dropped it for the first time in years. Put the gaskets on, everything tightened down well, but it leaks. I;m afraid I shoulda straightened out that thin aluminum? thingie better, because it always bends when i take it off.Going to have to try again. Any suggestions?? Portia is waiting. Thanx, PJ Lynn

Lynn,
It's not the aluminum rim of the screen that's causing the leaks. It's the steel sump plate that's gotten warped. You can do a search on ways to flatten in (tech articles?).
Or, two of the trusted vendors offer fixes: Ab at Afterwerk offers a steel part that is stiffer, Mainely by Design offers an aluminum alternative.

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Both of my C coupes now have the Mainely by Design aluminum sump plate, and neither car leaks at the sump plate.

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Dave Wildrick
Houston, TX
#10230
64C coupe
65C coupe

Lynn,

You didn't say exactly where the leak was coming from, but it could be from the brass rivet that fastens the magnet. Mine leaked out of there (I could actually spin the magnet), and a little LockTite and patient peening sealed up the rivet. No more leaks.

Good luck.

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Lynn,

We did a story on sump plates a few years ago. There were several photos of warped plates, which is very common (almost unavoidable in the long run). If your plate is off the engine, run a straight file over the inside (upper) sealing area where the holes are. You will probably see clean metal around many of the holes, indicating metal bent upwards there. You can dress this upper flange more with the file if it's not too warped (be sure to clean thoroughly afterwards). It should help seal. I wouldn't go banging on it too much with a hammer, although some people have done this. As noted, the rivet also works loose and leaks.

A good piece of advice is to replace it with the thicker aluminum piece from Mainely, which I have used with success, or Ab's plate, which I have not. You can also buy a new OEM plate, but then you have to add the magnet and rivet and unless it's a concours car, why bother? It'll just warp again eventually. Good luck.

Gordon.

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Why they made the plate that big in the first place-especially where the case splits is a mystery. It could have been smaller and worked fine. Warpage is caused by over tighening of the individual nuts. What is needed here is an even/equal amount of tightening all the way around after clean dry assembly. "Dressing" holes (filing down bumps)that have been pulled makes the cover thinner in those areas-in turn-they will warp faster. For those that love to tinker-banging and filing works-saves your original plate. For the 'practical' owner-buy a new plate-alum or steel and take care of it.

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Only guessing that they hoped the larger screen area wouldn't cake and would allow that (early) pitiful excuse for a lube system to work past warrantee.

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Thank all of you for your answers . I never would have thought it was the steel part that might be the problem. I will try all of your suggestions. I hate to think of taking it off again, because some of the studs are shorter/longer than others, and I have to take loose one stud when i drain the oil, because the oil drain plug will NOT come off. My former husband even tried heat on it when we rebuilt the engine, and it would not come off. It;s lonely out here in W. IL with no mechanic. I just have to hope that Portia will keep going. My former and i used to wrench, but I'm too old and forgot most things I used to know about wrenching. I still have some beautiful tools I rarely use anymore. Thanks again, I think u were all guys. It;s hell being a woman who loves cars.

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Before I installed the thick aluminum sump plate, I had a couple of studs that always wanted to come out when I took off the old steel plate. If any studs are loose like that, oil will tend to migrate down them. On Al Zim's recommendation, I used a non-hardening sealer (Permatex) on the exposed stud threads when I reinstalled the gaskets/screen/sump plate. This substantially reduced the leaks.

It would really be better to remove the loose studs and use blue or red locktite to try to anchor them in the block more firmly.

Installation of the Mainely aluminum sump plate requires removing all the studs and replacing (and using locktite) them with the longer studs they provide, but this may be more than you want to do right now.

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Dave Wildrick
Houston, TX
#10230
64C coupe
65C coupe