The Spider project's new engine has a huge oil in the worst place. It took me a couple of days to get it right! More videos about this car: • 1967 Spider Instagram: @jethrojamesbronner #AlfaSpider #Alfa105 #ClassicAlfa
So your block was modified to clean the oil galley out. Normally, that is plugged up, but many drill and tap that hole out to clean the galley, and also drill oil feeds to #2 and #4 main bearings instead of relying on 1, 3,&5 to feed those bearings. When I've seen it done, the tap is typically a pipe thread, so it's slightly tapered and ends up with a slight interference fit. Which makes the sealant more effective, or the PTFE tape.
Agreed - I´m not familiar with these engines but normally manufacturers wouldn´t be tapping oil gallery drillings - they just bung in a gallery plug. Enginer restorers & tuners often drill & tap these for easy fitment & removal of plugs for cleaning. Generally these are tapered either BSPT or NPT (& generally 3/8") so yep, it looks like that´s what´s been done here so I suspect the wrong plug perhaps or maybe a wee bit of teflon tape would´ve worked if the plug was actually the correct size / taper...
alfamaize even with a tapered pipe thread, you can still end up with a spiral leakage path because the crests of the threads are truncated, so some form of thread sealant is usually still necessary.
@@emmajacobs5575 Yeah but no. The seal is created by the male thread V´s binding & locking against the female V´s, not by the their crests. But yes a sealent is normally necessary - main use of the sealant though is to prevent galling between stainless or other like metal threads. As soon as the metal picks up & starts galling it´s often not possible to create sufficient radial force for a seal and if you somehow do, they´re not coming apart again. A steel plug in a cast ally block though should work without galling which leads me to suspect an incorrect plug. I´ve built many an engine with steel plugs in cast iron blocks & nary a drop of thread sealant - just a dab of engine assy lube and never seen an issue.
Trying to stop an oil leak numerous times is daunting. I had the same problem with my Alfa 156 selespeed pump. After numerous efforts to stop the leak from my pump hose I eventually put some thread tape and after nervously turning the pump on I ran with anticipation to see if oil was still leaking but it wasn’t. So I know how you were feeling trying to stop an oil leak. Well done
It was fun to relive my experiences with my Veloce, my beloved Spider Veloce which I sold in frustration because it always had an oil/water mix for lubrication in the engine, had just been rebuilt (with insufficient attention paid to the seals of the liners to the block). Getting a knowledgable mechanic is a problem with Alfa owners in the US. The car was as much fun to drive as any I've had and still looks dashing after fifty years but, alas, I moved on because young adulthood is fraught with expense and frustration. I do miss Alfred, a lot.
Well done mate, I had a similar moment recently when rebuilding my Busso V6 where all the cams, pulleys and belts had finally been refitted and correctly tensioned (2 days work for me) but I suddenly noticed that the cambelt covers (which MUST be fitted first) were winking at me from a box on the floor!
The next time I run out of patience, I'll watch this video. Any one who works with his/her hands run into situations like this -- but this was a tough test. Good work
It's a pleasure watching you work, Jethro. There are lots of car restoration videos on RU-vid, but I really enjoy your approach and execution. This Alfa must be getting quite close to being finished now.
Right !! tonight I was feeling a little sad, for other reasons, but I clicked on your link and I just saw one guyn still making good job on a beautiful car. It goes right through my little heart, thanks a lot and keep on doing Jethro ...
Man, your frustration was almost palpable, but you handled it really well. That would have been super annoying and worrisome, not knowing if you could actually solve the leak. Well done!
It is with great sadness that I come to the end of your current videos Jethro. I think I got through them all over two weeks or so. I'm not usually much of a vlog viewer but I loved the mix of visuals slowly cut together between narrative, and the stories behind the projects, it's rekindled my enthusiasm to carry on resurrecting my Toyota RT72, which is buried behind four of the old man's Alfas and I've been pestering him all week to get going so I can move it to the shed 😅 Thanks for sharing all this and please keep going with it - I think we all want to see you and your cars on another great journey 👍
@@JethroBronner Cheers man, it's out and under way, rust, spiders and all 😁 He's got a 33 1.5 and a 164 2.5 now for parts, then a series 1 33 wagon, a series 1 33qv, a 16v series 2 33qv, a 1980 1.8 Giulietta, a 2.5 75, a 2.5 116 gtv6 and a 916 twinspark spyder. Strangely he was never crazy on the earlier cars, but mum did learn to drive on a Giulia like yours. He actually grew up Cape town, camps bay, and mum was in Jo'burg. At one point her brother actually had a duetto, the wonders of hindsight hey 🙂 Keep up the good work 👍
I've recently come to believe that you can just the size of a man's character by the size of the things that upset him. So your car's leaking oil and you have to take a couple of days to fix it, no point getting upset.
