I'm stumped. My 55 bird has been stored at my buddy's house since Thanksgiving or so. We moved it off the hoist just before Christmas, and when we put it back on we had an oil leak. A visible line of drops down the driveway and onto the hoist. We lifted it and found oil on and around the filter. Bad filter, right? It's been sitting since, and last week I went over to change the filter and clean it up for spring. Changed the filter, same problem. It does not appear to be leaking from either the filter or the adaptor. You can't see a leak, but when wiped clean and started the first oil drops show up on top of the pan rail. No oil to be found under or around the filter. All I can figure is the gasket between the oil pump and the block has failed. Seems pretty unlikely, but I'm open for ideas and opinions. The car is a stick, with FPA headers and a R&P steering shaft in there, so it's very difficult to get to the filter or the oil pump.

Any other thoughts?

miker
55 bird, 32 cabrio F code
Kent, WA
Tucson, AZ

“On and around the filter” would have me looking first at the gasket behind the oil filter adapter.  I’ll suggest looking at that first as you have oil on the filter itself which is ahead and above the oil pump.  

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

I wrote that wrong, Ted. The oil was actually on and around the oil pump, not the white Motocraft filter. The oil appearing on the top of the pan rail sent me to wiping down around and under the filter and adapter. I didn't find any there. Today, we wiped it clean and started it twice. That's when I thought it was the oil pump to block gasket. Just seems funny that would fail after a couple years being fine, and the bolts are tight.

miker
55 bird, 32 cabrio F code
Kent, WA
Tucson, AZ

As there is oil pressure present at the gasket, then that would be the next logical place to look.  If you remove the pump, then check that the mounting surface is flat.  If you have the aluminum gerotor pump, then those can be prone to some distortion depending upon the gasket thickness.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

I remembered this post & came back to it because I had changed my transmission & torque converter because it leaked big time. Well, I have a pit in my garage so, while under my car figured I would check for any leaks.  None at the tranny,but found oil leaks around the oil filter/oil pump & oil pan.  Well I tightened the nut on the line going into the pump. tightened the oil pan bolts & I just had changed the oil with a New filter.  ( I have the adapter which I installed upteen years ago.    Well now it seems to leak oil more than ever, & I cannot figure out exactly where it is from????

There was oil at all three of these places. To start the troubleshooting, I removed the inspection plate on the bell housing, because oil had leaked in a streak down it.  When I got it off there was oil in the bottom of it.  I looked up after reading so much about leaks on the rear main seal of y-blocks , but no sign of oil up there or on the flex plate.
.  I had read about not tightening that tube nut to the oil pump as it might collapse the seal???     Also read about the oil filter adapter plate being warped.......    Any Ideas as I would like to take care of this..........

I think you need to take the oil pump off and renew all the O rings and oil pump gaskets

Well Thank you Richard, Where do I get them & is it very easy to do?
?    Mike

Ok, I see there are Mellen replacement pumps out there as well as rebuild kits.  Which way have most of you gone?  The pump itself is around $107.   and the rebuild kit 45.       There is one Mellen pump with the driveshaft for $119.     Thanks in advance....   Mike

In order to fix the problem, you have to determine where it is coming from.  Clean the engine so there is no oil on it.  Run it and see where it is coming from.

If it is the pump, you will have to buy the gaskets separately as there is no oil pump gasket set that I am aware of.  The rebuild kit is for gerotor pumps and does you no good if you have a spur-gear pump.  The new pumps are only available as spur-gear pumps.


Lawrenceville, GA

Charlie, I did clean everything off & it was still hard to see where it was coming from, but some oil on one of the pump bolts. 

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