Oil pan gasket leak Cat 3208NA

[birds_first]

Originally Posted by Strayhound

I replaced the gasket again this morning with sealer sold by Caterpillar. The leak returned in the same spot. Upon closer examination I could see oil weeping from the joint between the engine and the flywheel. The good news is I found the leak. The bad news is this is a major repair that requires the transmission to be pulled and the flywheel gasket and real oil seal gasket to be replaced. Hopefully this will put this old Bird back into top flight condition.

Thanks to everyone who responded with suggestions. I'll let you know how the repair goes. Taking it to the Empire Cat dealer in Phoenix.

Sorry to hear your situation, I too had the same issue. It was the rear engine seal. The seal that seals the back plate to the main engine block. It cost me nearly an arm & a leg, but I believe it was well worth it in the long run. I also took my transmission to a ZF factory certified repair facility to have the ZF looked at and it too was given a clean bill of health. I would recommend you do the same to the Allison. I thought my oil pan was leaking, but it turned out to be the rear engine seal. It showed up as a seal blow out between the bottom 2 right side bolts. The CAT House said it was a result of lack of use and bird sitting to long, the gasket just dried out and over time it broke down and the resumed useage caused it to give way. I was blowing about a quart per hundred miles, the oil pressure stayed normal, I was just blowing oil out the gasket. A quart of oil goes a long way, splattered all under the bird, down the sides and all over my tow. What a mess. Good luck... get er fixed and enjoy.

[Strayhound]

Thanks John for you encouraging comment. This bird only has 160,000 miles in 33 years and I believe it did sit for a while. I was pouring oil in as fast as it was coming out and the mess underneath the bus is considerable. I'm going to bite the bullet and get it fixed. I want to get another 10 years out of this bus, if not more. Onward!