@@Heinz1zwei Tell me you're not actually trying to turn this into a gender war or something, or are you? When a 'person' says 'man' in the sense that Jethro (Buddha) did, it is for the intelligent audience to be able to decipher that 'man' is merely an synonym for all mankind, irrespective of gender. If you can't work that out for yourself, not only is it a reflection on your lack of understanding of the vernacular, it helps the rest of understand your perceived need to comment in the fashion that you have. BTW, you can believe whatever you want; doesn't necessarily mean you need to express it on every forum on YT, particularly an Alfa restoration forum which, I suspect, is highly male dominated; and, probably, by males that, for the purposes of being here, really don't give a flying rat's arse about gender fluidity. Perhaps it would be better for all if you would find some LGBTZDFYZ forum and go vent over there. I know they will care.
I find it hard to manage the disappointment of fixing something a third time BUT if I had your garage, that might improve my outlook. I'd trade a kidney for a well lit garage with a lift Good for you and the car looks great in white
I have used PTFE plumbing tape on the taper fit bungs and never had a leak. Also when removing/replacing the gearbox on the ramp a prop under the front of the engine to tilt it back helps with clearance and alignment of the input shaft. The car is looking great, crack on!
Hi Phil, don't know if you know this but regular PTFE tape is not rated for oil unfortunately. I have seen and fixed quite a couple of leaks where this PTFE tape had started to dissolve. There is in fact special thread seal tape rated for these oil applictations. Most times it has a blue colour. The PTFE will hold up quite a long time but it sucks to have to take it all apart a couple of years later hence the heads up. Most of the time i like to use loctite for hydraulic systems, this kind hardens and seals even when there is a bit of oil left in the threads. 👍
@@tychosteuten the temperature. Some parts will heat up and regular PTFE tape isnt designed for ultra high temp, but im sure high temp one exist. I might be wrong tho. Also some peoples simply can't apply it correctly
Had a sort of comparable situation where I replaced a rear main seal after doing a clutch change. Had to do it again because me not seeing the wear groove on the crankshaft from the old seal. Didn't make it easier being a tranverse mounted engine with the only way to get the gearbox loose is to drop the subframe. Not so fun without a lift :)
Not that much fun even with a lift, I'd reckon. Just had a similar PIA job working on a Ford Falcon AUII wagon (stop laughing, please) where, to get the sump pan out, I had to drop the subframe. Fortunately, I had it on a hoist (lift) and it made it do-able, as otherwise, I think all my spanners would have found their way over the boundary fence! Cheers guys! And great work, JB!
Nice work. It's always heartbreaking when you see something like an oil leak when you think you are done. Your attitude is bang on. The only thing to do is pull it and see what is leaking. No use throwing a temper tantrum. I can't believe you started to re install before you tested again on that last try. I was holding my breath for you! Thanks for sharing. Always enjoy your videos.
We all hit a problem from time to time Jethro.... Great to see you solved it brilliantly. I'm thinking....before the instalation of the engine, creaking the engine on the stand could have revealed that leak....
Jethro, love your videos and the quality production. Thanks for all the hard work. I would love to see you go through step-by-step restoration instructions. Heck, I would pay good money for this kind of information. Thanks again.
That's one thing British cars have in common, especially old Jaguars. Whenever I fix something on my old 83 XJ6 something new and exciting breaks. It's a labor of love, there is a popular saying with jags, "if it's not leaking oil, it's out of oil".
@@johannviljoen64 A friend has an '85 Spider. He bought it set up for racing and almost immediately converted it back to "civilian" use. It is fun to drive: I guess I'm in third... I guess I'm going 50...I guess it will stop...
Afternoon Jethro. What a shame you got that oil leak 🙈 But better finding it out then than on the road 👍🏻 So it was good intuition starting up the motor too check the oil pressure........😄 The cars looking fantastic. Cheers Stevie 😎🇬🇧
Thanks for sharing this moment man. I know perfectly the sensation whan big effort and step forward in a restoration are stopped by an oil leak and forced back with dismantling what you have just mounted, sealed, torqued correctly. Share this kind of video is a very strong demonstration of willing and importnt for everyone leading a resto projects: forward and backward, winning and losing...so demotivating when tired after hours of garaging...
Bugger...theres always one...Never had anything to do with Alfas, just Old Fords....so I know about frustrating oil leaks....You need a beer ..or two...love the videos...cheers from NZ.
Button head bolt might be a better solution as is lower profile? Hope you have enough clearance when engine, bolt and flywheel expand when hot, A silicone gasket sealer like Loctite SI 587 should be able to seal the threads anyway.
Νice job for another time my friend !!!! Some problems are a little bit annoying but if all ends good ...its all good again !!! I love your lift, it makes the job much more easier !!!!
Good job Jethro ! I was going to suggest looking at the engine's rear seal. Happened to me on my car. After many checks on the engine, my mechanic and decided the big thing, remove the trans. Not an easy job on a compact front drive car, but there it was, a 10$ engine seal leaking ! Darn thing, on very low milage car. 😡
@@JethroBronner Any chance you might have some photos of the end result? I'd be interested to see what you did and replicate it on my 116 resto which is due to commence this year. It sounds like an excellent solution.
