Hello everyone, please forgive me for bringing up this issue once again. I don't mean to beat a dead horse but I still can't seem to grab the entire concept on the different types engine oils. I will be dropping the oil pan in my 52 fleetwood this afternoon and would appreciate any tips, advice, recommendation on this process. I finally got around to pulling the oil filter from the canister and I couldn't believe how much sludge was in the canister and filter. It looked like it had not been changed in years. I have no clue as to what would be the best brand or type of oil to refill my engine with. I picked up the oil pan gaskets from checker auto for about $15.00 along with some clear silicone and red RTV sealant. Again, I certainly appreciate any input.
Oh, I forgot to mention that the engine has never had a rebuild. This is why I'm a little hesistant to add the regular 10W-30.
Thanks very much
Dominique
Those engines were supposed to work on single grade 10W to 30 engine oil. The cheapest mineral multi-grade oil available now is better than that.
On my own car, I use anything I can get between 15W40 and 20W50 (engine never rebuilt, plenty oil leaks from the rear main bearing seal).
Check this out you guys. It's oil specially manufactured and developed by the Classic Car Club of America. It's 15w-40
http://www.classiccarmotoroil.com/about.html
Read about it. It's quite interesting.
Hi Dominique:
You seem to be on the right track. Drop the pan, scrape out the crud with a putty
knife and use kerosese to clean it further. Also, use kerosene to clean out the oil
filter housing. Both would show plenty of sludge build up on an engine of your vintage.
Once you've done all of that, I would not hesitate to use a good (API Certified) grade of
10W-30 in your car. Your engine is a 331 V8, and by 1955 Cadillac recommended that
10W-30 was the grade to use vs. the straight grades for that engine. The multigrade
oils did not come into common use until 1955, which is why the older shop manuals do
not mention them.
I would recommend to change the oil, run it for about 500 miles or so, then change it and
the filter again to help clean the "crud" out of the system. If you wish, eliminate about
1/3 a quart of oil and add some "Marvel Mystery Oil" to the crankcase for that first change.
This material has some very good solvents that will help clean things up. The product has been
around for 50 years and I've used it often when doing engine work. You can find it in any
good auto parts store.
Any questions, please ask.
Good luck!
Mike
If you find lots of sludge in there, I think I would go at least one step farther and pull the valve covers off, too, before you put the pan back on. Clean the heads around the valves and springs and the under side of the valve covers. Be sure the oil drain back holes in the heads are clear so oil will drain back to the pan and not pool in the valve area. If you are real ambitious, pull the intake and the valley pan that is under it. Clean all around the lifters and push rods.
Then as Mike suggests, use 10-30 and do early changes for a while.
Good luck,
David
Dom: Something that you may or not be aware of. In order to get the pan down and out, you must drop down the the steering linkage out of the way by unbolting the Idler Arm from the right side of the frame. Two bolts. You have received good advice about cleaning out all the sludge that you can at the same time. When I did this job on my 53, I pulled the valve covers, valley cover and also the front cover(or timing chain cover), and replaced the front seal while I was at it. Good luck with it.
Paul
First off, let me say thank you very much to everyone who has responded to my post. Everyone's input has been very very beneficial and would certainly appreciate much more.
This morning I picked up five quarts of 10W-30, marvel mystery oil, engine flush, kerosene, and a fram C4P oil filter. I also picked up a new fuel filter and a couple of torque wrenches
It took me a little work on my back but I finally removed the oil pan. I couldn't believe how much sludge was sitting at the bottom of the pan. The oil pump was loaded with sludge buildup. I am very surprised that it was able to move any oil. Needless to say, I also removed the oil pump and oil pan baffle. I dropped off the pan, oil baffle, and oil pump at a nearby auto stop. The owner charged me $20.00 to have the parts dumped and washed in a cleaning tank. I will be picking them up after I return from work on Tuesday.
Should I have the oil pump replaced, rebuilt or reuse my original pump after cleaning? I did see a couple of oil pump rebuild kits on ebay. Suggestions anyone? Are the oil pumps tough to rebuild? Advance auto zone quoted me at $75.00 for a rebuild kit and $140.00 to have my original pump rebuilt.
