of the more liquid part of the condensed fumes - often that 'filter' is gone from folks cleaning it out via burning [factory recommendation], which will let more of the liquid fraction out, check that for starters, and if the rebuilder didn't clean it, doing so [with solvent] might help for awhile

Bill

I always keep a piece of card board or something when I park an old vehicle in a garage or where I dont want anything to get on the floor, sometimes I would have to change the oil in the drop cloth..lol..

Install a PCV valve between crankcase vent tube (cap off bottom end) and intake, took care of my drips. Or you can find a factory set up.

what a neat 46 you have, do you still have the 47 coupe..

NOS PVC retrofit kit. Also some original install pictures.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/advance-design_parts_co/8460085515/in/set-72157631868452754
http://www.flickr.com/photos/advance-design_parts_co/8665388167/in/set-72157633290718528

Brad,
Where do you find all your stuff? Do you have one of everything ever made?

Here is the deal. I also have a '54 235 engine. Both engines are rebuilt by the same builder. There are not any drips from the 235 engine. My thought is there something wrong with the '62 261. Is an oil leak from the breather pipe a problem?

the drip from the breather [not a "leak"] is not a problem, unless you forget to put a drip pan under the engine when you park in your clean garage .... you might take the breather off and check if that one has the 'filter' packing in place and clean, might be the difference between the 2 engines

Bill

If you polled all of the 216/234/261 owners who visit this site that know their stuff, I will bet you will find that they will tell you that they all leak from somewhere, and that if it only leaks a bit from the breather, you are very fortunate.

Carl,

I went through a period of really heavy NOS acquisitions and I have parted or owned 30 trucks in the last few years. Busier now so not purchasing as much, I rarely sell NOS unless I have two.

Yea, I get it. I'm currently going through a period of really heavy AD truck acquisitions. Now I need to begin a really heavy put-the-darn-things-back-together period before I have to begin referring to my spouse as my first wife. She is NOS, but I only have one of her.