Options for a slow oil pan leak

[C420sailor]

You tried. Timing cover needs to come off next

 

[rfishi]

You tried. Timing cover needs to come off next

But even if I removed the timing cover, the block is what's cracked. And the bolt hole is what's cracked, so you can't properly torque a bolt down. I don't have any means to weld.

With what resources I have, the best I can picture myself doing is trying to repair the water passage with JB weld, and try to JB weld a stud into the cracked bolt hole.

If I'm not able to make a proper repair, I don't think it's worth it to remove all those components and possibly introduce more leaks due to my inexperience.

 

[rfishi]

I'm smelling coolant while driving now so I suspect I made my problem worse. I'm beginning to think my goals of having a 100% reliable vehicle are unreachable.

 

[C420sailor]

Well, you won’t make it worse.

If you can’t weld/braze or get someone else to, you could potentially epoxy the stud in. It may grab enough thread, plus the epoxy, to hold. With RTV on both sides of the gaskets, it may hold.

Where do you live?

 

[Blandy]

After refilling coolant and starting the car for the first time since the gasket maker/jb weld repair, I noticed coolant is still weeping between the timing cover and block. Not sure if it's leaking from behind the JB weld, or if begins where my JB weld repair ends. Either way, it looks like i wasted a day of labor for little to no results...

I've had good luck sealing with a two-part coolant Stop-Leak they sell at Walmart. I guess it works like an epoxy to some extent. I stopped to intake gasket leak a couple years ago and haven't had it leak since.

 

[rfishi]

I've had good luck sealing with a two-part coolant Stop-Leak

I've always been against using any kind of coolant stop leaks, but I finally gave in and used a bottle of K-Seal this morning. It seemed to have the best reviews. I'm going to flush the coolant in a couple days just to be safe. Everyone says this one won't clog anything up, and I've used it years ago on an old Honda and it never caused any harm.

 

[rfishi]

K Seal didn't do anything.

 

[Blandy]

I've always been against using any kind of coolant stop leaks, but I finally gave in and used

K Seal didn't do anything.

Try Blue Devil, it's the only one that we used at shops where I worked.

 

[410Fortune]

I hate to say this but you need a new engine block

I am not sure if a repair to case iron will work in this area where the crank case and water jacket all meet at the timing cover
The Block is cracked
Going to be next to impossible to seal up
IMO you need a different engine

 

[BKennedy]

I hate to say this but you need a new engine block

I am not sure if a repair to case iron will work in this area where the crank case and water jacket all meet at the timing cover
The Block is cracked
Going to be next to impossible to seal up
IMO you need a different engine

Yep. I was hoping someone else would post it before I did. 410 is our premier engine builder here. He knows stuff.

 

[rfishi]

IMO you need a different engine

I wish this was a possibility for me, but my finances, time, and resources won't allow that.

I'll just add a new engine to my list of unreachable life goals.

 

[410Fortune]

Cannot sit here and sugar coat this
I get paid to tell people how it is with their trucks

A different engine may not be as difficult as you think
Or it maybe impossible for you, especially if you tell yourself you can’t do it

Either way this is a near impossible repair and the engine needs to be whole to stay together

You can of course keep driving it like this and just deal with the leaks… as long as you keep fluids in it she’s not gonna explode … just sucks to see

There are lots of 5.0
Engines out there can get one for $300-1800 depending on where you go and who’s selling. Labor to change it out can be $$$ and it usually costs about $200-400 in tune up parts fluids and gaskets

I never say never, instead I try to find ways to get it done. Architects have a saying, “ no box canyons”, which means uour
Clients should never feel like there are no more Solutions to the problem. There is always a solution

 

[C420sailor]

This is one of those things where if you had the right equipment, it wouldn’t hurt to try. At the very least it would be some good experimentation and experience.

I’ve successfully welded cast iron. It’s a lot like Inconel. But it is finicky. Must be clean, gotta preheat…and cool slowly. TIG is your friend. MIG and stick are too aggressive in terms of heating and cooling. High nickel rod. Monitor temps with an IR gun.

You’d have to drill and then thread with a bottoming tap. I’d build the hell out of that area, personally.

But then you have to make sure the surface of the boss is pretty flat.