The shop manual states to tighten the nuts on the oil pan to 7 to 10 ft. lbs torque and the oil pump nuts to 25 to 30 ft. lbs torque. Is there a special type of torque wrench that is required for these steps? The two torque wrenches that I picked up today will probably not work because of the angle of the bolts and the head sizes of the wrenches. The 2 stud mounted nuts that are on each end of the pan are especially tough to get to. I had to use my smallest socket wrench to get them off. I haven't used the wrenches yet so I will probably return them when I get a chance.
Next, I will remove the filter canister and thoroughly clean it. There is a good amount of sludge sitting at the bottom of the canister. I will take everyone's advice and pull the valve covers, valley cover, and front cover. Once I pull all this off, what should I use to clean up the internals.
Thank you very much
If it were my car, I would either rebuild the pump or replace it with a new or rebuilt pump. You have already done the work to remove it, don't take a chance on the old pump and then have to re-do all the work to change it later if it is weak.
Pay close attention to the camshaft gear. If it is the original factory gear it will have plastic teeth. They are prone to fail starting around 60 - 100K miles. From your description of the sludge found in the oil pan, my bet would be your car has worn timing gears and chain. You would probably be wise to change them while you have the timing cover off the engine. Even if the plastic still looks to be in good condition, it is very old and could fail at any time.
Hope this helps,
David
Thanks for the help. I will look for new a pump, timing gear and chain. Any suggestions for some good vendors?
A buddy of mine mentioned possible head gasket leaks because of the sludge buildup in the pan. Is this a likely possibility?
Thanks
Dominique
Quote from: domer on April 07, 2009, 10:46:44 PM
Thanks for the help. I will look for new a pump, timing gear and chain. Any suggestions for some good vendors?
A buddy of mine mentioned possible head gasket leaks because of the sludge buildup in the pan. Is this a likely possibility?
Thanks
Dominique
Dominique, I will add my two-cents to the others sugesstions. So far I like what I have seen. Now for my two cents. No one tourched on what 10w30 oil will do for you, first you give no hint where you live, but if it gets cold there, the oil will get no thicker then any 10W oil
regardless of how cold it gets. and the 30W will get no thinner then 30W reguardless of how hot it gets, which uses to puzzle me untill
I had it explained to me, seem as tho. macoroni swells-when cooked, or heated-up. Regardless of your decesion on your oil pump, make sure that you prime the pump with "white-grease" you can buy it at any auto-parts store.To clean-up the hard to clean areas ----use rags and putty-knifes. No amount of sludges has ever caused a head gasket leak,,,,yet that I've heard of . HTH JIM P.S. The torque wrenches
that you have will work out just fine,just make sure that the bolt holes are still flat when checked with a stright edge. ;D
The suggestion of possible head gasket leaks, or cracks in the head/block because of the sludge build up would have been from coolant leaking into the engine internals. Coolant/water will cause sludge. It wouldn't hurt to do a pressure test of the cooling system before you dismantle it, that would tell if you had a possible leak. On the other hand, it is possible that the previous owners used non detergent oil and that was the cause of the sludge. Another cause of sludge is short trip duration that never completely heats the engine to fully evaporate condensate and unburned fuel.
Be sure to check the crankcase venting system for obstructions or blockage. A crankcase that isn't vented properly will sludge up also, because the normal combustion byproducts of unburned fuel and condensation are not vented out of the engine.
Good luck,
David
Just a side note on the sludge thing. In the 50's at least, Cadillac recommended pulling the pan down and cleaning out the sludge every year!!
