coupekid Posted November 14, 2015 Share Posted November 14, 2015 (edited) Hi again members ...My friends 58 Buick 364ci has a slow engine oil leak coming from flywheel/auto-trans bellhousing dust cover only when engine runs ... im wondering if its a simple fix as removing engine oil pan & undoing rear mains cap to replace the rope seal ? ....or for a quick remedy adding a rear mains sealer concentrate in with the engine oil like either ..."Blue-devil or Bar`s " rear mains sealer concentrate being that its only a slow leak .. ive heard that these concentrates have worked for some people ...Id like to hear if others have had any success or have any other remedy ? Edited November 14, 2015 by johnnybuick (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ttotired Posted November 14, 2015 Share Posted November 14, 2015 Mechanic in a can/bottle type stuff, I have no faith in You would also have to see if its for (and has) a rope seal, I think there are rubber seals for these as well and some of that stuff is to "re condition" rubber seals It will still leak again, maybe after the next oil change? What you could do though is to check and clean the engine breathers, it may be getting positive crankcase pressure and actually blowing the oil out Mick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted November 14, 2015 Share Posted November 14, 2015 (edited) If it has a slow leak, then leave it alone. Running it a quart low will help too. If it gets so bad that the entire underside is coated in oil and oil spray is all over the rear bumper and trunk then you can try my fix: http://www.buickrestorer.com/rearseal/rearseal.html Before you remove the rear main cap check the thrust and then remove the cap and check the clearance with plastigauge....no seal will work if the bearings are worn.The neoprene lip seals have had some success in the 401/425, but in the 322/264 the groove for the seal is not machined consistently and there have been some failures (I have heard nothing on the 364).Additives are best left on the shelf.Willie Edited November 17, 2015 by old-tank (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coupekid Posted November 15, 2015 Author Share Posted November 15, 2015 (edited) The crankcase breather pipe & oil cap breathers are clean ..The engine apparently was overhauled sometime ago but sat in the car for years without running it ... when he started it for the first time it dropped a bundle of trans fluid from the bellhousing (as most cars do when they havent been started in yrs) hes done about 100 miles in it & now has the slow engine oil leak ...& its going to go thru inspection sometime soon & any leaks will be a fail. I told him he should maybe silicone seal the dust cover to bellhousing or sit some cloth between the cover & trans bellhousing just to get it thru inspection.. i would be interested to read your remedy Willie, but the link you show is no longer available ...the leak just falls around the trans sump bottom edge after a 20-30 mile run Edited November 15, 2015 by johnnybuick (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Stoneberg Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 Johnny, Try this link for resealing. http://www.buickrestorer.com/rearseal/rearseal.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 Just in case, check the oil pan bolts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron65 Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 Oh man, Michigan's not always the best, but at least we don't have inspections, let alone rigorous inspections (although maybe we should, given the cars on our roads sometimes). If we did, few of mine would pass based on oil drips alone! Have you considered driving the car another 100-200 miles to see if it goes away on its own? If not, I'd lower the oil level a quart, like Willie said, just for inspection purposes, especially if it's a slow leak. If it only leaks after 20-30 miles...how far away is the inspection station? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 Drive it as much as possible and keep adding oil. The rope needs to soak up some oil. If it is still dripping at inspection time drop the cover and line it with absorbent material. That should get you inspected and buy you a year of driving. And driving is the best way to slow the leaks. Bernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coupekid Posted November 15, 2015 Author Share Posted November 15, 2015 the leak is definitely coming out from the engine side of the flywheel & seeps out from the trans dust cover ..i would estimate a drip every mile...Thankyou to Bill for the sealing link ...obviously the aim in that link is to provide downforce on the upper seal by forcing 2 sets of the wire to rest on top of the seal ... by forcing wire it could pierce or further damage the exhisting seal if your not having a lucky sort of day ..but definitely a considerable thought. Maybe the car does need more miles for the seal to bed in .. but from what we have seen its not getting better ...Im not sure how lowering the oil pan capacity by 1qrt would be beneficial being the crank end journal still needs oil fed.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coupekid Posted November 15, 2015 Author Share Posted November 15, 2015 Bernie, id say thats a pretty good insight ... time will tell with that theory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buick man Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 Clean the pan and area up real well and do as Bernie suggested, then have a friend tow the car to about a block away from inspection station and drive from there. Should be a good to go ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coupekid Posted November 16, 2015 Author Share Posted November 16, 2015 eh eh good one buick man ....that or .. stop the car by the side of the road & clean up any oil just before entry .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 One remedy I was told worked; car on hoist, remove pan and rear main cap. With material from a spare rope seal use an appropriate punch and hammer and drive more rope seal material up into the channel that holds the upper rope seal. Check lower as well maybe that not enuff rope seal is in the cavity to fill it? Worked for the person describing technique! Don't forget, advice is usually worth what you pay for it!Hi again members ...My friends 58 Buick 364ci has a slow engine oil leak coming from flywheel/auto-trans bellhousing dust cover only when engine runs ... im wondering if its a simple fix as removing engine oil pan & undoing rear mains cap to replace the rope seal ? ....or for a quick remedy adding a rear mains sealer concentrate in with the engine oil like either ..."Blue-devil or Bar`s " rear mains sealer concentrate being that its only a slow leak .. ive heard that these concentrates have worked for some people ...Id like to hear if others have had any success or have any other remedy ? FCKO2TLHP0CN4MF_MEDIUM.jpg s-l225CAV38MFF.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leif Holmberg Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 No pictures.Leif in Sweden Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airy Cat Posted November 20, 2015 Share Posted November 20, 2015 All old Buicks leak. Oil is cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted November 20, 2015 Share Posted November 20, 2015 the leak is definitely coming out from the engine side of the flywheel & seeps out from the trans dust cover ..i would estimate a drip every mile...This amount of oil seems to be rather small. In my opinion, something this small is unlikely to have 20-40lbs of pressure as the source. May we assume the valve covers, the oil gauge line, the oil filter housing and the oil filter itself have all been checked for tightness? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coupekid Posted November 21, 2015 Author Share Posted November 21, 2015 all components in the engine bay & engine bay are freshly restored..we have re-checked & tightened some more the rear oil pan bolts & ran a high temp silicone sealant along the rear pan upper edge area ...we also ran a clean white cloth between the flywheel & auto bellhousing inner base floor & it was not oily what-so-ever ..the next couple of days running the engine will be of the telling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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