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This is a photo along with a small caption of what was found in an oil pan upon removal.
“In dropping the oil pan I discovered a BATH TOWEL in the sump, completely blocking the oil pump return. Not a shop towel, but a bathroom hand towel. This would have destroyed the engine for sure.”
One of the reasons for always dropping the oil pan upon checking out the engine.
What were some of the things you found in your oil pan?…..
Incredible.
Makes you almost wonder if it was sabotage. Some minimum wage wrench working on a rich man’s car. . . .
I say this because I once owned a 1926 Packard Eight. Changing the huge 21-inch tires with the lock ring the size of what they used on a Saturn V rocket convinced me to let a local shop with the equipment do the de-mounting and mounting of new the shoes.
All was fine but then I developed a snow leak in one tire. Got worse with time until it needed air every day. Finally I took the tire off myself and discovered someone had sliced off the old valve stems which are outside the wheel, of course, but had deposited it inside the tire. The result was the sheared valve stem was abrading through the inner tube.
It could have led to a blowout — on the front wheel — but I got lucky.
That’s why I do my own work, whenever possible.
–Luke
Curtiss,
That is one heck of a way to reduce oil-splash and quiet the engine bearing noise!
Peter
Sabotage was not unusual if not downright common on British motorcycles in the mid-1970’s when the industry was in turmoil and brands were consolidating to remain in business. Employee morale was at an all time low.
Many dealers would open an engine before delivery to the customer because they were finding nus, bolts, rags, and even cigarette butts in the engine and transmission.
— Luke
This is an interesting thread going on here. I have heard that in the 40’s 50’s, if a car was making a bit more noise than what you would want to sell a car, fellows would put a handful of course saw dust into the pan to settle the the noise down. It wouldn’t immediately cause internal disaster. Some of the things that has been pulled! I also know of a great-uncle, back in the day, who was out on the desert in a Model T when a rod bearing went south. Back then you needed to do what you could to get home. He cut the tongue out of his leather work boot and installed a makeshift rod bearing. He was able to limp home.
Al
Also in the old days (60s / 70s), pouring GOBS of STP in to the crankcase, like a quart into a 4 or 5-quart system, would temporarily quiet, banging bearings long enough to sell the car!
I think that they called that buying an Andy Granatelli Special.
I’ve also heard of people using synthetic oil in an oil burner to lessen the amount of visible smoke so the car could be sold.
I know back when I rode 2-stroke dirt bikes that the bikes would puff far less visible smoke when I used synthetic 2-stroke oil compared to regular dino oil.
It’s entirely possible the valve stem found its way into the tire accidentally during the assembly process; not so the towel. Perhaps someone was attempting to create an oil filter? It seems hardly an accident it was spread out.
I think the towel was to eliminate oil on the floor. Catch it before it gets there.
Bill,
WOW!
Oil on the floor of the car?
On the front seat floor??
On the up-side or the down-side?
That is a theory, for sure!
WOW!
Peter
Peter,
I bought a Morgan once that the owner claimed to have no leaks, which is really rare for a Moggie. Turned out there was no oil in it. New theory…if there is none there then it won’t leak.
WOW
Peter,
LO. By the way I just got up off the floor.
Bill
A follow up to Bill’s Morgan story:
If you get lost on an antique car tour, just reverse course until you see the trail of oil spots on the pavement. If a Brass tour, follow the stream of oil stains.
I have an old Oliver Tractor. I bought it for peanuts because it leaked transmission fluid. Reading the owners manual I found this instruction:
Drain the splash pan under the transmission periodically to avoid any overflow of excess fluid leaking under operation. I did so and stopped filling trans all the way to the top of the generous full range.
Problem solved.
Dave
Old ‘story’ : A guy driving an antique car pulls into a parking spot and slowly gets out. As he is walking towards a store, a young guy who had admired the old car arriving, walks up to the driver and says:
” Hey Mister, your neat old car is leaking, I think it’s leaking oil.”
The driver says to the kid: ‘Good, that means it still has some oil in it ! “
Greg
That was the rule on the old DC-3 airplane engines, if they weren’t leaking oil, then there was a problem. And then there was the pilot who left the note for the mechanic “Engine #2 missing” and the mechanic left his own note “found it, it’s on the wing”….
I’ve heard tales of tin cans wired up under British cars, to catch the oil, and the mechanic tells the customer “Oil leak fixed, but if it starts again, come back and I’ll fix it for free”…..that is, empty the can out….
Everyone knows that if an old Harley isn’t leaking it’s out of oil.
But a lot of teens and twenties cars leaked from day one.
I know I’ve seen more than one vintage showroom photos of various car dealers and there are drip pans under the brand cars on the showroom floor.
One more Morgan Story. I had a ’32 3 wheel Super Sport that had a J.A.P. (John Alfred Preswich) V twin with exposed rockers. It had a “Total Loss”” oil system. Everything (oil) that went in was supposed to leak/burn out.”
Bill: how much of that ‘total-loss’ oil ended up on the windshield and goggles of the driver ??
Greg.
A lot of early cars had a loss oil system, my fathers 1908 Model S Ford was like that, it had a pump on the engine and a hole in the crankcase behind the rod dips where it leaked out. Always kept it over a pan full of oil pigs to keep the mess out of the wood floor of his barn.
Gents,
In 1970, I owned a band new, Primrose over Black, MG-B.
It was a fun car, but every month I needed to add one quart of oil.
I searched and searched for an oil leak, but I could never find one, nor was there ever any “throw-off” in the engine compartment.
It did not smoke, ergo I remained perplexed.
Even after trying different weights of oil, the oil just disappeared.
British Cars!
My next car, and all that followed were German.
No such problem with any of them.
Peter