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Chev. Timing cover made in the U.S.A.

2K views 13 replies 5 participants last post by  BuzzLOL 
#1 ·
Howdy Folks I'm having a heck of a time with a small oil pan leak at the front where the timing cover meets the pan. I've read a bunch of posts with people having similar problems for many different reasons with 1 pc. gaskets and 4 pc gaskets. This is my second attempt with the 4 pc. set which has always worked fine in the past.I had a chrome pan and I swapped it out for a Milodon steel pan made in the U.S.A. I'm using the Proform black crinkle cover now and I heard of a couple of people having problems with the aftermarket units. Has anyone heard of Engine Pro 08-8001 Made in the U.S.A. I don't see it for sale anywhere. Anybody have luck with the Milodon cover. I saw where one guy was on his 7th try I don't want to be that guy.
 
#3 ·
Thank You for your reply. I actually did make that mistake the first time Fel pro used to include both gaskets in the pan set now it only has the 1/4 inch one so that was the one I used the first time. At Napa they couldn't Evan find the thicker one in there books luckily I had one laying around for the secound try. .What inspired me to change oil pans was I was pressure washing the pan and the chrome plateing was blowing off the inside of the oil pan so I decided to try a 100 dollar pan rather then the 35 dollar unit hopeing this would also help the leak. Now I would like to try a better quality front cover.
 
#5 ·
In case your engine is an older version SBC...

Howdy Folks I'm having a heck of a time with a small oil pan leak at the front where the timing cover meets the pan. ..... I saw where one guy was on his 7th try I don't want to be that guy.
Normally, I like a little oil leak, as it keeps all the metal fresh. :mwink:

In an attempt to stop the same kind of annoying leak on an SBC, after my 4th try, replacing oil pan gaskets and three different timing covers, I found the actual source of the leak (how I missed it, well I'm just not as observant as I once was) was a missing bolt on the lower passenger front side of the block. The bolt hole was historically used for old school front motor mounts, and/or to temporarily "pinch" the fuel pump rod at it's upper travel limit whilst changing the fuel pump. The bolt was gone, but somehow I hadn't noticed how shiny the block had become.

I hadn't thought about the motor mount thru-hole in years, and the oil leak was most evident at the timing cover/oil pan joint. Just something to check out.

Good luck on your fix.
 
#6 ·
Just a small drip

Thank you guys for your ideas. I double checked the bolt holes and I have that plugged. It is only a small leak when it is running,I thought I had found it for sure leaking out of a front cover bolt at the top that looks like it goes into the oil galley where the oil gauge goes put permatex on that bolt. I thought it might be the valve cover which was loose after heating the engine up got that stopped. Some have said they had a leak where the cover is spot welded to the u shaped piece on the front cover that the rubber gasket sits in is that Evan possible. I don't have one to look at at the moment. I like to do things right when I can but geeze tempted to move on.
 
#7 ·
We usually use RTV any place gaskets come together in corners to make sure it seals up completely...

Actually, I usually use DAP black silicone rubber (10.3 oz. tube) since I do a lot on Mercruiser black engines... and then just use it on all the other engines as well... seems only Menard's carries it any more...

Some also use weather strip adhesive to make the gaskets stick to the oil pan and come free of the block when removing the pan often...
 
#8 ·
Elusive Oil Leak Found at last

After changing oil pan gaskets twice and changing the oil pan to a Milodon I still had a leak at the front of the pan. After extensive reading about oil leaks someone suggested it might be the timing cover leaking where the u shaped gasket retainer is spot welded to the cover. BINGO You can see daylight between the cover and where the pieces are welded together. Went with a Milodon cover which has several more spot welds as well as a couple of tac welds. I also upgraded to a Felpro 1 pc. gasket which appears to be good quality. So the piece of crap timing cover cost me two oil changes and two gasket sets plus time and labor.
 
#13 ·
Good find, guess it pays to take the parts into a dark room and shine a flash light behind them!


I had a new front-sump Nova pan that looked like crap. On a surface plate it had a rock to it, we fixed that. Then I see a couple of places where welds at the corners were ground through and one corner was cracked. This was from Chevy World Parts.


It was crunch time, no time to wait for another. So we brazed it all up. No leaks.
 
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