Hog head oil leak

[Nv Bob]

Helped a friend put his bands back in since i just did mine as well mine not leaking but his is
But we put it on twice oil leaking at pan ears at the frame
Rest nice tight seal
Blue RTV new gaskets straight endge on pan and hogshead both seem staight wonder what i can use seal it or should i pull it up and squeeze some more in

[Adam]

Might not be anything you did wrong... It could be cracks at the rivets in the pan ears and it’s showing up now because you cleaned away dirt that was sealing the leak. OR... Did you put in or tighten down the wood blocks? That will open up oil leaks if there are cracks at the rivets too.

[Nv Bob]

No wood blocks on hogs head
Leaking btween hogs head and pan think i put on double gaskets

[Norman Kling]

Clean up everything as well as you can and run the engine long enough to produce the leak. Go under with a flashlight and inspect very carefully the area where the block, crankcase, and hogs head come together. Also inspect the area where the hogs head and engine are bolted to the crankcase. Also there are rivets where the ears are fastened to the crankcase. Sometimes there is a loose rivet or crack in that area. In that case, you will need to remove the crankcase and braze up the area. Also inspect the area where the hogs head fits to the back of the block. Might be hard because of the firewall but look as much as you can. With the proper thickness of felt this area usually does not leak. Another place to check if you have a starter is the starter to hogshead and the bendix cover to hogshead. Those areas get a lot of oil while the engine is running.
Norm

[Scott_Conger]

Pans that are in service, and not fresh off a straightening jig, are nearly always dimpled at each hole due to overtightening (I've never seen one that wasn't). Cork gaskets allow more "dimple" than paper gaskets. Double paper gaskets will exacerbate the dimpling as well, particularly if installer is frustrated with leaks and is really honkin' down on the bolts. In any event, I think double gaskets is not a good idea. Additionally, blue silicone sealant will go everywhere and extrude in all the places you don't want, with lots of soft "boogers" everywhere inside and out. Modern and antique, I've seen this stuff do a lot of harm at worst, and often not seal, at the least. You really don't want a glop of this stuff to break off and end up in the oil funnel...more common than you'd think.

No mater how dimpled the pan, a single paper gasket with Ultra Black on both sides is a near-certain leak free solution. With a circle of RTV around each bolt hole, and a thin line of RTV between each circle, on the pan, gaskets installed and aligned, same application of sealant onto the gasket...(don't spread it!), cover dropped into place; there just isn't hardly a path to failure. With respect to amount of sealant, less is more. I spend the $$ on a presurized tube of the stuff...it makes application a breeze, and quick to boot, and the size and location of the bead is very controllable. I usually buy two tubes for safety and nearly always end up returning the 2nd tube unused (but why take a chance of running out).

[Altair]

A trick I learned some years ago that is commonly used on aircraft engines is placing a thread along the center line of the gasket. This will fill any imperfections and form a dam so oil can't get past.

[George Andreasen]

A trick I learned some years ago that is commonly used on aircraft engines is placing a thread along the center line of the gasket. This will fill any imperfections and form a dam so oil can't get past.

Same thing I was taught in aeronautics training years ago. Almost every opposed aircraft engine does NOT have a gasket between the crankcase halves. Instead, a silk thread (back then anyway) was laid in the sealing compound along one half, and the two were then bolted together. Remember, if the FAA says "this is how it shall be done".......there's a reason for it. Not many places at 7000 feet to pull over and check an oil leak.

[Loftbed]

After replacing the HH on the 26, I has a small drip coming from the bottom of the Universal cap. I wiped it down and forced some Hylomar Blue up into it and it hasn't dripped sense. That stuff is amazing, never hardens.

Rod

[Ruxstel24]

When using RTV of any type with a gasket (especially cork), you have to be very careful about tightening, or the gasket will split at the bolt holes. The sealer acts as a lubricant and makes gaskets slip. I always try to hammer out the bent bolt holes, using a dolley underneath.
A socket works as a dolley also.

Not necessarily a hogshead, but I prefer to glue one side of the gasket with weatherstrip adhesive and let it set up a little.

[Scott_Conger]

Dave

the adhesive suggestion is a good one...I've seen it before but always forget about it when I need to remember it! Something like that should work very well on a machined, flat surface like a hog's head, or any similar surface...not so much on the pan, of course. Thanks for the tip and reminder...maybe I'll try that next time and add that to my bag of tricks...or forget it again when I need it most! Dang Old-timers!

[SurfCityGene]

I scanned down thru this thread and saw RTV used a lot. Here's a word of caution. If you see some cheap RTV stuff that is not made by Permatex pass it up and get the best. Two of the best I have ever found are Ultra Black and The Right Stuff. I prefer the Ultra Black because it has a much longer working time that we normally need to assemble our parts. Really clean the surface so it is oil free, apply a Small bead of Ultra Black around the mating surfaces and any bolt holes and the threads then assemble it and let it cure and your chance of a leak free car is just about Guaranteed!

[Nv Bob]

Guy had cork gasket originally I only had a thin paper one didn't think about dimples on bolt bolts holes
Dimples are highest near the ears on the pan what caused it same place both sides
I got some better gasket 3 times the thickness
Near as I can tell
Blue RTV apply thin line and it doesn't smear output
going try ultra black on them and put it all back together
Thanks all usually something simple gets over looked