Paul
Quote from: homeonprunehill on April 08, 2009, 12:56:54 AM
Dominique, I will add my two-cents to the others sugesstions. So far I like what I have seen. Now for my two cents. No one tourched on what 10w30 oil will do for you, first you give no hint where you live, but if it gets cold there, the oil will get no thicker then any 10W oil
regardless of how cold it gets. and the 30W will get no thinner then 30W reguardless of how hot it gets, which uses to puzzle me untill
I had it explained to me, seem as tho. macoroni swells-when cooked, or heated-up. Regardless of your decesion on your oil pump, make sure that you prime the pump with "white-grease" you can buy it at any auto-parts store.To clean-up the hard to clean areas ----use rags and putty-knifes. No amount of sludges has ever caused a head gasket leak,,,,yet that I've heard of . HTH JIM P.S. The torque wrenches
that you have will work out just fine,just make sure that the bolt holes are still flat when checked with a stright edge. ;D
Thanks for your input!! I am in the military and currently live/stationed in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
What I actually meant to ask was if the suldge buildup a possible indication of a head gasket leak
Thanks very much
Quote from: dadscad on April 08, 2009, 08:39:31 AM
The suggestion of possible head gasket leaks, or cracks in the head/block because of the sludge build up would have been from coolant leaking into the engine internals. Coolant/water will cause sludge. It wouldn't hurt to do a pressure test of the cooling system before you dismantle it, that would tell if you had a possible leak. On the other hand, it is possible that the previous owners used non detergent oil and that was the cause of the sludge. Another cause of sludge is short trip duration that never completely heats the engine to fully evaporate condensate and unburned fuel.
Be sure to check the crankcase venting system for obstructions or blockage. A crankcase that isn't vented properly will sludge up also, because the normal combustion byproducts of unburned fuel and condensation are not vented out of the engine.
Good luck,
David
Thank you! When I did pull the pan and oil pump, I did notice that the oil and sludge did have a rich smell to it. The oil did have a smell of fuel to it. A neighbor of mine had also mentioned a few months back that the car had a rich smell of fuel to it whenever I fired it up. I'm not sure if these two things are related to what you stated in your post.
Dominique
Quote from: P W Allen CLC# 20193 on April 08, 2009, 12:46:22 PM
Just a side note on the sludge thing. In the 50's at least, Cadillac recommended pulling the pan down and cleaning out the sludge every year!!
Paul
Yes Sir, I am pretty certain that the pan has never been dropped. The more responses I get from my initial post, the more motivated I get to give this baby all the attention it deserves. I have owned a few Cadillacs but have never really needed to do much work to them besides the basic oil changes and smaller maintenance items. I'm glad that I am finally able to do more than the regular basic stuff. Although this may seem like small stuff to alot of you Caddy masters, I am more of the rookie type. I am very eager to learn and take in every bit of knowledge, advice, and pointers from everyone out there...so please keep it coming. I am kicking myself in the butt right now because my father was always out there working on any car he could get his hands on. He would always ask me if I wanted to help out and learn a thing or two. And of course I would always say no because I wanted to go out and play. ha ha
I truly appreciate everyone who has added to my original post!!!!
DOMER, I can believe you when you say that your Father uses to offer to teach you a thing or two about ,what has turned out to be "old-cars", my son, who is now 55 annd still know evertyhing, was the same way. By the way, I had a Brother that was in the ARMY at Ft. Carson. Stopped to see him once while he was there.That part of CO. can and does get as cold as ND. Sounds like you should take a look-see at the carb. Good advise to presuize the coolant system ,while you can. just don't over presuize it. Go by the max.presure stamped on the Rad. cap. If there is an" auto hobby shop"on Post, you should be able to check-out a manual rad.cap checker. Now to the "sludge" I failed to say that you should cleanout the oil return hole in the block and heads with a stiff wire attached to the rag. Just like cleaning a rifie barrell. lol, HTH, JIM
"The oil did have a smell of fuel to it."
If your oil has a smell of gasoline you could very well have a leaking fuel pump diaphragm which is pumping fuel into the crankcase. This is a bad situation and should be checked out immediately! As a safety precaution get the diaphragm replaced, if you can find one, or put a rebuilt pump on.
This before and after picture of lifters from a 1930 Cad V 8 is a good example of what to expect when going into the valve body of an old engine with sludge build up. The before picture doesn't show the several handfuls of sludge that were removed prior to removal of the lifters.
Here are two photos of my 39 LaSalle engine before rebuilding. The engine ran well in spite of this, but since I was doing a full restoration, pulled engine and had it rebuilt by Shepard's Automotive in Akron, Ohio.
Fred
Be sure to check the bottom of oil pan for acid rot.