I like your oil pan protector. Is that stock or did you build it yourself? Have you had an occurrence when it absorbed a potentially devastating impact?
A lot of these alfa's have these protectors from the factory. If you lower them to where the stance is just right you wil hit the ground on every high speed bump if you don't slow down to 1st gear (at least where i live)😂
I think it's a dealer made one from the 1970s. I have a couple of them. I had one on my 1964 Sprint GT and it saved me a bunch of times. Here in South Africa the roads often have big speed bumps and stones in the road.
Hey mate , smash out a tech vid on 105 steering wheel removal pls ! I bet there’s a few out there including myself that would like a proper guide . All the stuff in the forums is not clear which is why it’s asked so often despite a huge amount of threads
Seriously though, say the word and I'm flying over there to be your assistant/floor sweeper/camera man/editor/computer repair, that's about all I have to offer, excellent writer but I'm not sure how that would assist you...oh and apprentice because I would learn so much from you so you could totally make me do all the lake work. Even just for couple years. I have nothint else to do....I had been taking care of my mom 24/7 (Parkinson's) for years and she recently passed and it wasn't expected and I have no idea what to do with myself now
I'm sorry to hear that man. I hope you're doing ok. I would definitely appreciate a little help, maybe one day this channel will allow me to take on a little help.
Try and try again. Good video. Can you detail more on the electric oil pump set up to prime the engine. I am about ready to do the same and have been contemplating how to prime the engine using an electric pump. Thank you in advance.
I'll do an in depth video about it when I do the engines for the Ti and the GTV. But basically it's just an electric fuel pump plumbed into the oil pressure sender unit thread, and then left to empty a 5 litre oil container into the engine.
Ugh I hate it when things like that happen. I have a leak from the timing chain cover on my car I am living with............it's just enough to be annoying, but not enough of a leak to suffer the work to try an fix it. 2 steps forward, one step back...rinse, repeat. That's just the way of it.
I personally try not to get upset by these sort of things. Its all part of the process. You take some steps forward, then one back, then forwards again.
You work under conditions I used to dream of, as a half-century ago as I lay on my back at three in the morning in a Hampstead roadside gutter replacing the shells of an Austin A30, with the rainwater pouring in at my neck and out at my ankles, to get me and my new wife to a wedding three hundred miles away at noon the same day. Er - romantic. . . .
I'm super envious of Jethros garage as well. I did a fair few years on my back in a badly paved driveway on my projects out in the weather, used to drive me insane and sap my enthusiasm until dad explained how his friend who builds hotrods learned to fix army tank engines in Africa in worse conditions faster, because there were people coming to kill you if you didn't. It really changed my attitude to the work. I mean I wasn't any faster but I did complain less 😂
MP: You were lucky. We lived for three months in a brown paper bag in a septic tank. We used to have to get up at six o'clock in the morning, clean the bag, eat a crust of stale bread, go to work down mill for fourteen hours a day week in-week out. When we got home, our Dad would thrash us to sleep with his belt! GC: Luxury. We used to have to get out of the lake at three o'clock in the morning, clean the lake, eat a handful of hot gravel, go to work at the mill every day for tuppence a month, come home, and Dad would beat us around the head and neck with a broken bottle, if we were LUCKY! TJ: Well we had it tough. We used to have to get up out of the shoebox at twelve o'clock at night, and LICK the road clean with our tongues. We had half a handful of freezing cold gravel, worked twenty-four hours a day at the mill for fourpence every six years, and when we got home, our Dad would slice us in two with a bread knife. EI: Right. I had to get up in the morning at ten o'clock at night, half an hour before I went to bed, (pause for laughter), drink a cup of sulphuric acid, work twenty-nine hours a day down mill, and pay mill owner for permission to come to work, and when we got home, our Dad and our mother would kill us, and dance about on our graves singing 'Hallelujah.' Credit: 'The Four Yorkshiremen' - Monty Python
Thanks, Jethro! I'm trying to figure out the most efficient way to accomplish this....was it media blasted, done with a hand held grinder, or dipped in something like an acid bath/wash? 🤔
@@soaringvulture That's really confidence inspiring... I always wanted a Ducati but luckily stuck to Yamaha. My brother in law had a Ducati and reported it as problem free. Norton was well respected here in the USA.
question, I am looking at a buying an Alfa and the aluminum valve cover has lots of micro cracks and pitting in it. Is that normal? should it be replaced?
Some valve covers had casting defects in them, i think these cracks you are looking at are just that. You could strike it with a rubber mallot and if it stays in one piece you are good. These covers are quite a thick casting
Like Tycho said, there are a lot of casting artefacts that look like cracks. If it's actually cracked you'd see a lot of oil weeping out in that area. But after all it's a fairly easy thing to replace, I wouldn't let it put me off buying a good car.
