MTFCA Forum

I know a Model T without any oil leak do not existe but... .

At this time I am working on a 1912 model T engine with a good oil leak.
The oil appears on the right side, between the two bolt where the engine and the hoghead come together. I thought it were the gaskets and took the engine out and replaced all the gaskets at the botom of the engine and transmission and make it test run in my test stand.
Getting hot, after 20 minutes the leak was there again.
Deeper investigation shows the leak start on the hoghead between the engine and the transmission.
I will try to make photos tomorrow morning.
Has some one seen this before?
I was wondering if this could be repeared by welding ? Or can I replace the hoghead by a later one till 1915?

Andre
Belgium

Verify the oil is not coming from one of the two lower bolts that hold the field coil onto the rear of the block on either side. Sometimes that, what should be a blind hole, can barely break through the casting just near the transmission cover & block joining area - can be a real bugger to see ! I just did a '13 block and the driver's side had just barely a break through in the casting - a little dab of black RTV & paint - no leak !

Thanks Steve but I saw the oil coming out the hoghead about 2" lower as the magneto post between the transmission and the engine.
I think the hoghead have a crack from that place to the underside of the hoghead.

Can the hoghead be welded???

Andre
Belgium

Andre, it is common for the early pans to crack there, the later years reinforced them, only way to fix it right is to remove pan and weld the cracks on inside and out then grind flat again for gasket to mate.

As promised yesterday here are the photos of the crack in the hoghead.
I didn't start the engine because my back is killing me.

Andre
Belgium

Just my observation, but sure is a lot of silicone sealer in the interface. The hogshead should mate with the rounded back curve of the block.

And that crack in the aluminum hogshead seems like just a casting mark, those parts are normally nice castings and usually are damaged at the rear mounting hole ears.

Have only fitted up one alum. hogshead, but did that the same way as always, and haven’t had a leak at the upper round areas. Only in the junction of the hogshead/block/crankcase corner is potential leak to occur. My fit is always old school, the Ford felt , soaked first in varnish and squeezed down, placed over the block curve, and carefully fitted butt jointed gaskets on the block and crankcase at that junction, using Permatex coating on metal and gasket surfaces. That varnish lets the felt conform and dries and seals the felt, but allows later removable with ease.

Then, and only then, a dab of silicone sealer at the corner junction to help seal that triangle, just at final placing down the hogshead.

Using the felt keeps the hogshead to block curve joint in relation, without humping up the hogshead with a pile of silicone, that shifts on install and can be too thick in one spot and too thin in another. Plus silicone dries and then tears away in shards, and can get into the mechanicals. And those stiff silicone sealers with fillers like that right-stuff make removal a bear of a job.

Looks to me there isn’t much of seal by the way the silicone looks. When I installed the hogs head on my cars I always used the felt. What I did was to put a light coat of gasket sealer on the block and let set up enough to keep it place. Then a light coat on the outside that goes against the cover.
I then put a thin bead in the corners. That seals it pretty good. But I do think Dans method makes it easier to take off the next time around ! Old school looks pretty good to me.