Quote from: homeonprunehill on April 09, 2009, 01:34:56 AM
DOMER, I can believe you when you say that your Father uses to offer to teach you a thing or two about ,what has turned out to be "old-cars", my son, who is now 55 annd still know evertyhing, was the same way. By the way, I had a Brother that was in the ARMY at Ft. Carson. Stopped to see him once while he was there.That part of CO. can and does get as cold as ND. Sounds like you should take a look-see at the carb. Good advise to presuize the coolant system ,while you can. just don't over presuize it. Go by the max.presure stamped on the Rad. cap. If there is an" auto hobby shop"on Post, you should be able to check-out a manual rad.cap checker. Now to the "sludge" I failed to say that you should cleanout the oil return hole in the block and heads with a stiff wire attached to the rag. Just like cleaning a rifie barrell. lol, HTH, JIM
. Yes Sir I sure do regret not getting my hands a little dirty with my father. Colorado does get cold. We have actually had a mild winter. I'm originally from Texas and have been stationed here almost five years. I absolutely love it out here. If I could, I would stay here. They will be moving us out of Colorado by Summer of 2010---not by choice. I was planning on having the carb rebuilt. The car is very original so I was planning to service pretty much every piece of mechanical equipment--generator, starter, carb, fuel pump, water pump, radiator. Not sure if I would try to do it myself or send it out. I really want to do as much as possible myself to save a few dollars but mainly because I want to learn!!! I had originally planned on doing the work with the engine still in place but after rereceiving all this great advice from everybody, I may pull the engine and of course add new motor mounts....So now the question arises..Do I want to do a complete engine rebuild. I guess my question will probably be answered once I pull the valve covers off and front cover. As of now, I only removed the oil pan ad oil pump.
Oh and by the way, I certainly know how to clean a rifle. ha ha
Thank you very much
dominique
Quote from: Geoff Newcombe #4719 on April 09, 2009, 09:32:10 AM
"The oil did have a smell of fuel to it."
If your oil has a smell of gasoline you could very well have a leaking fuel pump diaphragm which is pumping fuel into the crankcase. This is a bad situation and should be checked out immediately! As a safety precaution get the diaphragm replaced, if you can find one, or put a rebuilt pump on.
Thank you!! Its funny you mention that...just today I read an article in the Self-Starter Magazine on fuel pump rebuilding for amateurs! After reading the article, I am pretty confident I can tackle the task myself...what a great magazine!! Any recommendations on the purchase of a complete rebuild kit and or the process?
Thanks
dominique
Quote from: harry s on April 09, 2009, 10:42:30 AM
This before and after picture of lifters from a 1930 Cad V 8 is a good example of what to expect when going into the valve body of an old engine with sludge build up. The before picture doesn't show the several handfuls of sludge that were removed prior to removal of the lifters.
Nice work and thanks for the pictures!!! I can't wait to dig into my engine. I hope to pull the valve covers and dig a little deeper this weekend. I guess I need to get the rags and and scrapers ready. So I take it you re-used all or most of your original pieces, just gave them a thorough cleaning...kerosene???
Thank you
dominique
Quote from: Fred Zwicker #23106 on April 09, 2009, 11:26:08 AM
Here are two photos of my 39 LaSalle engine before rebuilding. The engine ran well in spite of this, but since I was doing a full restoration, pulled engine and had it rebuilt by Shepard's Automotive in Akron, Ohio.
Fred
Great pics!! Thats the type of sludge buildup I'm expecting to see once I open up my engine. I will try to post pics as I work my way through the grease pit.
thanks very much
dominique
Quote from: Jeff Maltby 4194 on April 10, 2009, 01:24:35 PM
Be sure to check the bottom of oil pan for acid rot.
Forgive me for being stupid, but what are you implying on the issue of acid rot??
What will this indicate?
I do have a question on my pan. Do they sell new pans for my 331 or will I have to use my original. If so, what would be the correct process to get it back to its correct appearance inside and out. I had it steam cleaned but the pan seems to have surface rust spots throughout. Would sandblasting or bead blasting be ok??
Thank you very much
DOMER, Acid rot in the pan is nothing to worry about. BUT you do have to take care of it , Does the pan show any signs of leaking?
