R2 Engine Pull and Rebuild

[George]

Any help would be appreciated. Want to keep stock. Burning oil and rear seal leaking. Low mileage R2, rest of car, perfect. Everything works.

[SBCA96]

The same basic rules apply to Studebakers as any other brand, I would first

find out WHY its burning oil. Usually there are two main causes of oil burning

one is valve seals (can be done on the car) and two is rings (rebuild time).

You can help to figure out which by paying attention to WHEN you see smoke

out the tail pipes. If you see smoke whenever you accelerate, and during

idle, and you have low compression 125 psi or less, then its probably rings.

If you see smoke when you have left the car sit after driving it, & when you

fire it back up (say sitting for 30 mins to 2 hours), and notice smoke out the

tail pipes when you let off on the gas and reapply on the freeway, then it is

valve seals. These are NOT definate, but are simple rules of thumb. The oil

leak you notice from the rear seal COULD be coming from above at the oil

pressure rubber line, or could be from an oil pan that has loosened over the

years. Sometimes retorqueing the pan bolts according to the shop manual

will solve (or seriously reduce) an oil leak. Studebakers are going to leak

pretty much regardless, so if you can fix it without pulling everything apart

thats a better plan. Also make sure that the oil is not leaking from the FRONT

seal and running back down the engine to leak off the rear of the pan.

I wouldnt go rebuilding it until you know whats wrong, is the oil pressure

good? How does it run other then fouling plugs?

Tom

[ROADRACELARK]

The same basic rules apply to Studebakers as any other brand, I would first

find out WHY its burning oil. Usually there are two main causes of oil burning

one is valve seals (can be done on the car) and two is rings (rebuild time).

You can help to figure out which by paying attention to WHEN you see smoke

out the tail pipes. If you see smoke whenever you accelerate, and during

idle, and you have low compression 125 psi or less, then its probably rings.

If you see smoke when you have left the car sit after driving it, & when you

fire it back up (say sitting for 30 mins to 2 hours), and notice smoke out the

tail pipes when you let off on the gas and reapply on the freeway, then it is

valve seals. These are NOT definate, but are simple rules of thumb. The oil

leak you notice from the rear seal COULD be coming from above at the oil

pressure rubber line, or could be from an oil pan that has loosened over the

years. Sometimes retorqueing the pan bolts according to the shop manual

will solve (or seriously reduce) an oil leak. Studebakers are going to leak

pretty much regardless, so if you can fix it without pulling everything apart

thats a better plan. Also make sure that the oil is not leaking from the FRONT

seal and running back down the engine to leak off the rear of the pan.

I wouldnt go rebuilding it until you know whats wrong, is the oil pressure

good? How does it run other then fouling plugs?

Tom

The same basic rules apply to Studebakers as any other brand, I would first

find out WHY its burning oil. Usually there are two main causes of oil burning

one is valve seals (can be done on the car) and two is rings (rebuild time).

You can help to figure out which by paying attention to WHEN you see smoke

out the tail pipes. If you see smoke whenever you accelerate, and during

idle, and you have low compression 125 psi or less, then its probably rings.

If you see smoke when you have left the car sit after driving it, & when you

fire it back up (say sitting for 30 mins to 2 hours), and notice smoke out the

tail pipes when you let off on the gas and reapply on the freeway, then it is

valve seals. These are NOT definate, but are simple rules of thumb. The oil

leak you notice from the rear seal COULD be coming from above at the oil

pressure rubber line, or could be from an oil pan that has loosened over the

years. Sometimes retorqueing the pan bolts according to the shop manual

will solve (or seriously reduce) an oil leak. Studebakers are going to leak

pretty much regardless, so if you can fix it without pulling everything apart

thats a better plan. Also make sure that the oil is not leaking from the FRONT

seal and running back down the engine to leak off the rear of the pan.

I wouldnt go rebuilding it until you know whats wrong, is the oil pressure

good? How does it run other then fouling plugs?

Tom

[ROADRACELARK]

It sure is easy to mess up ....sorry about re-posting Tom's reply.

All Tom said is correct. Another area you might check is the PCV system. If it's not working correctly, ie. stopped up hoses, faulty PCV valve, plugged up carb. port, too much pressure can cause mutiple leaks as well as increasing blow-by due to weak or worn piston rings. Hope this may help

Dan Miller