TR6 Bad Oil Leak

[Sixpack]

My 73 TR6 has developed a bad leak. Starts to leak after engine is running maybe 5 minutes. I have tried to locate the leak and it appears to come from the oil pan rear. I suppose it could be leaking from above, but I do not know if there is anything directly above the oil pan that could leak. I also may have scraped the oil pan leaving a elevated parking lot, so I suppose I could have bent the oil pan and broken the gasket seal. I plan to replace the oil pan gasket, but wanted to know if there were any other suggestions while I am ordering parts. Any suggestions on the oil leak?

 

[Gliderman8]

First off, welcome to the BCF!
As far as your leak, if you did hit something then sure it's possible that you deformed the pan causing a leak. when you remove it clean everything up and before reinstalling, turn the pan upside down onto a flat surface to make sure the top of the pan is flat so it will make good contact with the new gasket. If portions of it are not flat, you will have to deal with that prior to reinstalling. You might want to have a look at the drain plug to make sure there is no damage to it.

 

[poolboy]

If the leak started after bottoming out, this is probably not the culprit.
You may not have an aftermarket oil feed line attached to the cylinder head in this location, and if not, there will be a hex head threaded plug with a copper washer screwed into the head.
If you don't find a leak elsewhere, check here.

 

[Sixpack]

Thank you for the reply and the great tip on placing the pan on a flat surface to check for a warp. My first hope was the drain plug, but it was not. I crawled under the car (which is not easy due to my size) and found numerous drips hanging from the bolt heads of the back of the oil pan. When the car was running the drips were very fast. I am hoping it is the oil pan gasket. Thanks again

 

[Sixpack]

Thanks Poolboy. I don't have an aftermarket oil feed line. Not sure about the hex head threaded plug with a copper washer screwed into the head? Where would it be located?

 

[poolboy]

To get you oriented, that's the left rear corner of the chrome valve cover that you see in the picture.

 

[Sixpack]

I thought so.. thanks for the follow-up

 

[trrdster2000]

sixpack, what is your location? If you are near Salisbury, I will have a look at it. You may have a rear seal gone bad. If these cars set around the seal tends to stick to the rear crank and will cause little splits in the seal when it spins at crank up. Cheap part and not easy to get at, pull transmission, flywheel, and of course take the interior out, a fun day for all.

Wayne

 

[poolboy]

Here's that seal Wayne talked about. You see it here sitting in it's aluminum housing.

2 of the oil pan bolts are threaded into the bottom of the housing.

 

[Sixpack]

Thanks Wayne.... although I am NOT thrilled about the possible rear seal. I am hoping (unrealistically I am sure) that it is only the oil pan gasket as I am beat up too much from a bad ladder accident to do the tranny pull. BTW, I live in Raleigh.

 

[Sixpack]

Thanks Poolboy... I am hoping your photo is as close as I need to be to a rear seal. I really appreciate the photo and your reply.

 

[trrdster2000]

Sixpack, Sorry you are under the weather. I can't make the trip to Raleigh myself, having my own issues, but a friend is coming down Monday from Raleigh and one from Gold Hill, SC and we are going to get my rams for the convertible top out of my Jaguar XK8. His wife is a great cook and he's bring lunch. We all wanted to know how this job goes. Maybe you could get someone in the Raleigh Triumph Club to give you a hand or lead you in the right direction to get it fixed.
Take care of yourself.

Wayne

 

[Vila]

While you have the pan off also check the bolt holes to verify the bolts have not been over tightened in the past and put dimples around all the bolt holes.

That was the case with my 1933 Chevrolet pan when I took it off almost 40 years ago and I had to take them out.

 

[Sixpack]

sixpack, what is your location? If you are near Salisbury, I will have a look at it. You may have a rear seal gone bad. If these cars set around the seal tends to stick to the rear crank and will cause little splits in the seal when it spins at crank up. Cheap part and not easy to get at, pull transmission, flywheel, and of course take the interior out, a fun day for all.

Wayne

I replied yesterday but do not see it in the thread. I am absolutely worried that it is the rear seal. It does not start leaking right away (that I can tell) but after the car runs for about 5 minutes the drips come. As far as I can tell from getting under the car, which is very difficult due to my size, the leaks are coming off of the back of the oil pan. It is also fresh oil as I recently changed it. Whether the leak is above and just traveling down the back side of the oil pan I cannot tell.. DO you know of a way to verify the leak as coming from the rear seal? I really am not in a position physically to pull the tranny, etc and do the work myself due to a bad ladder accident. BTW, I live in Raleigh but appreciate the offer

 

[Sixpack]

thanks for the tip Vila. I will check the bolt holes as well as the pan to make sure it seat flush.

 

[Gliderman8]

Just a thought.... unrelated to hitting the bottom of the oil pan.
Have you checked the manifold cover to make sure it is sealed and not leaking out of the back and running down the block?
Make sure the manifold cover is snugged down... don't make it too tight or it might deform the cover.

 

[arbs_53]

I developed a bad oil leak after having the head shaved on a pick-up truck I once owned that blew a head gasket, a quart every 100 miles.The mechanic located the source of the leak by using a fluorescent additive to the oil and running the engine for 10-15 minutes. Not sure if he used a black light, or just a regular fluorescent light, to see where the oil was leaking from and you may have to replace the oil afterwards, but it would take out the guess work.

 

[Sixpack]

Sixpack, Sorry you are under the weather. I can't make the trip to Raleigh myself, having my own issues, but a friend is coming down Monday from Raleigh and one from Gold Hill, SC and we are going to get my rams for the convertible top out of my Jaguar XK8. His wife is a great cook and he's bring lunch. We all wanted to know how this job goes. Maybe you could get someone in the Raleigh Triumph Club to give you a hand or lead you in the right direction to get it fixed.
Take care of yourself.

Wayne

Thanks Wayne. Sounds like you all will have a good time working on your Jag. I will let you all know when and discover the issue... and how I fix it. I had not thought of the Raleigh Triumph Club. I am so used to doing everything myself, I do not often think of looking for help. I will look up the RTC. Thanks again for all your help.

 

[Sixpack]

Thanks Elliot. I will double check the manifold. I would love for it to be the problem as I do no relish the idea of having to pull the tranny and spend a weekend (at least) having to replace the rear seal. I guess there is some consolation that I can drop the tranny. If it were an MGB, I would have to pull the engine.

Thanks again for the tip

 

[Gliderman8]

About two years ago I had an oil leak and couldn't find the source. I took a plastic bottle of talcum powder and sprayed a light mist of powder in the general area of the leak. I went for a ride, came back and opened the hood. I immediately saw where the oil was running through the white powder. Of course, you'll have to spend some time with a rag cleaning the block when you're done. It worked for me.