When you sand the areas with rust, you will be able to tell if it will leak or not Soider any spots that look like it will leak from the interior , wipe-up any spot that you sand. Paint the pan on the extierior. That 1952 is 331CID. you have a computer. Do you have GOOGLE?? Makes no diffence which Search-Engine you have, go to the CARBERATOR SHOP for a rebuilt kit for your fuel pump and CARB. They have 585 cars listed, not all as I know of one made in Portland, OR that is not listed. It will cost you about $5 or 6 thousand to have you engine overhauled. I was just reading some of your posts, you had a question about where to get parts. Put , into your computer EGGE of CA and TERRELL MACHINE of TX. One of these places should have the all matel timing gear and the gaskets you will need to reassembly the engine, Do not plan on disconnecting ANY OF THE ROD CAPS OR MAIN BEARING CAPS right now. HTH,JIM
Domer, The 1930 Cadillac lifter parts are all of the original parts taken apart, cleaned. lubricated and reassembled. During the process any parts that are defective can be replaced. Scraping, wire brushing with varsol (paint thinner) and steam cleaning along with a lot of elbow grease work in most cases. Good Luck, Harry
Quote from: homeonprunehill on April 11, 2009, 03:07:49 AM
DOMER, Acid rot in the pan is nothing to worry about. BUT you do have to take care of it , Does the pan show any signs of leaking?
When you sand the areas with rust, you will be able to tell if it will leak or not Soider any spots that look like it will leak from the interior , wipe-up any spot that you sand. Paint the pan on the extierior. That 1952 is 331CID. you have a computer. Do you have GOOGLE?? Makes no diffence which Search-Engine you have, go to the CARBERATOR SHOP for a rebuilt kit for your fuel pump and CARB. They have 585 cars listed, not all as I know of one made in Portland, OR that is not listed. It will cost you about $5 or 6 thousand to have you engine overhauled. I was just reading some of your posts, you had a question about where to get parts. Put , into your computer EGGE of CA and TERRELL MACHINE of TX. One of these places should have the all matel timing gear and the gaskets you will need to reassembly the engine, Do not plan on disconnecting ANY OF THE ROD CAPS OR MAIN BEARING CAPS right now. HTH,JIM
Thank you very much. I did some searching on the Egge Website. Looks like a good site. I'm still working on disassembling my components. Once complete, I will decide exactly what I need to order.
You mentioned not to disconnect any rod caps or bearings, is this a difficult task for a rookie.
Your input, as everyone's, is greatly appreciated. As I mentioned before, this is pretty much my first rodeo!
Quote from: harry s on April 11, 2009, 09:41:12 AM
Domer, The 1930 Cadillac lifter parts are all of the original parts taken apart, cleaned. lubricated and reassembled. During the process any parts that are defective can be replaced. Scraping, wire brushing with varsol (paint thinner) and steam cleaning along with a lot of elbow grease work in most cases. Good Luck, Harry
Thanks Harry. Nice work!! I just removed the valve covers last night to take a quick look. I will work on removing the heads today. If I remember to take any pics, I will post a few on here.
dominique
DOMER,JIM here. the reason I don't want you to take any of the BEARING CAPS off, is that you may not have to overhaul the engine, not that there is anything hard about it. If you do have to overhaul the engine, you will want to keep the rod caps numbered so you can put them back on the rods they came offmof. As for the main bearing caps, think they are all deference, the only thing you have to be sure you of is that you put the center one on in the same direction that you remove it. HTH,JIM P.S. did I read in one of your, post that you had the engine running ? How many miles is on the clock ? Unless you have heavy rust in abe anjy clyinder there may not any need to overhaul At this time.
Quote from: homeonprunehill on April 12, 2009, 05:14:50 PM
DOMER,JIM here. the reason I don't want you to take any of the BEARING CAPS off, is that you may not have to overhaul the engine, not that there is anything hard about it. If you do have to overhaul the engine, you will want to keep the rod caps numbered so you can put them back on the rods they came offmof. As for the main bearing caps, think they are all deference, the only thing you have to be sure you of is that you put the center one on in the same direction that you remove it. HTH,JIM P.S. did I read in one of your, post that you had the engine running ? How many miles is on the clock ? Unless you have heavy rust in abe anjy clyinder there may not any need to overhaul At this time.
