back on the road . . . kinda

After the rain, hail, and lightning let up, I managed to get the oil pan back off. I was greeted by a nasty pile of green goo in the bottom of the oil pan, reminding me that, yes indeed, Peanut does have a leaky head or head gasket. Now, the gasket for sealing the oil pan to the bottom of the engine has four parts: two flat sides plus two curved ends where the oil pan curves around to make room for the camshaft (or that's what I think the curve is for). While installing the oil pan last time, the front gasket piece must have gotten knocked loose while squeezing the oil pan between the oil sump and the road draft tube. And indeed there it was, hanging a bit into the oil pan and not doing its gaskety job. So I sprayed it with a bit of gasket remover, and used a putty knife to remove all traces of the front gasket piece. I then cleaned the face of the engine where that gasket would have been, and applied a bead of Permatex "raspberry goo" gasket maker. I dabbed a bit of Threadlocker Blue onto each of the 22 oil pan bolts, angled it into place, and bolted it on, remembering to only crank the 4 corner bolts with all my might, and just tightening the other 18 enough so the gasket would seal.

I filled Peanut up with 5 quarts of SAE 30 motor oil, sprayed some WD-40 into the carb to prime the engine, and with my dad standing by with the fire extinguisher (in case the fuel leak came back), I cranked the engine. And cranked again. And then the battery complained that it had been sitting for too long and was too tired to crank the engine again. So I pulled my little 86 Honda Civic close, hooked up the jumper cables, and let 'er rip. After a bit of fussing, old Peanut started right up. I gave her some time to warm up, periodically checking the fuel lines for any leaks, then brought her down off the jack stands and took her for a triumphant run around the block.

Another check of the fuel lines revealed no leaks, but those cracks in the lines still worry me. I think I'll call Broadway Automotive tomorrow to see if they have any stainless braided lines, since I can afford them now. But the big problem was that the oil pan still leaks! Now, I could've sworn that the "raspberry goo" is able to hold fluid after setting for just a few minutes, but I could be wrong. I also think that a bigger bead of the goo would have been better, or even removing the entire gasket and goo-ing all around. The cork gasket is fairly thick, so perhaps it's that thickness discrepancy that's causing the leak.

Oh, well. I might try re-sealing the oil pan yet again, or maybe I'll just hope it doesn't drip too much on the transport out to Seattle.

I did take the time to wash & wax Peanut to get 'er ready for the car carrier. And my dad knocked out a few of the dents in her bodywork, so at least she looks nice enough for the trip. And she at least runs well enough to putter around for a few blocks!