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Replace pan gasket & rear seal?


Dennis Detweiler

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Not sure. If it's normal to have some drips, not puddles, then maybe not worth replacing the seals? Is it a difficult job to replace the upper and lower? Seems like every upgrade or repair leads to another while I'm in that vicinity. I've been working on the car for 1.5 years trying to get it road dependable. Almost there! Hoping to live long enough to drive it. lol

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If you are doing the rear main seal make sure to include replacing the "side" seals.........there are two versions of these, as far as I know the various kits/gasket sets include both types........andyd 

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Dennis, before you drop the pan, I would recommend you pull the side covers off the valve spring area and clean it out. It will have the same kind of mess that you find in the oil pan. Make sure the drain holes into the pan are open. After scraping all the sludge out I could get, I finished up with aerosol carb cleaner. By doing this first the mess goes into the pan, not on your shop floor. You are going to love driving your Plymouth. My main driver is a ‘39 Dodge  sedan. Just finished installing a overdrive transmission yesterday. Looking forward to some fun cruising this summer. A tip to help with installing the pan: take 4 bolts same size as the pan bolts and cut the heads off. Screw these in with fingers to be guides fore the pan. Pan can then be held up with one hand while starting the other bolts with your free hand. Keeps the gasket in place without damaging it, and makes the job easier.remove guides after other bolts are started.

Edited by Mike36
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Thanks for all the info. Much appreciated.

I'm 70 and rotator cuffs are overdue for repair (job related wear). Overhead work is a booger under the car. Slow moving. I'm in the middle of connecting the Wilwood master cylinder and replacing a few lines, fittings and adapters. The steering gear is on it's way back from a rebuild and will be ready to install. Then, work on the pan and whatever has to be done along with it. When I bought the car, the owner said, the engine had 10,000 on a rebuild, but the sludge inside the oil pan drain hole seems a little thick for 10,000 miles? He had been running detergent oil. So, maybe the oil has been loosening old sludge from other areas of the engine and causing some buildup in the pan. I'll know more when I get the pan off.

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often one has to take with a grain of salt the use of the term "rebuilt" but yes at 10Kmiles there should not be sludge in the engine....UNLESS...the only time it has been run is for a few minutes each cycle and never gotten to temp to burn out the condensation that collects during cooldown in a high humidity environment....if it never got to a sustained temp..then the sludge will be there....so yes. sludge is possible...you will need to question the use of the car when he owned the beast.

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Dennis, I know what you are talking about as I am 73. I don’t know about your pan, but mine had the drain plug on the side about a half inch above the bottom . Therefor when the oil was drained, the heaviest of the sediment stayed in the pan as it was below the drain hole. I cut a three inch square section out of a spare oil. Pan that included the drain plug. Then cut a hole in the bottom of my pan, and welded the three inch piece over the hole. My drain is now on the bottom of the pan and all the crud goes out at every oil change. I also advocate doing oil changes only on a hot engine while impurities are in suspension, not lying in oil galleries and around valve springs waiting to contaminate the new oil.

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I took my pan off and resealed it. I sanded it smooth too and repainted it. There was a fair amount of sludge in the bottom which I cleaned out. Also in the valve/tappet area as mentioned. Since then I have been running modern detergent motor oil.

 

I considered replacing the rear seal too but opted not to. My engine rear end is still leaking a fair amount. More than drips. My engine however shares oil with the torque converter. I could be leaking oil at the seals between the block and torque. I can't tell for sure yet. So, I decided not to pull things apart yet and nurse it along. It's inevitable the engine will come out. At that time I will decide how for to go with it. At a minimum rear crank seal, oil passage to torque o-rings, valve guides, oil pan again, front crank seal and timing chain cover gasket, head gasket...Sounding more like a full rebuild every time I plan it out.

 

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While I had the pan off I took a cap off and had a good look at a bearing. It looked quite good. Little wear.

 

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