oil leaking/smoking

[marshall]

In working to solve my exhaust pipe issue I noticed that I've got a decent amount of smoke coming from around the base of the engine where the oil pan is. When I stopped the engine I see that the seam around the top of the oil pan is pretty wet with black oil and there's drips here and there. Should I be thinking about removing all those bolts and installing a new gasket? I also see as in the picture where I placed a red arrow, there is a sizable opening because two of the bolts joining the parts are missing. Jeeze, that doesn't seem good. How is it that I have any oil at all? I would think it would be dumping out of that gap. Should I be putting in some bolts there? Anyone know their size/thread pattern?

[Sailor]

I'm pretty sure those missing bolts hold the rear of the oil pan up. The reason they are missing is they are hard to put in. I think they are 3/8's but to be, sure download a copy of the Parts Manual and check there.

You should drop the pan and replace the gasket. And just to be safe, you need to go over the whole tractor to see what else is missing.

[Don McCombs]

The red arrow is pointing to the flywheel cover. Under normal circumstances, there should be no oil in there to leak out. Definitely replace the pan gasket. Lightly coat both sides with an oil resistant sealant like Indianhead Shellac. While you have the pan off, clean the sludge out of it thoroughly. Also, check the oil pump screen for debris. Remove the bolt hole dimples from the flange before reinstalling the pan. Removing the flywheel cover will facilitate removing and reinstalling the pan. Reinstall the cover as the last item. All the bolts are the same size, so replace the missing ones with the same size as those that remain.

[Glen]

Hi,
The part the arrow is pointing to is a flat cover, it is not part of the engine oil pan, there is no oil there to run out. But it should have 4 bolts, with lock washers and nuts, holding it on.

Usually fumes come out of the engine breather, at the top of the dipstick, if the engine is worn some.
If it burns oil, it could have stuck piston rings. The people on here recommend putting in some Seafoam oil additive, and using the Cub for work. They sell it at auto parts stores.

If you don't want to do the work to remove the oil pan, and replace the gasket, you could try tightening the oil pan bolts, and see if they are loose, and see if that stops the leak. Don't tighten them hard, it can bend the oil pan.
The 3 bolts at the rear of the pan are hard to get to. You have to remove the cover the arrow points at to get to the 3 rear pan bolts.
People on here have said to use a 1/4" drive ratchet and extension, and universal joint, I think, for the 3 rear bolts.
It would be better to clean out the oil pan, and oil pump intake screen, but it might not be something everyone can do.

Below is a page from the Cub parts manual, the cover is number 3 in the pic. It tells the size of the bolts that hold it on at number 3 in the description.

http://www.farmallcub.info/manuals/cub_ ... 007-04.jpg

[marshall]

People on here have said to use a 1/4" drive socket and extension, and universal joint, I think, for the 3 rear bolts.

OK. It sounds like getting all the bolts off is going to be a project requiring some patience and some additional fittings for my socket wrench. I guess for now I'll try tightening things down to get through the rest of the summer and then get into this.

Thanks for the detailed descriptions of how to approach the project. This is 1950 Cub. Do you think I get the gasket from TM, Steiner, or Case?

[Bob McCarty]

TM has them and tend to be quick and reasonable on shipping.

[Bill Hudson]

... Do you think I get the gasket from TM, Steiner, or Case?

I get mine from my local NAPA.

Bill

[Rick Spivey]

It is possible that all your oil is coming from the leaky pan gasket. And the guys are right, the missing bolts would not normally allow any oil to leak, they just hold the cover in place. However, and I don't mean to jinx you, the oil coming from that loose cover could very well indicate a leaking rear seal. I think you need to try this first: tighten the oil pan bolts only to a "snug" fit, over-tightening will bend the pan and may make any leakage worse; then having removed the loose cover, clean out any significant oil or sludge. Once clean, run the tractor this way long enough to see if there is still leaking, and if it is mostly coming from the rear of the engine. I would hate to replace an oil pan gasket only to find my rear seal was the main culprit. If replacing a rear seal you are going to need a new pan gasket anyway. At least this may remove the rear oil seal from suspicion, and costs nothing but some time.