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Topic: Well it wasn't the drain plugs. See post 46 for culprit. :/ (Read 9206 times) previous topic - next topic

Well it wasn't the drain plugs. See post 46 for culprit. :/

Reply #45 –
Well I spent another couple hours outside tonight to find a couple of things. First off, I noticed some oil on the driver side rear plug wire, I took it off, examined it, and found the bottom of the lip of the valve cover to be wet. Well I tried turning the bolt in, it went in probably about 1 full turn, give or take. First good news of the night. Then I looked into the PCV tube, again there are traces of oil in there. Not a lot, and only a little bit was in the PCV itself. Not enough to justify the amounts I'm leaking. But just in case, I decided to pull out a couple of plugs.


This is the plug right under where the PCV leaks. I'm thinking this is okay, it looks like the oil is going in, not out of the plug, meaning it's not blowby, its leaking and dripping in.

Just for the heck of it, I decided to pull out a couple more. And now this is where the night starts to turn bad.

This look like overheating to me. This was on the plug furthest in the back on the passenger side.  I checked a couple more, none were quite that bad,  but 2 others had a little redness to them. Overheating?

Then I finally found how oil is getting onto the crossmember.

The black permanent marker mark is where the oil pan is rotted, and under "higher" throttle, it sprays out, not a ton, but a half hour of it, could easily acspoogeulate to my problem

So mystery solved. Between the engine clearly overheating, having to pull the engine to replace the pan, and having a slighly leaking PCV system, which has to be from a worn out motor, I think this is the end of an era for me, the end of me and this Thunderbird. The car probably isn't worth the time and money required to fix the oil pan, water pump, and whatever the "overheating" problem might be. It could be something simple, but a couple of guys think it's the timing, I dunno. I might just drive the car, stop even trying to keep the engine fill up and just let it seize up. when the car dies, I could just light it on fire to stay warm while the towtruck/taxi come to get me.

It's been a long disappointing night, all the blood, sweat, and tears i've shed over this car in 5 years, and now it still needs everything, and I wonder if it's really worth it. The body might have a year left, if i'm lucky, and to dump $400 into the car, between an oil pan, a water pump, another oil/filter change, probably should put an oil pump in the car, maybe a radiator, as looking into mine, there is a lot of crud around the tube openings, seems silly, thats a months car payment. Hell, my car isn't even worth $400, and I can't resell any of that stuff, not stuff people look for used..

Well it wasn't the drain plugs. See post 46 for culprit. :/

Reply #46 –
I had a hole in a gas tank like that.
I put a small O-Ring on a sheet metal screw and screwed it into the hole. Then I covered it with a glob of epoxy. It lasted the until I got rid of the car two years later.

Well it wasn't the drain plugs. See post 46 for culprit. :/

Reply #47 –
Quote from: softtouch;355101
I had a hole in a gas tank like that.
I put a small O-Ring on a sheet metal screw and screwed it into the hole. Then I covered it with a glob of epoxy. It lasted the until I got rid of the car two years later.

What kind of epoxy? Like the seal-all stuff they use for like gas tank repiars, etc? I'll have to check the side of the pan, to make sure the rest of it isn't too weak for me to screw into it. Maybe all hope is not lost?

Anyone got any idea on the plugs?

Well it wasn't the drain plugs. See post 46 for culprit. :/

Reply #48 –
Not that big of a deal. Pull the engine (not really that big of a job), swap all the gaskets and the few parts, re-install the engine, drive it.It's a one day job with a helper. Oil pans can be found new for a decent price.
'88 Sport--T-5,MGW shifter,Trick Flow R intake,Ed Curtis cam,Trick Flow heads,Scorpion rockers,75mm Accufab t-body,3G,mini starter,Taurus fan,BBK long tube headers,O/R H-Pipe, Flowamaster Super 44's, deep and deeper Cobra R wheels, Mass Air and 24's,8.8 with 3.73's,140 mph speedo,Mach 1 chin spoiler,SN-95 springs,CHE control arms,aluminum drive shaft and a lot more..

Well it wasn't the drain plugs. See post 46 for culprit. :/

Reply #49 –
Ive heard fuel additives can cause a reddish discoloring.  I wouldnt worry about it.  Put anything additional in the tank?
Mike

Well it wasn't the drain plugs. See post 46 for culprit. :/

Reply #50 –
Quote from: mcb82gt;355129
Ive heard fuel additives can cause a reddish discoloring.  I wouldnt worry about it.  Put anything additional in the tank?

