VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1937-1945 oil leak on 37

After removing the cover for the push rods , replacing 3 of the rods and installing a new gasket , there is a oil leak that appears that it may be coming from the base of the distributor or a bad sealing surface on the cover plate . I cleaned the plate and engine block of old gasket before installing the gasket . Is it possible there is a gasket at the base of the distributor ? I don't see anything in the parts book or service manual .

Maybe you can use a dental mirror to look at the bottom of the cover. When I install that cover, I use RTV on both sides of the gasket. I don't believe in obsessing about trying to get the sheet metal perfectly flat. For me, RTV is my friend.

There is no gasket or seal at the base of the distributor. The distributor is a loose fit in the block so it is free to rotate with the vacuum advance.

Unless there is excessive back pressure in the crankcase I don't think your leak would be from the distributor.

When you have the cover off it's a good idea to make sure the sealing surfaces are straight as well as clean. It's common to over tighten the screws which will warp the sealing surface and lead to leaks. Unless it's a bad leak I wouldn't worry about it too much. An old Chevy six that doesn't leak oil doesn't have oil in it.

Thanks for the replies . I sort of thought that was the case since there where no reference to a gasket in the parts book . I'll have to remove the plate again and re-do the sealing surface with RTV added . I hate too because it was hard to get all the bolts to start in . It looks easy but I had a hard time with it . AS for leaking oil , I understand a little but it leaks a bunch . Thanks again
Michael

Hello kfnut,

I had a similar problem with my engine during a head replacement. What I found was the point at which the head meets the block at the rear and front of the engine. Oil was leaking past the seam as the push rod cover did not exert enough pressure on the gasket to seal it. I ended up putting a dab of RTV sealer at that point, seams to work pretty good. The cover itself is another issue. I used a hammer and a steel block to make sure the gasket area of the side cover was flat and used an adhesive to hold the perimeter gasket and the "o" gaskets for the spark plug holes. I made a couple of dowel pins from bolts I cut the heads off of to help align the cover.

Clean all gasket surfaces with brake clean as it dries clean, no residue.

Hope this helps.

Hi Michael,

There are a few tricks I have learned to help install the side cover on these engines.

First of all, I do remove both the distributor and the oil fill/crankcase vent tube. That gives you room to easily hold the side cover away from the engine and move it horizontally towards the engine. Otherwise you have to almost drop in vertically into place. That means that you could move the gasket especially along the lower edge and never see it.

My preference is to bond the gasket and the spark plug hole seals to the cover with a thin coat of RTV sealant. I lay the cover inside down on a flat surface and put some weight on it while the RTV sets up. Some people bond the gasket to the block but I prefer the cover. It is easy to see that the gasket is lined up along the edges and at the holes. Then I put a thin coat on the face of the gasket that mates to the block just before I install the cover with gasket.

The third step I take is to insert "guide pins" into the front upper and rear upper holes in the block. I cut the heads off a couple of 1/4"-20 cap screws to make my guide pins. I slide the cover on over those pins and it stays in place. That gives me 2 hands to start installing the screws.

Sounds like some good ideas and I will use them but before I first cranked the engine I tried to remove the distributor to clean and change points and condenser . It won't budge so I did it in the car . Since the engine has been running a bit , it might come out . I surely see how that would make the job easier . I was going to work on it this afternoon after church but the wife got the CRUD so I stayed in and watched after her . I couldn't do anything for her but it made her feel better for me to stay with her . Maybe tomorrow I can start again .

It sounds like you need to get the distributor freed up, if for no other reason than to time the ignition.

Yes, the fact that you cannot remove the distributor caught my attention. It makes me wonder if it will even rotate when the vacuum advance pulls on it.

The distributor will rotate in position and the vacuum advance works . I removed the bolt that holds it to the block and attempted to pull up on it but no go . After the engine started , I was able to turn it to " time it by ear " . I only see one bolt holding it to the block . Is there something else I need to do to remove it ?

I am sorry but I can't suggest what you should do but..... I do have a humorous story from about 50 years ago. My father in law who was a reasonably patient man, but very task oriented, had the hydraulic pump fail in his combine. He called John Deer for service and they sent out a mechanic. The hydraulic pump was mounted in a difficult place under the seat in the cab with a tapered and keyed shaft. The mechanic worked and worked but couldn't get it off. Finally, my father in law handed the mechanic a big hammer, the mechanic said "oh I might break something", My father in law replied "some times to get anything done you have to get a little bit rough". Not suggesting you use a big hammer but your problem brought back that memory. LOL

Maybe I am missing something in this discussion.

On my '37 the complete distributor assembly with the timing plate and vacuum advance mechanism is held into the block with 2 screws. There is a regular cap screw towards the front of the engine. It is hard to see underneath the vacuum diaphragm. There is a shoulder bolt with a spring under it towards the rear. The shoulder allows the distributor to rotate for vacuum advance.

There is also a clamp screw that attaches this plate mechanism to the distributor body. That is the screw you loosen to set the initial timing. I expect that it you loosen that screw far enough you could pull the distributor directly out of the block without removing the timing plates.

Thanks . As soon as I get over the " CRUD " and my wife gets over the pneumonia , I will get back to the 37 . Will keep you posted on the results .

O.K. I'm back at it . I took the side plate back off the engine , clean the gasket surface with brake cleaner , used a high speed air grinder with wire brush to clean any rust or left over crud off , applied RTV to the cover edge pressed gasket into the sealer and let it stand about 22 hours . I used 12 pencils to line up the holes while it was setting . Next I will apply sealer to the engine sealing surface and place cover on . I would still like to get that distributor out of the way but it just will not pull up from the block . I can remove one bolt holding it but do not see or feel a second one as mentioned above . I am thinking about the hammer story and thinking about using a flat blade screwdriver to pry a little on the mounting plate . I will try this shortly , so if i'm screwing up , please tell me soon .
Thanks

Well , I went out and looked at that distributor again and saw nothing holding it so I reached down with both hands to give it a good yank . When I took hold , it just came out pretty as a picture . Don't why it was so easy , it would not budge before . Got the side plate in without much trouble though I had RTV all over my arms . Put every thing back together and will try running it tomorrow to see if it leaks .

So, in effect, you took Uncle Ed's story to heart and merely used a "bigger hammer."

Glad you got if off.

Best,

Charllie

Just got back from a test drive . No oil leak . Now on to other items . It's not charging so will try to polarize again . If that doesn't i'll pull the generator and go tru it . Also the regulator . I guess there are a hundred things I could do but want to drive it awhile .
Thanks guys for all the help .
Michael

The 1937 did not have a regulator. If yours does it must have a later generator.

I did not realize that . Well , back to the service and parts manuals . Did it use a cut out relay ?

YES!