[TR] TR3A Oil Pan Gasket

[wbeech at flash.net]

Terry,
I have an alloy pan but we just used RTV, available at your FLAPS, and no
gasket.  Nary a leak... I wish I could say the same for the new Moss rear
main seal!

It is vital that you get the warp beat out of your pan before re-installing,
but the RTV does help to fill some of the gap.

Bill Beecher
'58 TR-3A TS 30766 L aka "Tar Baby"
www.triumphowners.com/1566
"A Triumph is man's best friend, it always comes when it is called...of
course, some times it is difficult to make it go"

 

-----Original Message-----
From: triumphs-bounces at autox.team.net
[mailto:triumphs-bounces at autox.team.net] On Behalf Of terryrs at comcast.net
Sent: Saturday, May 08, 2010 2:48 PM
To: Triumphs at autox.team.net
Subject: [TR] TR3A Oil Pan Gasket

You know, in war there are lots of smoking guns?  Well, chasing an oil leak
in a TR3A is a bit like that.  Smoking guns everywhere....

I put on a new alloy valve cover gasket, and have to say that I love that
thing.  The engine even seems to run quieter.  With just the cork gasket, it
leaks nary a drop now.  As a committed rumpled person, I only do style when
my wife forces me.  This cover, plus the wooden steering wheel, add panache.

But...the car still leaks, clearly seeping from the oil pan.  So spent the
morning jacking it up on blocks as high as I could get it (have a garage
now, making the experience much more pleasant).  Pulled the oil pan.

Uhm, what was I thinking?  

When I rebuilt the engine about 5 years ago, I put a paper gasket on, not a
rubberized cork one.  I thought I had a Payen set for the whole engine, but
Payen, reputed to be the best, wouldn't have had a paper gasket, would it?
Anyway, to boot, the oil pan is as warped around the bolt holes as y'all
warned they were likely to be, something I didn't think/know to check back
then.  

Another little surprise was the condition of the interior of the oil pan.
It was rusting even under a constant bath of oil.  Dunno if the magnet on
the plug plucked it out.  So am soaking it in phosphoric acid to fix that.
Have two TRF cork gaskets, but am not inclined to just use one of them
instead of the two I'd planned.  

Next step is to make some sort of jig for the bench vise, maybe press most
of the warp out around the bolt holes, if I can.

Cheers!

Terry Smith, '59 TR3A
New Hampshire

_______________________________________________
Triumphs at autox.team.net
Donate: http://www.team.net/donate.html
Suggested annual donation  $11.47
Archive: http://www.team.net/archive
Forums: http://www.team.net/forums
Unsubscribe: http://autox.team.net/mailman/options/triumphs/wbeech@flash.net