1957 Transmission Fluid & oil dripping

[TbirdFan76]

Just got my 1957 Tbird on Sunday! Hurrah!

Now after driving on Sunday and tucking it in the garage safely noticed some drips on the floor the next day Yes I know it's 67 years old and some minor drips may be part of the deal, but I don't want to ignore anything that might cause a bigger issue.

Checked and both tranny & oil levels are full.

While checking the underside and wiping off the oil pan and transmission pan and casing I noticed the converter housing has an rectangular opening with no cover, I can insert fingers into the opening and feel internal parts. Is this opening supposed to be covered or open?

Please advise on what is normal for 1957 Ford-o-matic transmission and 312 V8 drips and most likely places to look. Already checked the oil filter and oil pan plug. All looks good there. Also plug on transmission fluid pan seems snug.

Thanks for your advise.

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[74 Harley]

Pictures really help...

 

[Abel Leite]

Just got my 1957 Tbird on Sunday! Hurrah!

Now after driving on Sunday and tucking it in the garage safely noticed some drips on the floor the next day Yes I know it's 67 years old and some minor drips may be part of the deal, but I don't want to ignore anything that might cause a bigger issue.

Checked and both tranny & oil levels are full.

While checking the underside and wiping off the oil pan and transmission pan and casing I noticed the converter housing has an rectangular opening with no cover, I can insert fingers into the opening and feel internal parts. Is this opening supposed to be covered or open?

Please advise on what is normal for 1957 Ford-o-matic transmission and 312 V8 drips and most likely places to look. Already checked the oil filter and oil pan plug. All looks good there. Also plug on transmission fluid pan seems snug.

Thanks for your advise.

More likely than not it is the rear main seal on the engine. As long as you keep a check on the fluid levels you should be OK. The oil leak is just a nuisance. The seal can easily be replaced. I recommend using the neoprene seal

 

[TbirdFan76]

Pictures really help...

I'll take some photos and attach in a couple days.

 

[Docj]

It is just marking it's territory!

 

[TbirdFan76]

More likely than not it is the rear main seal on the engine. As long as you keep a check on the fluid levels you should be OK. The oil leak is just a nuisance. The seal can easily be replaced. I recommend using the neoprene seal

Have you ever used a product called Blue Devil Rear Main Sealer? Here is an review article from
MotorTrend saying it is safe and it works pretty well. https://www.motortrend.com/how-to/blue-devil-rear-main-sealer/

Thoughts?

 

[74 Harley]

Have you ever used a product called Blue Devil Rear Main Sealer? Here is an review article from
MotorTrend saying it is safe and it works pretty well. https://www.motortrend.com/how-to/blue-devil-rear-main-sealer/

Thoughts?

I would not use any of the liquid seal sealers. They work by softening and swelling the seal. Yes if you are are successful it will buy you a little time, but it is not a permanent repair.
The other thing to consider is that almost none of these cars are daily commuters. While the small drips are annoying they are just an annoyance.
With the current value trend of these cars a real repair is in order.

 

[hd78half]

Just got my 1957 Tbird on Sunday! Hurrah!

Now after driving on Sunday and tucking it in the garage safely noticed some drips on the floor the next day Yes I know it's 67 years old and some minor drips may be part of the deal, but I don't want to ignore anything that might cause a bigger issue.

Checked and both tranny & oil levels are full.

While checking the underside and wiping off the oil pan and transmission pan and casing I noticed the converter housing has an rectangular opening with no cover, I can insert fingers into the opening and feel internal parts. Is this opening supposed to be covered or open?

Please advise on what is normal for 1957 Ford-o-matic transmission and 312 V8 drips and most likely places to look. Already checked the oil filter and oil pan plug. All looks good there. Also plug on transmission fluid pan seems snug.

Thanks for your advise.

Good morning.
There should be a cover over the rectangular opening at the bottom of converter housing. It prevents dust, rocks, etc. from entering the housing. But the converter itself doesn't use lubrication.
If the oil is near the rear of the engine and the converter housing, a leaky main seal is a possible root cause (and seems to be common). If there was oil in the converter housing this is probably the culprit. Replacement requires removing the engine. As long as it's not dripping excessively, it's not damaging.
Other areas that we found on our 312 that had leaks are:
- Breather tube where it enters the top of the engine
- Valve covers
- Oil pump fit to the block
- Oil pan & drain plug
- Power steering pump and control valve (this was really a mess on ours)

Our Ford-O-Matic is an earlier 1956 air-cooled but I believe that the '57 circulates the tranny fluid thru a cooler that is integral to the radiator. If so, check the lines and fittings for leaks.

Good luck.

 

[TbirdFan76]

Good morning.
There should be a cover over the rectangular opening at the bottom of converter housing. It prevents dust, rocks, etc. from entering the housing. But the converter itself doesn't use lubrication.
If the oil is near the rear of the engine and the converter housing, a leaky main seal is a possible root cause (and seems to be common). If there was oil in the converter housing this is probably the culprit. Replacement requires removing the engine. As long as it's not dripping excessively, it's not damaging.
Other areas that we found on our 312 that had leaks are:
- Breather tube where it enters the top of the engine
- Valve covers
- Oil pump fit to the block
- Oil pan & drain plug
- Power steering pump and control valve (this was really a mess on ours)

Our Ford-O-Matic is an earlier 1956 air-cooled but I believe that the '57 circulates the tranny fluid thru a cooler that is integral to the radiator. If so, check the lines and fittings for leaks.

Good luck.

Thanks for your input. At this point I'm pretty sure the engine oil is indeed the main seal so I'm keeping an eye on the oil level. I can't see any traces of oil leaks anywhere else including your suggestions. There is a small drip of tranny fluid but not near the amount as the oil.