Couple of 351C Questions

[RGunter]

Hi all - I have a couple of questions i need help with I have tried to find the answer online and in the Ford assembly manual I have but can’t seem to figure it out. The car is a 1971 Mach 1 with a 351C 4V.
Question 1) I have a leak at the base of my oil dipstick tube. It seems to begin when the engine is warm. It is actually leaking a good bit on the floor. I have had the car about 3 years and it never did this before. Is there maybe some kind of washer or grommet I am n seeing that may be old and cracked? I have attached a picture.
Question 2) I have ban chasing a phantom vibration for a while. I noticed today that it really doesn’t look like my belts line up from the PS pump, and the alternator, to the crank pulley. It is a three groove pully, although the car does not have AC. Is this the correct pulley, or should it be a two groove pulley?
Thank you all. I know these are small issues but I just haven’t felt like I’ve been able to answer these questions.

 

[mjlan]

Not sure about 351C pulleys but the dipstick tube is pressed into the block so no seal or gasket. I would think a leak where the tube goes into the block would be unlikely. What could be happening is the engine is becoming more worn out and excessive crankcase pressure is forcing oil vapor out the end of the tube. Or the leak is north of the tube (intake manifold maybe) and oil is running down past the tube making it look like its coming out of the tube?

 

[Don C]

My '71 with an M code also has the 3 groove pulley, no a/c. Mine was built in April, so they may have been trying to get rid of a surplus.
The harmonic damper/balancer is one of the first places to start when looking for an engine related vibration.

 

[RGunter]

Not sure about 351C pulleys but the dipstick tube is pressed into the block so no seal or gasket. I would think a leak where the tube goes into the block would be unlikely. What could be happening is the engine is becoming more worn out and excessive crankcase pressure is forcing oil vapor out the end of the tube. Or the leak is north of the tube (intake manifold maybe) and oil is running down past the tube making it look like its coming out of the tube?

Hi and thank you for the reply. I had the engine rebuilt about 18 months ago so I’m hoping it isn’t too serious. But who ever knows. I will look closer. You may have a point and it is coming from somewhere else. When I saw it there I made an assumption and stopped looking. Thanks again!

 

[RGunter]

My '71 with an M code also has the 3 groove pulley, no a/c. Mine was built in April, so they may have been trying to get rid of a surplus.
The harmonic damper/balancer is one of the first places to start when looking for an engine related vibration.

Thank you for the reply. If yours also has the three groove then I’m barking up the wrong tree. I also have no idea how old that pulley is or the alternator pulley or the ps pulley. They all look pretty worn. I was thinking about taking the belts off and running it a couple of minutes and see if the vibration was still there. Thanks again!

 

[boilermaster]

RGunter,
Might want to check the harmonic balancer while you are in the neighborhood.
Boilermaster

 

[Q1SVT]

Hi all - I have a couple of questions The car is a 1971 Mach 1 with a 351C 4V.
Question 1) I have a leak at the base of my oil dipstick tube. It seems to begin when the engine is warm. It is actually leaking a good bit on the floor. I have had the car about 3 years and it never did this before. Is there maybe some kind of washer or grommet I am n seeing that may be old and cracked?

I checked my old OEM takeoff parts and attached a picture of an OIL Dipstick O-Ring [single one from 70 351c 4V same from 73 351c 2v] & the 3/32 doubles, the size of the tube diameter, I use for replacements

Since you need to loosen the alternator bolt to remove dipstick ... I would clean the area around the dipstick first to confirm the the oil is coming out of that area... Since it is a new issue I would check for stuck PCV valve, etc that can cause blockage of blow-by pressure.

 

[Sheriff41]

I use a little No.2 Permatex on the oil dipstick tube when I seat it. Over time and being removed during rebuilds can deform the tube slightly and you don't get the seal like when it was first installed. Also, if you're getting oil seeping there you may want to check your PCV system and make sure it's functioning properly.

 

[Q1SVT]

Hi all - I have a couple of questions i need help with I have tried to find the answer online and in the Ford assembly manual I have but can’t seem to figure it out. The car is a 1971 Mach 1 with a 351C 4V.
Question 2) I have ban chasing a phantom vibration for a while. I noticed today that it really doesn’t look like my belts line up from the PS pump, and the alternator, to the crank pulley. It is a three groove pully, although the car does not have AC. Is this the correct pulley, or should it be a two groove pulley?

A three groove pulley is ok to use... But check the part number to confirm what you have [part is stamped on the face] Check confirm what Harmonic you have. I would check if the pulley is fully seated and balancer bolt torqued to correct number.

If all is good then you can use a P/S tool to pull or push the P/S pulley to get a good alinement for belt. For Alternator you need to shim it out [front of car] or file the bolt tube at the backside that mates to the block. [inward change]

 

[tony-muscle]

I also have the 3 groove pulley w/o issues. As mentioned, check the tightness of the pulley bolts. They can come lose - don't ask me how I know. The second time I used thread locker.

 

[AcesArneson]

My '71 with an M code also has the 3 groove pulley, no a/c. Mine was built in April, so they may have been trying to get rid of a surplus.
The harmonic damper/balancer is one of the first places to start when looking for an engine related vibration.

I agree, most rebuilds don't touch the balancer and if yours is old it is likely the culprit. Good idea to take the belts off for a few minutes while it is not hot to see if you can track it down. Could be a bad belt as well.