Yes. I've used a bottles gallons of fuel injector cleaner recently.

Well it wasn't the drain plugs. See post 46 for culprit. :/

Reply #51 –
Quote from: jpc647;355119
What kind of epoxy? Like the seal-all stuff they use for like gas tank repiars, etc?

Can't remember. What ever was available 40 years ago.

Well it wasn't the drain plugs. See post 46 for culprit. :/

Reply #52 –
I have had great luck with JB weld and Quiksteel
Fox-less at the moment

Well it wasn't the drain plugs. See post 46 for culprit. :/

Reply #53 –
Quote from: hypostang;355165
i have had great luck with jb weld and quiksteel

x2
95 Ranger Splash 2.3
88 Tbird Sport :ies::ies:
5.0 SO, stainless shorty headers, w/ Magnaflow lers. KYB struts, KYB shocks. 5lug conversion from sn95 Mustang, subframe connectors, drilled and slotted rotors, 03 Mach 1 wheels. sequential taillights.140 speedo

Well it wasn't the drain plugs. See post 46 for culprit. :/

Reply #54 –
get a nail, wobble the hole out,, then put a rivit in there with some silicone gooped on the rivit.

nice find though,, this is what your hard work leads to ,,finding the actual problem.  Hopefully you are wrong about the car chassis being able to last a year.

Good job though,, this one may have kicked many of asses here , we wouldnt have thought of a pin hole in the pan, good lesson.

you could just get a fresh start and pick up another bird,, NC too far?,,lol gold bird by livefast just waiting for you

Well it wasn't the drain plugs. See post 46 for culprit. :/

Reply #55 –
Quote from: vinnietbird;355120
Not that big of a deal. Pull the engine (not really that big of a job), swap all the gaskets and the few parts, re-install the engine, drive it.It's a one day job with a helper. Oil pans can be found new for a decent price.

Thats true, the parts aren't too expensive. Even with an oil pump, new gasket, the water pump and the radiator, I'm looking at around $400 or so. The problem is removing everything to get the oil pan out. The motor has to be taken out/lifted a good 6-8 inches. Having to take everything off in the process. I'm all about doing things myself, but thats a lot of work. I might try to bandaid it with a screw/epoxy until it's warmer out.

Quote from: jcassity;355186
get a nail, wobble the hole out,, then put a rivit in there with some silicone gooped on the rivit.

nice find though,, this is what your hard work leads to ,,finding the actual problem.  Hopefully you are wrong about the car chassis being able to last a year.

Good job though,, this one may have kicked many of asses here , we wouldnt have thought of a pin hole in the pan, good lesson.

you could just get a fresh start and pick up another bird,, NC too far?,,lol gold bird by livefast just waiting for you

My dad suggested the rivet too. The goop would have to go on after the rivet is popped and would it seal? It would be on the outside of the rivet. I wonder if that'll work though, the pan is obviously weak and I wouldn't want to try to pop the rivet and pull a chunck out of the pan. I'm happy I found the problem, it was a lot of work, but your right, it sorta did pay off. And in regards to the car chassis, one strut tower has already been patched, the other other one is getting really crusty, and the bottom of the car is riddled with holes. I fixed some last summer on the drivers side running board/fender area. Now there is a small hole in the passenger side, same area. I know this cars' days are numbered. It's been driven in new england every winter since 88. It's tired. NC is too far, I don't know how to set cam timing, and getting it here would be costly. It is a nice car. I wouldn't mind picking up a clean turbo coupe around here. Mine had it's issues, it was probably better economically that I sold it when I did because nothing was too bad, but I wouldn't mind picking one up. It'd DD drive it though. Everyone around here has that awefull red iterrior. I want the blue/gray or blue  interrior, or the leather black and gray. Only options. Outside color, not too much of a concern.

Quote from: hypostang;355165
I have had great luck with JB weld and Quiksteel
Isn't that the stuff for radiators? I've seen jb weld around, seems like it should hold up to the heat of the pan.

Well it wasn't the drain plugs. See post 46 for culprit. :/

Reply #56 –
the goop would go on the rivit then insert the rivit in the hole.
it should seal pretty good.
If the car runs now and you have just a code 34, then id seriously start looking for a daily driver and dismantel this one.
Sell all the parts to your hearts content knowing the car still lives on others.

its a thought you should consider,,you know now everhthing works so why not sell known good parts.
start taking pics in preparation for this...thats what id do,,if the chassis is that rotted.