oil leak help please cant fix it

[HankHill]

So after I installed my electric fuel pump few months ago I didn't have a block off plate so I took the lift pump and ripped off the internals and kept the flange that has the bolt holes and welded to it and made my own blcok off, first time I jsut used rtv black, started leaking after, day ago I went back in and cleaned it, put in a piece of cork gasket and rtv on both sides, still friggin leaks under the truck, weird part is each time I've pulled the plate off on the engine block the oil level isn't even high enough to touch my homemade blockoff plate/gasket but also note that the engine was cold and on level ground, it looks like the oil is coming from the plate but im starting to wonder if its coming from elsewhere, rear main/oilpan, hard to tell because the entire underneatg of truck is painted in black engine oil any tips for me? I think ill order the block off plate now and go back in and install it when I do my power steering pump, its been sitting for about hour and half and there's already two halfdollar oil stains on the cardboard I put under

 

[troupp]

when you welded it up, it probably warped alot!! a big block chevy block off plate with a gasket is a cheap ebay find.. I picked one up at carlisle for $2 with a gasket!!

 

[HankHill]

Thants immediately what I thought I used the pulse method with my millermatic mig welder, I figured atleast with a cork gasket and rtv it should help though, there's not one napa,autozone or advance auto in my area with one of the friggin blockoff plates and I HATE buying things off the internet lol, im thinking about making my own now, for future referance should rtv black be used with cork or just the cork by itself?

 

[redneckaggie]

I got mine from oreillys off of the performance ailse that is normally behind the counter. they probably will try to look it up on the computer and I really doubt its on their under your truck. I laugh at them when I go in there and ask for a part and they say "what vehicle", or they require you to tell them whether its a 4x4 when you want something completely unrelated to the vehicle being a 4x4. I actually went to autozone and told them I wanted a pyrometer and the lady asked me for a make and model and tried to type it into the computer but instead decided to argue with me that no one has ever made a non turbo diesel.

 

[HankHill]

your lucky, I don't know why oreillys wont open in the northeast, I do agree with you aggie, everybody in the autopart stores around here is a quack computer clicker who doesnt know an engine from a transmission, I think I'm just going to grab a piece of 3/16" steel tomorrow in the shop and bring it home trace it with a sharpy and try to cut it best I can with a grinder I wish I had a plasma cutter

I just did an oil change today, too, put in rotella t6 and I will say I like the synthetic a lot! I went with the t6 because I always used it in my 6.0 stroke, never had any problems

 

[icanfixall]

Making your own block off plate is easy... Just trace around the gasket and cut it out on a band saw. Then grind it smooth. Be careful at the top of the hole in the block... There is a machined step that sometimes catches the block off plates. You never will get it so seal when that happens... Ask me how I know this..... I even had to grind off some of the block off plate at the top to make the fit better... Don't bother with cork... It drys out... Cracks and leaks. You can use just rtv as a gasket too without any paper or cork or whatever.... Most everyone here will use rtv for the oil pan gasket because the factory did the same thing.... You will never have a leak using permatex copper plus rtv... I know I never have in many years of using it on all kinds of engines....

 

[Exekiel69]

I don't know if You have advance auto or autozone there but they have the big block plate You can find it on the shelf and it will cost nothing compared to the time of making one.

 

[HankHill]

Making your own block off plate is easy... Just trace around the gasket and cut it out on a band saw. Then grind it smooth. Be careful at the top of the hole in the block... There is a machined step that sometimes catches the block off plates. You never will get it so seal when that happens... Ask me how I know this..... I even had to grind off some of the block off plate at the top to make the fit better... Don't bother with cork... It drys out... Cracks and leaks. You can use just rtv as a gasket too without any paper or cork or whatever.... Most everyone here will use rtv for the oil pan gasket because the factory did the same thing.... You will never have a leak using permatex copper plus rtv... I know I never have in many years of using it on all kinds of engines....

thanks, I'll try the copper plus rtv, i have another question about rtv how long do I need to let it sit before I can drive my truck, I ended up letting it cure all night when I did this two days ago and really cannot leave the truck to sit I need it

I don't know if You have advance auto or autozone there but they have the big block plate You can find it on the shelf and it will cost nothing compared to the time of making one.

I do have advance and autozones locally and I checked online and none have it in stock

 

[Exekiel69]

I do have advance and autozones locally and I checked online and none have it in stock

Wow that sucks, those plates are enough of a PITA to do, let alone dealing with the same one several times. In that case a flat piece of steel with the holes on the right place will seal that with ease, paint it on the outside if You can so it wont rust and instead of bolts You can use studs, makes the install much easier.

 

[HankHill]

Wow that sucks, those plates are enough of a PITA to do, let alone dealing with the same one several times. In that case a flat piece of steel with the holes on the right place will seal that with ease, paint it on the outside if You can so it wont rust and instead of bolts You can use studs, makes the install much easier.

yeah major pain in my ass, this will be my third time and hopefully last doing it and each time I remove the alternator and bracket, takes a few minutes extra but I like to see what I'm doing rather than fishing around on my busted up back, my truck also needs a new PS pump and lines so I think I'll knock that out at same time

 

[HankHill]

ok good news I went to advance auto and had the guy check all over he helped me out and they had one at headquarter shipping yard so I drove to the warehouse and picked up a big block chevy block off plate, pretty happy since I didnt feel like fabbing one,

should I use the gasket that came with it? and any copper rtv? I want this to be the last time I have to do this.

thanks guys

 

[icanfixall]

Either way it will seal fine but... Test fit it first... See if the top edge needs to be cut down so it doesn't catch the block lip....

 

[HankHill]

ok, I think I'll just try using the gasket maybe since I just looked and don't have any rtv left, thanks for the help I'm going to get this done with in the morning