have any of you y-blockers had any problems stoppin oil leak at rear main
on 239 o.h.v. engine? ive used the rope seal's and ive still got a leak..
do you think it could be crankcase pressure building up causing the leak..seems it leaks more at hiway speeds..

 

Well it depends on many issues. Are the main bearings good in the engine? Is there crankshaft thrust? Are you using the proper circumference size rope seal? I suppose excessive crankcase pressue is a possible cause, but to rule that out just make sure the road draft tube is clear. You might have to remove your pan, and check your bearings and thrust, and be sure you're installing the rope seal right and it's the right size, does this engine knock when going uphill in high gear??, as that would mean most of the time there would be main bearing problems....Janet

 

thanks for the info janet...the main bearings have been replaced by a guy that had the truck before me..i checked them and also the thrust when i did the rear seal..they all checked out ok..i think after reading all the advise on the "y" blocks rear
seal,i may have made an error installing it..the local parts house got me a fel-pro.rope seal kit,it also had 2 differant kinds of seals for the sides of the seal retainer..i chose to go with the ones that are made with the seal retainer bolt hole gaskets instead of the ones you install with those pin looking things..i think when i go back this time im goin with the other type..the rope seal seemed to be the right size..i cleaned the crank with emory cloth where the seal rides..i thought i had it all done right till i drove it about 25 miles..then it started pouring again..any suggestions on those seals for the side of the seal retainer??

 

Okay, you should be okay once your seal is in okay, if that's what is wrong. On my Yblocks i never used rope seal from those kits. I have seen some of that rope seal in kits that's very skimpy stuff, but i'm not sure what you have. I use the black sticky type and soak it in oil, and leave a slight overlap of seal in the bottom portion of bearing cap when i installed my two, and no problems yet. 75k on one, and 84k on the other right now, but the one with 84k in a 63 ford pickup, i just sold it. Now i have the one plain little 56 fairlane with 292 still, a real saver!!. I can ceratinly tell you have it together on what you're doing, and you know your crank is smooth where your seal rides. But the rope seal for example i found in my gasket kit some 4 years ago, was a grey colored skimpy junk, i chunked it and drove to Roper pump company, that makes rope seal for roper pumps that pump water/oil/and gasoline with a PTO and shaft truck pumps and tailored that good rope seal, and it works excellent, as a matter of fact that kit rope seal i chunked from the kit when i did mine then, was so skimpy, it was more of a cloth type grey colored little thing, i laughed when i threw it in the trash, this stuff i used is black and sticky and i soaked it in oil and made sure it wasn't too tight, because it can actually score a shaft if it's too tight. I always hear of these people using that neoprene, sure i guess you could, but i didn't have to....Janet

 

thanks janet..i live in south carolina..can this roper seal be orderd online?

would you have an e-mail address?
steve

 

Probably so, they are located here in Houston off a interstate 290 and Bingle i believe' or get ahold of Raven pump company in New Mexico City in New Mexico State. Or most major parts stores with machine shops, that do everything have different types of size rope seal, back when i did these two Yblocks i have 4 years back, i wasn't even a member to a Yblock group, but what i should have done back then is measure everything and keep records. I had to tailor it to fit. The easiest way to find Roper pump, is by calling information and just calling them, you need the black rope used in 4 inch pumps, it's universal and it's strong and made to last. The way i got familiar with it, is because i used to keep Ronnie Bormaster bobtail tanker trucks with PTO and Roper pump up to par, and he would keep burning those pumps up by pumping sand and water and ruining the steel gears in then and the bushings. Roper pump is getting that rope seal from someone themselves, what i need to do is find out where they get it, but i know they will sell their stock to you, just tell them to send you 3 feet of the black kind they use on 4 inch pumps and they will probably for very little.

Back then i was busy and just pickep up some from them, rather than look around in machine shops or parts houses because i already knew them, and had enough experience working with real rope seal, and was able to hand fit it, and make sure it wasn't too big, because it could score your crankshaft, it's real rope seal and holds and does the job. I need to buy up a bunch of that same type seal and go into business on Ebay, LOL. But it's up to the user to install it right. Now when you find some, get some one to turn the crank shaft or just bump the starter a nd turn it few times, and make sure it's fitted in there good, because that real black rope can score up that crank and Crankshafts don't come cheap, but no harm is done if soaked in oil and work it in where it seats right, this stuff is real and holds up for 10 years or 20 years under high applications. What it is basically is the good type used in equipment everywhere or for anyone with good mechanical apptitude to install it in whatever it may be used for. It's used in anything from a half inch diamter shaft to a 5 inch diameter shaft whether it be steel or forged or whatever and you cut it to fit and twist it to bring it down to proper fatness size you need, when i did my Yblocks, i put on a pair of leather gloves and had a hand full of oil, and just kept squeezing it from end to end, as it became just right for the notch in the bearing cap, and i've had no trouble.

In the 50's that's what all those old cars Ford made and trucks used back then anywhere, is the oil field application rope seal, for any American equipment.





Janet

 

THANKS Janet..ive found a local packing company that sells rope seal..they said i would need to bring the retainer and they could match it up with a seal..my ?? is if they match the seal diameter to the cut out place the seal fits in the retainer,will the diameter of the seal be wide enough to rub the crank..im afraid the diameter will be too small ans will not touch the crank..did that make any sense?

 

Yes, i know what you mean, you mean once you fill the slot with the rope, of whether it would be tall enough to touch the crank area and at same time become flat against the crank. yes that makes sense.

That's good you found someone around there with it where you live. That stuff is everywhere, people are just under the impression they can get it by looking over at a counter at Auto Zone while some guy looks at the computer and says but what Litre engine?? A 292 Yblock?? I can order it maybe?? All a crankshaft in a Yblock is, is just a piece of industrial equipment, my thinking became that way when i worked for Hydril back in the early 1980's. They worked on blow out preventors for sub sea companies, and many things were hand made there. I got a better understanding of what engineers think when they build things.

Take your Lower cap with you when you go get your seal and just make sure it's a little to fat for the slot, the rope seal they have, because you'll need to soak it in oil and you can use the method i did above with leather gloves if it's still too fat.

Janet

 

thanks janet..and all you other Y blockers for your replys..im going to give it another try at sealing the rear main this weekend..
steve

 

Fellow "y" blockers,,after 3 attempts at a pouring rear main seal,ive finally got the leak at the seal stopped..all it took was the web page of a y block shop at y-block and a little more research..the guy at y-block(John Mummert) has the neoprene rear seals for the 239 ohv for around $20..i talked to somebody there on the phone,,it may have been John himself,i didnt write his name down..he suggested a differant type(later year model) of rear main seal retainer..he has used ones for $18..so i orderd this combo and replaced them this weekend..this seal retainer is from a differant year y block..it even looks a little differant..its made of aluminum or something real light..it's made where you can use the square side seals with the pins as opposed to the round seals and "o" rings on top of the seal like i used with the original..
the 2 piece neoprenes slid in without any effort..of course i loosened all the main caps and dropped the crank down just a little..enough to get the seals in..
after putting it all back together i took a short test ride of about 10 miles..i was real hesitant about looking underneath fearing another major pour..all i saw was an occasional drip..back on the lift the truck goes to discover theres a small drip coming from the oil pump to block gasket..maybe one more time at the shop will do the trick..
bottom line..if your having a major leak with a 239ohv..and have the original seal retainer..call John Mummert in EL CAJUN CA...and invest $45 in the seal and retainer..you'll be glad you did..
btw: thanks to all that have helped me with this problem.. i'll keep you posted
on the oil pump leak..54sbus..