Thank you for the very helpful input. I wasn't able to do a thorough review of all my components as I had planned this past weekend. The weekend seemed to just fly by. I was only able to remove my generator and I drained the coolant. Im really anxious to get in there and see what lies beneath. Yes the car is/was a runner but I could tell that it needed some attention. The sludge in the oil pan has definately led me to dig a little deeper. I don't have a clue on the miles. The odometer is non-functional. I'm the third owner of the car and bought it from an estate sale. I have a copy of the title dating back to the early 70's. The interior is original and is very well preserved. Very little wear on the steering wheel or driver's seat. I will keep you posted on what I find
thank you
dominique
Hello Everyone, Im back.
Just have a quick question. So I finally removed the radiator and water pump to get to the front cover. The fan pulley was easy to remove as well as the crank belt drive pulley. I am not sure how to remove the second half of the crank pulley to remove the front cover. The shop manual on says to remove the pulleys to get to the gears and chain but doesn't say how. I used a 3/4" socket on the nut but of course the entire crank moved. Do I need a pulley puller from an auto parts store or will the front cover come off without having to remove this part?
I have a few more pictures of the heads, water pump and oil canister (sludge city) . If anyone is interested just shoot me an email and I will send them.
Thank you very much
Dom
G'day Dominique,
Yes, the Harmonic Balancer has to come off.
To stop the crankshaft from turning, you will probably have to remove the Starter Motor and once that is done, place a large Screw Driver in the hole and against one of the Flywheel Teeth on the Ring Gear.
This will take two people to complete the task as it is impossible to hold the Screw Driver, and undo the Bolt at the same time, as our arms aren't long enough to accomplish both at once.
I am not sure if a Puller is required to remove the Harmonic Balancer, seeing as it is retained by the bolt, but whatever you do, don't hit it with a hammer.
Bruce. >:D
That's one helluva oil change you're doing Domer!
As we all have discovered with old cars, nothing is as simple or straightforward as you might think. A can of worms is always opened when doing the smallest "routine" maintenance jobs on a 50 year old unrestored car.
It's well worth it, though as my pictures below might suggest.
Dom, Bruce gave you good advice. Especially, using a hammer. One thing you might try to get the bolt out which worked for me. Get the correct socket and a long breaker bar. turn the engine over with it until you come up to compression. Get the bar in a comfortable position and give it some quick hard jerks to the left. Mine broke free after a couple of trys. If it doesn't you'll have to go with the screwdriver in the flywheel route as Bruce described. You may need a puller, but I can tell you that mine slid right off once the bolt was removed. You will be replacing the front felt seal. Take a look at the photos of my old Balancer. You can see the grove worn in it where the seal rides. If yours looks like this, replace it, or your new seal will leak and you will have to pull the whole thing apart again(including dropping the pan) to fix it. I got my replacement balancer from USA Parts Supply. Good Luck!
There was recently quite a bit of discussion about harmonic balancers and their removal/installation. Put "harmonic balancer" in the Search function. One subject that you will find deals with balancer repair sleeves to fix problems just like PW Allen is talking about. You do not necessarily have to replace a balancer with the wear shown.
If you DO replace your balancer because of that kind of wear, DON'T throw it away! It can be made perfectly serviceable and someone else might appreciate having it!
Quote from: The Tassie Devil(le) (Bruce Reynolds) on April 17, 2009, 07:03:05 PM
G'day Dominique,
Yes, the Harmonic Balancer has to come off.
To stop the crankshaft from turning, you will probably have to remove the Starter Motor and once that is done, place a large Screw Driver in the hole and against one of the Flywheel Teeth on the Ring Gear.
This will take two people to complete the task as it is impossible to hold the Screw Driver, and undo the Bolt at the same time, as our arms aren't long enough to accomplish both at once.
I am not sure if a Puller is required to remove the Harmonic Balancer, seeing as it is retained by the bolt, but whatever you do, don't hit it with a hammer.
Bruce. >:D
\
Ok. Thanks!! Sounds pretty easy. I already had the starter off when I dropped the oil pan. I planned on having the starter and generator rebuilt anyways. A local shop that has been in business for a number of years quoted me at $150.00 to have the starter and generator rebuilt. They rebuilt the generator on my 1962 Coupe Deville a couple of years ago.
If required, would a little bit of penetrating fluid along with a few taps on the bolt head be ok with a rubber mallet.
