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Ghetto pressure test

1K views 7 replies 5 participants last post by  Redlineauto 
#1 ·
I've pulled my engine out four times now trying to fix a leak at the corner of the pan. I don't know what I'm doing wrong, but no matter how flush the mating surfaces and how much epoxy I use, it still leaks in a steady stream from the corner of the pan. and yes, I've checked everything else. First time I did it the corner of the pan was tweaked, and you could add oil with the engine on the hoist and watch it run out. So as much as I would prefer it be any of the other things that people are invariably going to suggest, I know for a fact the leak is at the pan.

I'm done pulling the engine and scraping the pan free of the cement that International recommends, at least for now. At this point I just want to patch it up and hold it over for a month or so.

I want to conclusively confirm exactly where the leak is first. I'm thinking if I put the Shop-Vac on blow mode and duct tape it to the oil fill tube, I should be able to pull the old soapy water trick to figure out exactly where the leak is. After that flip it back to vacuum mode, create negative pressure at the pan, hose at all with brake cleaner, then slap enough gasket maker on to save the Titanic. My Hope Is that the negative pressure in the case will pull some of the liquid gasket maker through to create a better seal.

My question is, is there anything that I should be aware of before putting a Shop-Vac on the fill tube, regarding positive or negative pressure? I'd hate to blow out o rings or something like that trying to fix a different leak.
 
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#2 ·
You won't blow any o-rings with a shop vac. Kind of a novel approach to the problem. I think I would have purchased a new pan the second time the engine was out. They're cheap and that would have fixed the issue for good. I'm still a bit confused how you can get all the pan bolts in and still have a big enough gap to pour oil through.
 
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#3 · (Edited)
Moroso replacement oil pan AND gasket. Better pan than OEM, with a "gasket" to seal instead of the OEM silicone. Gasket and pan are sold separately. Maybe just buy the gasket... however if your pan is damaged/warped/bent, it'll NEVER seal correctly.

While a bit pricey, if you had done this on the second engine pull, you'd be way ahead at this point.

And, epoxy never works to seal anything oily, especially after-the-fact.

Fix it once and forget it... (well, in your case, 5 times...LOL).
 
#4 ·
I'm with RT and Calico5.

Just bite the bullet and get a new pan.

There's no way that you're going to get it to seal by sucking gasket sealer in with a shop vac. The surfaces have to be clean (as in CLEAN) for it to stick. There's also a danger that you'll get excess sealer floating around in the oil and winding up in your injectors.
 
#5 ·
I'm with RT and Calico5.
Just bite the bullet and get a new pan.
There's no way that you're going to get it to seal by sucking gasket sealer in with a shop vac. The surfaces have to be clean (as in CLEAN) for it to stick. There's also a danger that you'll get excess sealer floating around in the oil and winding up in your injectors.
YES! That is a major concern!

You don't want a bunch of excess sealant (silicone or epoxy) in the pan, oil pump or pickup, oil cooler, etc. Also, when the engine is cold, the "short circuit" valve may open, which pumps oil directly from the front cover to the HPOP reservoir. Any crap like that could end up in the reservoir (if it hasn't already).
 
#6 ·
Were you turning the motor upside down when you cleaned and reinstalled the pan to the block? That's how they say to do it. Been there, done that.
 
#7 ·
Were you turning the motor upside down when you cleaned and reinstalled the pan to the block? That's how they say to do it. Been there, done that.
Excellent point!
I meant to ask that as well...
I think it's supposed to STAY upside-down for like 24 hrs. after install of the sealant and pan, too, correct?
 
#8 ·
Aight, update time. I know I recognize some people from my other thread. Remember the guy who lost 5 quarts in 30 seconds of running? That's me. We're in a slightly better circumstance now, but still not drivable.

Against all recommendations, I did the vacuum thing. I highly doubt my Shop-Vac can pull hard enough to suck any significant amount of silicone through what has to be a tiny hole. The goal was more to make sure there was no space left between the slopped on permatex that I used for the patch. Didn't expect it to work, but I'm beginning to think that wasn't the issue anyway and I just made assumptions because it leaks in the same spot as the pan did.

Oh, and before I forget, no I didn't turn the engine upside down. Just didn't have a way to accomplish that. What I did do is pull the pan, let it sit for several days to drip out as much as possible, clean the ever-living snot out of both mating surfaces, let it sit overnight to make sure there was no contamination, and then glued it back together. It's not perfect, and it's not the way I would have liked to do it, but I can guarantee that there have been many oil pan jobs done that were far less meticulous.

The first time at least, from my other thread, it was definitely the pan. I could pour oil down the filler neck and watch it run out when the motor was out on the chain. Now I'm wondering if I didn't butcher a turbo seal on one of the many times I've had it out. Needed my lift today, so I started the truck, backed it outside, and shut it off. No leaks, so I was thinking my patch had held up for a little bit at least. Look under it a minute later and it's back to leaking a very thin stream of oil. No way the pan would start leaking after the truck had been backed out of the shop and then shut down.

Also, it runs like hell. Battery light and SES lights are on. Hoping that's the kind of thing that gets worked out once I can actually let it run for more than a few seconds at a time.
 
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