What makes it difficult is the fact that it’s an in-vehicle repair. It’s an entirely different game if you brought me a block to fix. But leaning over the fender doing it? Yeesh.

If the alternative was junking it, I’d try epoxying the stud in (AFTER removing the pump and cover…don’t smash epoxy in the water pump hole and thread the stud in.) Once again, considering the alternative…can’t hurt. If it pulls out, it pulls out…you’re just out the cost of a main seal, gasket, and some RTV. Not sure how much room you would have to get the timing cover on over the epoxied stud with the radiator in, I don’t have a 5.0 in front of me.

Edit: that said, even the epoxied repair is only somewhat temporary. Enough heat cycling and that bond will inevitably fail. How long? Who knows.

 

[Blandy]

If it's a water leak I would try the two-part "epoxy" "Stop-Leak" from Walmart, not sure what brand it is. If that doesn't work then I would try Blue Devil. Not much time or parts involved. I even had it seal up a crack in the radiator plastic tank.

 

[rfishi]

I appreciate all the advise, sorry if I sounded negative. It feels like I've hit a gold mine of information and knowledge when I met 410 and everyone else that helps me. At this point I'm just going to continue driving it and keeping an eye on it; its more of a weep than a leak anyways.

I was doing some research and saw a few products that are supposed to be much stronger than JB weld, some of which are advertised as being made to repair cracked engine blocks. I think I'm gonna continue looking into these product and their reviews and keep them in the back of mind as an option. I was also concerned whether or not I'd have room to fit the timing cover onto the epoxied stud like c420sailor mentioned.

At this point it's a matter of finding the time to take the truck apart, and the issue of not having another vehicle to use while working on the truck. It's also a decision I need to make of whether all of that is worth it just to fix a tiny leak that so far has not caused me any real issues. I also hear that timing cover bolts are notorious for breaking off in the block, so I'm nervous to get at them.

For now, I'm thankful that it is running good and gets me where I need to go

 

[C420sailor]

I mean, worst case you pull the radiator out to create the room. That doesn’t take long at all, and gives you a good opportunity to clean debris out of the fins and flush the system. But it could fit as is, I don’t know off the top of my head—it’s been a while since I pulled a water pump and timing cover.

Keep an eye on your oil. You can top off weeping coolant, you can top off weeping oil. But getting coolant in your oil is a bad time. If you pull the dipstick and it looks like a chocolate milkshake, that’s no bueno.

 

[BKennedy]

I would leave it alone until it becomes a issue. It doesn't seem like you are in a good position in your life right now to be replacing a vehicle or engine. Maybe try some type of sealer, but don't press your luck by pulling it apart until you have to.

 

[410Fortune]

Drive it until you can attempt the repair without pressure

It needs to be incredibly clean and free of all oil if you want anything to stick to cast iron engine block
Takes lots of patience, lots of cleaner like carb cleaner and compressed air to dry it all off

Yes the 4 bolts that go through the timing cover and into the water jacket often break when removing the 5.0 timing cover. They are usually fairly easy to get the broken pieces out after the timing cover is off. Getting the cover off while the broken bolts are still there is the challenge. Often the timing cover gets *****ed up because of all the prying needed to get it over the dowls and broken studs. So i usually don’t attempt any 5.0 timing cover repairs in the vehicle without having a spare Cover and bolts on hand. Last time I checked a reman Mexico timing cover is about $100 on eBay

Removing the radiator and fan and accessory drives will give you lots of room to work. Clean and dry is the key to a repair like this. The original
Jb weld is very good
There are other epoxy repairs as well. Some high heat stuff and some designed to stick to engine blocks. The longevity of your repair will depend 100% on your prep work

 

[Blandy]

If your coolant is leaking into your oil sump it will go to the bottom. Merely periodically cracking open your.drain plug will allow the coolant to drain out before the lighter oil follows. As mentioned, you definitely don't want the two to mix. Admittedly, I'm a bit at a loss as to which leak is worse. And if one has started to contaminate the other. Also as mentioned, you may want to leave the cooling system "vented", by leaving the cap loose or the pressure relief lever up. Just make SURE both fluid levels stay in the safe range. Best of luck.

 

[C420sailor]

Interesting point. I know some guys will run propylene glycol based coolants (like Evans) with very high boiling points…and run the system unpressurized