Lost all my oil today !!!

[Loaded 90]

I drove my 90 vette to work today and when I left the check gauges light came on. I looked down and the oil pressure was on 0. I put it in nuetral and switched the car off and coasted to a parking lot. I put the car on my car trailer to pull it home. It had a large puddle of oil under it. I got under the car and saw that it apeared to be leaking between the block and the oil filter adapter. Could the seal between there have blown out or do I have bigger problems? The leak itself is not coming from the oil filter. Where do I get a replacement seal and gasket, the parts store does not carry them?

 

[vettl83]

Loaded 90, is it possible that the last time the oil filter was changed that the gasket off the old filter came off and remained in the filter boss? I saw it happen on a marine small block this summer. Dumped all the oil in no time at all. Low oil pressure switch shut the motor off and saved it. Just a thought. 84 CF 91 ZR-1

 

[69MyWay]

That cooler is a pain in the but. It circulates engine coolant through little radiators that mix witht he oil as it passes through to help regulate the temp.

G.M. sells a new gasket kit for it that includes the upper mount gasket, then an o-ring between the cooler and the block.

I would also check your oil pressure sendor on the back upper part of the block. When these go they shoot the oil out fast as well.

Either one will shut you down.

Let us know when you find it.

 

[Loaded 90]

69myway I thought that was where the oil was coming from but just needed someone to confirm it. Is it hard to change, my buddy says it is pretty simple. He told me to take the oil filter off and there is a nut holding the cooler on.




Thanks Mac

 

[rrubel]

Yup. One large nut that goes around the neck of the bolt that the filter would screw to if the cooler weren't there. Have a care, though, if you pull the cooler off - there are two lines that attach to it. One runs to the block just in front of the cooler and the other disappears under the car and comes up on the passenger side where it attaches to a coolant line. If one of these lines gets loose, you'll lose your antifreeze.
[RICHR]

 

[Loaded 90]

I got the filter and cooler off, looked at it but did not see a gasket just the rubber seal. Where is the gasket supposed to be? The rubber seal did not look damaged. I also looked for the sending unit while I was there but did not see it. Where is it at, and how do you get to it?



Thanks for the help so far
Mac

 

[69MyWay]

There are two bolts holding the adapter to the block that holds that large hollow threaded tube that the cooler is attached with. You have to take the two bolts/nuts off and drop that down. There is a gasket on the top of it. GM sells the new gasket/0-ring kit.

The oil sender is on the top rear off the block under the distributor.

A leak there can spray out and down and look like it is coming from about anywhere in the back of the engine.

 

[Loaded 90]

I called my local Chevy dealer today to get the seal kit and they told me that the one for the Corvette did not come with a gasket. They also told me that the one for the Impalas and Chevy trucks did have the gasket. Is this the same kit or is it different? They told me too that trucks and the Impalas had a problem blowing these out.

Thanks Mac

 

[69MyWay]

I called my local Chevy dealer today to get the seal kit and they told me that the one for the Corvette did not come with a gasket. They also told me that the one for the Impalas and Chevy trucks did have the gasket. Is this the same kit or is it different? They told me too that trucks and the Impalas had a problem blowing these out.

Thanks Mac

That is strange. I got mine with a gasket and rubber seal. I saw the part number on the Chevy Dealer computer screen under 90 Vette.

 

[Flynbanjo]

I replaced mine a few months ago. The kit that I bought from GM cost about 5 dollars and came with a gasket.

 

[Loaded 90]

I got the seal and gasket from GM today. The o-ring I got today did not look like the one that came out of the car. The one I took out looked more like a oil filter gasket because it was flat not round like the one I got today. Do you think this was my problem?




Thanks Mac

 

[trrgod]

Once I hit a piece of truck tire on the road and it knocked the oil cooler and -wooosh- all the engine oil blows out onto the freeway. What a mess. Luckily, no harm was done to the engine. The oil cooler itself was tweeked and I had to replace it. Be sure to check the oil cooler carefully. Mine showed no problems until I took it off. The impact had actually bent it where it attaches to the block and the tab with the two bolts that hold it in the block had a hairline crack that could only be seen when out of the car.
Good luck.

 

[Loaded 90]

I replaced the o-ring tonight and cranked the car up, full of oil of course. I let it idle for about 5 min. with no leaks at all. Then I reved it up a little, not over 1500 rpms and oil came spewing from around the filter area. I am carrying it to my buddies shop next week and put it on his lift and get some help with it.



Mac

 

[trrgod]

Sounds just like what mine did. Again, I could not see anything wrong until I took the oil cooler out. I got a new oil cooler and that fixed the problem.

 

[Mako]

I replaced the o-ring tonight and cranked the car up, full of oil of course. I let it idle for about 5 min. with no leaks at all. Then I reved it up a little, not over 1500 rpms and oil came spewing from around the filter area. I am carrying it to my buddies shop next week and put it on his lift and get some help with it.



Mac

Sounds like the oil filter adapter is cracked - a not unheard of problem unfortunately. Pull the adapter off (two bolts) and inspect it closely...

Good work on shutting the engine down like you did, that saved you big $$$ right there.

Good luck!
Mako

 

[LarryBible]

Yes, it could indeed be cracked and be aware that once the bolt torque is no longer applied, the crack may be very difficult to find.

I'm sorry you're having such a difficult time, but thanks for sharing your experience. The only trouble I have had with the oil cooler has been the loosening of the hollow bolt that goes through the adapter and threads into the block. This happened to me while loosening the filter. Since then, as a precautionary measure, I have always snugged this bolt after removing the oil filter at change time.

Good luck,

 

[snydcat]

Does anybody have the part # for the kit? I am putting my motor back together after a rebuild and I was wondering if the adapter had a gasket (can't remember when I took it off) . I have called 3 different dealers and they all claim that there is no such gasket for the adapter and the kit just comes with the rubber O-ring.



Thanks,
Rich

 

[Loaded 90]

Thanks for the help guys. I will check it when I get it on the lift for cracks. Can you bypass the cooler somehow and just have the filter there?
snydcat the dealer told me the same thing, but I finally found one that had the whole kit. I don't have the part # though.


Thanks Mac

 

[rrubel]

The kit is an option, so yes you can remove it and just use the filter... they both screw to the same hollow nut. HOWEVER - if you remove it completely you'll have to block the coolant lines or use a piece of hose to tie them together.
[RICHR]

 

[Loaded 90]

The engine would be fine if I were to delete it would it? The reason I would want to delete the cooler is that the previous owner had the same problem. I also understand that is not the best design.



Thanks Mac