Whelp, I think I screwed up.
My car was a bit too low, (a problem that has been corrected) however the damage has already been done. My oil pan smashed down nice and hard on something and it seems the the oil pan leaks oil at the top of the seal on the driver's side. The sump is crunched pretty nicely too. I'm actually suspecting that the drain plug isn't even sealing well either anymore.
Where on earth can I get a front sump oil pan for 1977 2.3 engine? Ebay seems happy to tell me that a pan for a 302 will fit just fine, but I think I know better.
https://i.imgur.com/QWE8b5J.jpg (https://i.imgur.com/QWE8b5J.jpg)
The weird drain plug is a fumoto valve.
The last 2.3 oil pan I have seen for sale was 10 years ago. Almost any oil pan can be fixed with a hammer and torch and yes, it can be removed by dropping the steering rack.
Yeah, the only oil pans I'm finding are for racing, and are priced as such. ($300 to $500) That will work, but that's a chunk of change to throw at an oil pan.
I'm going to try removing the oil pan today and throwing a new seal on there. It's possible the seal is just broken from the trauma, and perhaps, it will be fine. With it off, I might try to get the metal around the drain plug straightened out so it seals better as well.
We'll see what happens but a $10 to $20 oil seal isn't too much to start off with right now.
Speaking of the oil pan seal... Why on earth is it in four pieces? Is it possible to get a single piece seal?
Get the BLUE Fel Pro gasket and it will out last the car. Got mine off of e-bay. They are made for later 2.3 Mustangs but will work just fine if you add a couple of holes that the early 2.3 have.
Agreed about the oil pan gasket. 8 years ago when I considering replacing mine they were about $25! Thus I reused the factory silicone gasket that was on my '88 Turbo Coupe and 30 years old it is still doing fine. I can't remember..., are there anti crush spacers for the bolts? The front sump pan is likely going to be an oddity to find. The last Pinto was made 38 years ago. But as mentioned yours is likely repairable. But, I'm sure there are some out there.
BTW, Dick it is good to see you on the forum again. Hope all is well.
I popped the oil pan off today and found that the damage is fairly minor, even popped some of the dents back out using some wood and a hammer. Decided since it is such a valuable item, that I'm going to repaint the outside (strip it down to the metal) so I can prevent rust and whatnot.
The front and rear seals were both crumbled from the trauma of bottoming out, but fortunately everything else looks good. Despite low oil, I don't have shavings or any signs of abnormal wear. Waiting for paint to dry in humid weather is fun!
Yes there are anti crush spacers that prevent you from over tighting the bolts. Thanks for the BTW but all is not well. Gave ALL of my Pinto stuff to my son in Tulsa. I spend most of my days watching fire stick on the tv. If you don't have fire stick get it at once. You'll never run out of shows to watch. The ones from BBC and down under are the best. And the car stuff is really great.