My 78 f150 2wd 351m auto dumped a quart of oil after I parked it an hour after some errands. I crawled under and did a quick wipe down to track the leak.

I found oil trickling out of the flexplate inspection plate. 1 of the 2 bolts was missing. The one nearest the starter. I winced and put form a gasket there last night so I'd be able to limp it to parts shop today. What size of bolt goes there? Length and diameter?

 

That's not a sealing surface; any oil coming from there is either running down from the rear of the valve covers or intake manifold down the back of the engine or coming from the rear main seal (or front transmission seal if it's transmission fluid and not engine oil. There shouldn't be a gasket - as a matter of fact, there's usually a little bend in the sheetmetal to provide a drain point.


As for the bolt size, I'm not certain - pull the other one and check? Or maybe someone else here will know.

 

Thanks I believe the intake is good. I have some valve gaskets I can slap on this weekend.

Do you know if both bolts on the inspection cover are the same?

 

They're the same on every transmission I've dealt with.

 

Thank you.