Thanks Dominique
Quote from: ottoskorzeny on April 17, 2009, 07:17:39 PM
That's one helluva oil change you're doing Domer!
As we all have discovered with old cars, nothing is as simple or straightforward as you might think. A can of worms is always opened when doing the smallest "routine" maintenance jobs on a 50 year old unrestored car.
It's well worth it, though as my pictures below might suggest.
Holy Smokes that is one beautiful gal(s). Yeah, I was kind of expecting the worse, once I saw all the sludge buildup on the bottom of my oil pan. So far, I'm really loving every step of the way!!
I really like the color of your Caddy. I'm still looking for a 58 or 59 Fleetwood in that color. I kind of became a Cadillac fan "overnight" about four years ago. I was in the market to purchase a classic car...nothing in particular. I immediately fell in love with a 62 Coupe Deville. I called my dad to let him know what I had bought. He almost had a heart attack when I gave him all the details. It turns out his little brother used to own a 62 Cadillac the exact same color as the one I had just purchased. My uncle's life taken away at a young age. I never ever knew that he owned a cadillac especially the same year and color.
Even though 58 and 59 are my dream cars, I have just recently been bitten by the bug of wanting to own a 55 or 56 Cadillac as well...of course my wife just shook her head..ha ha
Thanks
Dominique
Quote from: P W Allen CLC# 20193 on April 17, 2009, 07:44:51 PM
Dom, Bruce gave you good advice. Especially, using a hammer. One thing you might try to get the bolt out which worked for me. Get the correct socket and a long breaker bar. turn the engine over with it until you come up to compression. Get the bar in a comfortable position and give it some quick hard jerks to the left. Mine broke free after a couple of trys. If it doesn't you'll have to go with the screwdriver in the flywheel route as Bruce described. You may need a puller, but I can tell you that mine slid right off once the bolt was removed. You will be replacing the front felt seal. Take a look at the photos of my old Balancer. You can see the grove worn in it where the seal rides. If yours looks like this, replace it, or your new seal will leak and you will have to pull the whole thing apart again(including dropping the pan) to fix it. I got my replacement balancer from USA Parts Supply. Good Luck!
Great advice. I will give it a shot. If not, one of my buddies should be over tomorrow for a BBQ. I can have him loosen the bolt while I hold the srew driver. I do have an older USA Parts Supply Catalog so I will give them a call for an updated price.
Thanks
Dominique
Quote from: Geoff Newcombe #4719 on April 17, 2009, 10:02:24 PM
There was recently quite a bit of discussion about harmonic balancers and their removal/installation. Put "harmonic balancer" in the Search function. One subject that you will find deals with balancer repair sleeves to fix problems just like PW Allen is talking about. You do not necessarily have to replace a balancer with the wear shown.
If you DO replace your balancer because of that kind of wear, DON'T throw it away! It can be made perfectly serviceable and someone else might appreciate having it!
Thanks Geoff. I guess I should know better to use the search engine before I post anything as this site is filled with a wealth of knowledge. I will indeed look this subject up. I will compare the price of a new one to the price of repairing my original balancer and make my decision. Could you tell me what companies provide the sleeves for worn balancers?
thanks
dominique
What we are talking about is called a Speedi-Sleeve. Read this thread ---- http://www.cadillaclasalleclub.org/forum/index.php/topic,105090.0.html
Very interesting. I will give them a call next week for a price quote. Thanks
One more thing, has anyone dealt with guys before. I've had their web link saved to my favorites for a while but never considered using them till now. They seem to do it all. Its a ways out from Colorado but if their work is good then I guess it could be worth it.
http://www.maritimedragracing.com/then_and_now_automotive___se.htm
If the link doesn't work then just google Then and Now Automotive. I just copied the link and pasted it to this post.
Thank you very much
Dominique
Just a note on replacing the balancer. USA Parts Supply sells reconditioned balancers on an exchange basis. So you wouldn't be throwing away your old one so to speak. I looked into re-sleeving mine, but found it easier to just get a new one and send the old one back.
Paul
Thanks,
I pulled the balancer this past weekend using the screwdriver method. The balancer didn't look too worn but I will probably end up buying one from USA Parts Supply.
Thanks
Dominique