Push rods

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Blair
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Push rods

Post by Blair »

The pushrods are under the oil pan correct? If so I found what was leaking. Or at least one of the things that were leaking. Are they seals that i could make on my own with gasket maker and how do they move and work exactly? Would auto stores have them in stock or would I have to order them? And how do i remove them to get the seals on? Thanks
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terribleted
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Re: Push rods

Post by terribleted »

The pushrods are not under the oil pan. There is nothing hanging under the oil pan. The pushrods run through the pushrod tubes that come out the sides of the block to the heads. You are not likely to be able to make the Viton O-rings that seal these tubes at the top and bottom nor the O-rings that seal the head studs. Clark's Corvair Parts sells Viton O-ring sets and the valve cover gaskets (I have found the cork/rubber composition to be good for normal use) you will need to perform this seal replacement. You can take 2 pushrods out at a time, install new seals on them, reinstall the 2 rockers studs and re-torque them to spec with out having to re-torque the entire head (a torque wrench that reads to 35 foot pound is essential. Only remove 1 pair (at one cylinder) at a time...if you remove more than 2 rocker studs you should loosen all the studs and upper head nuts and re-torque the heads in sequence as per the shop manual. Install the rocker adjusting nuts to the same amount they were before you took them off, and then you will need to do a valve adjustment as well. You can do running or static (static procedures are in the shop manual). I prefer a running adjustment. You can find this procedure in a video by davemotohead and other places. You will need an extra valve cover cut to allow access to the rockers nuts but still able to catch the oil that will come out during operation. Some people bore holes in 2 covers to allow socket access to the nuts. More commonly people take a single valve cover and cut out the raised center section making 2 partial covers that are mounted on the bottom of each head (you will need a valve cover gasket cut in half or 2 to use with adjusting covers. These work very well as long as you do not rev the engine with them in place. doing so will spray oil all around with these in place. From some of your questions I am going to guess you do not have the GM shop manuals for your car. You should purchase some along with your seals and gaskets. You will need the 1961 Main Book, and the 1964 Supplement to cover your 64.
Corvair guy since 1982. I have personally restored at least 20 Vairs, many of them restored ground up.
Currently working full time repairing Corvairs and restoring old cars.
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Blair
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Re: Push rods

Post by Blair »

My mistake, i meant when you take the oil pan off are they are right behind it? After I drained the oil and removed the oil pan they were the only things still dripping and I'm assuming that means the seals are bad
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Re: Push rods

Post by terribleted »

No there is no access to the pushrods through the oil pan. they are access through the valve covers. You need a GM Corvair shop manual it will show most all the mechanicals and electrics in the car.
Corvair guy since 1982. I have personally restored at least 20 Vairs, many of them restored ground up.
Currently working full time repairing Corvairs and restoring old cars.
https://www.facebook.com/tedsautorestoration/

Located in Snellville, Georgia
Blair
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Re: Push rods

Post by Blair »

Thanks. From what I found online the pictures said they were push rods. Do you know the part that I'm talking about though?
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Re: Push rods

Post by terribleted »

Push rod tubes the orings leak. The pushrods run inside the tubes.
Corvair guy since 1982. I have personally restored at least 20 Vairs, many of them restored ground up.
Currently working full time repairing Corvairs and restoring old cars.
https://www.facebook.com/tedsautorestoration/

Located in Snellville, Georgia
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bbodie52
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Re: Push rods

Post by bbodie52 »

Recommend this and other associated videos...

:link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SRRObh_iWs
Brad Bodie
Lake Chatuge, North Carolina
Image 1966 Corvair Corsa Convertible
Blair
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Re: Push rods

Post by Blair »

Thanks for the advice
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Re: Push rods

Post by Blair »

So if it leaks oil from around the tubes that would mean the oil leak is from somewhere above them in the engine?
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Re: Push rods

Post by terribleted »

No it usually means the push rod tube seals are leaking
Corvair guy since 1982. I have personally restored at least 20 Vairs, many of them restored ground up.
Currently working full time repairing Corvairs and restoring old cars.
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64powerglide
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Re: Push rods

Post by 64powerglide »

Another helpful video.

64Powerglide, Jeff Phillips

Kalamazoo, Mi..
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Re: Push rods

Post by bbodie52 »

Blair wrote:Tue Oct 03, 2017 7:23 pm

So if it leaks oil from around the tubes that would mean the oil leak is from somewhere above them in the engine?
ImageImage

The illustrated parts breakdowns shown above will help you to identify the physical locations of the engine components that routinely leak.

There are only a handful of common engine oil leak locations on the Corvair engine. I suppose it is possible for leaks to occur from other places, but such leaks would be rare and unusual. Each physical location on the engine is unique enough to help you to identify the probable source of an oil leak. Gravity and oil accumulation are valuable clues. Circulating cooling air can cause some distribution of an oil mist that may make it a little difficult to determine the exact source. Some spray-on engine degreaser will help you to clean oil accumulations from the surrounding area, so that continued observation after a cleanup can narrow the focus to determine the actual oil leak location.
  • Push rod tube O-ring seals on one or both sides of the engine, and one or more pushrod tubes.
  • Rocker arm stud O-ring seals.
  • Oil cooler seals.
  • Valve cover gaskets.
  • Oil pan gasket.
  • Rear crankshaft seal (behind the crankshaft pulley).
  • Front crankshaft seal. (Behind the clutch and flywheel assembly, inside the bell housing.
If one or more pushrod tube O-ring seals is leaking, you can safely assume that it is wise to replace them all. It is likely that all of the pushrod tube and rocker arm stud O-ring seals are of similar age and composition, so if only some are already leaking, the remainder are likely to develop leaks in the near future. So the nature of this type of leak usually defines the job to encompass all of the O rings in the cylinder heads. The job usually includes replacement of the valve cover gaskets with fresh gaskets at the same time. The use of VITON O rings and high quality valve cover gaskets are an essential part of the job.

The steel retainers shown below help to spread the pressure applied to the valve cover and gasket along three points, instead of only the bolt head. The outer ends of each strap are curved. Installed as shown, the curved tips act to apply distributed spring pressure on the valve cover in conjunction with each center bolt.
ImageImage

If the oil cooler seals begin to leak, the source may be fairly obvious. The oil leak would be below the oil cooler and only on the left side of the engine. These seals (2) tend to become deformed and brittle with time.

:wrench: When using a used oil pan, the portions of the stamped sheet-metal pan directly under each attaching bolt can become distorted by over-tightening, causing those areas to "mushroom" as pressure crushes the oil pan into the gasket material directly under the bolt head, while the areas between adjacent bolts receive less applied pressure. The problem is aggravated with a Corvair oil pan because it is not a sump-type pan that contains the oil below the oil pan gasket. Instead, the oil pan is flat and all of the oil in contained in an area above the pan gasket. Because of this the gasket is not simply sealing against oil splashed on it, but it is containing all of the oil stored above it. The oil is constantly "looking" for a way out, even when the engine is not running.

A used oil pan mating surface should be checked to ensure that the mating surface — especially around the bolt hole areas — is as flat as possible. Areas where the sheet metal has been distorted can be flattened with a block of wood and a hammer, using a hammer and dolly technique.

:link: http://www.corvair.com/user-cgi/catalog ... AIN&page=6
Image

Clarks offers oil pan gaskets in different thicknesses, recommending a thin gasket for an aluminum or new sheet metal oil pan that offers a flat mating surface. A thicker gasket material attempts to fill gaps in applied sealing pressure by permitting distorted areas of the pan to crush into its thickness, while still providing thicker material between bolt holes to seal against oil seepage.

Whichever gasket you choose, try to make the mating surfaces as clean and flat as possible. Use anti-seize compound on the bolt threads, and tighten to 85-105 inch pounds, as specified in the shop manual, using an appropriate 3/8" drive torque wrench. (The 85-105 inch pound specification comes from the 1965 Corvair Chassis Shop Manual. Interestingly, the 1961 Corvair Shop Manual and the 1963 Supplement both specify only 40-60 inch pounds for the oil pan attachment, even though the bolt size (¼-20) did not change).

An aluminum oil pan casting is not subject to the crushing distortion of the oil pan bolts because of the thicker aluminum casting. The Otto Parts oil pan is engineered to provide several advantages. In addition to the thicker aluminum casting, it also adds heat transfer surfaces BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE PAN. The added surface material inside the pan "grabs" more heat from increased oil contact surfaces and transfers it away from the oil to the better-conducting aluminum pan material. The addition of external cooling fins outside the engine increases heat transfer to cooling air. The black, unpolished surface also helps with this heat transfer.

:link: http://www.corvair.com/user-cgi/catalog ... age=OTTO-1
Image

Front or rear crankshaft seal leaks also have a unique location that helps to define the source. A front seal leak will usually be shown as an accumulation of oil at the bottom of the bell housing.
Brad Bodie
Lake Chatuge, North Carolina
Image 1966 Corvair Corsa Convertible
64powerglide
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Re: Push rods

Post by 64powerglide »

You would be wise to order a push removal tool from Clark's, number C-1439, makes it easier to remove them without damage. You can click on the image to enlarge it.
Clark's C-1439.jpg
==========================================================================================================================
FYI...
bbodie52 wrote:To obtain a larger image directly from the Clark's Corvair Parts website, simply RIGHT-CLICK the page on their website with your mouse. This will produce a popup menu that includes a choice referring to "Copy Image address". This places the picture address in your computer clipboard memory. You can the paste that address on the Corvair Forum editing screen, between the Image markers [|img][/img]. When you preview or save the page you are posting, an image of the page from the Clark's Corvair Parts website will be reproduced within your post on the Corvair Forum...
Capture.jpg
Image
64Powerglide, Jeff Phillips

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Blair
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Re: Push rods

Post by Blair »

Why is this gear rusty and dry? Isn't there supposed to be some type of cover on it to help lubricate it? Also, the lubricated gear In front of it is the starter, correct?
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Re: Push rods

Post by bbodie52 »

The rusty gear on top is welded to the torque converter for the automatic transmission. The torque converter is filled with transmission fluid and serves as a FLUID COUPLING to link the engine to the transmission.

Image

The large diameter ring gear on the outside is only engaged with the starter pinion gear for a few rotations to crank the engine. It does not require lubrication to perform this function. The starter motor and solenoid are mounted at the top of the bell housing on the left (driver's) side of the engine, as shown in the drawing below. The solenoid physically moves the small pinion gear to engage it with the large ring gear on the torque converter for the few seconds needed to crank the engine.

Image

Image

The smaller gear shown at the bottom of your picture is attached to the engine camshaft. It is in continuous high speed motion at ½ engine speed to drive the valve train components and is continuously lubricated in a bath of engine oil.

Image
Valve Train.jpg
Brad Bodie
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Image 1966 Corvair Corsa Convertible
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Re: Push rods

Post by 64powerglide »

Brad, FYI my mouse does not have the same options as yours. Why, I don't know. Here is what I have when I right click on a page.
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64Powerglide, Jeff Phillips

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