i just changed my intake the other day, i got everything finished and when i started the engine it ran great! then a few seconds later oil started spewing out from around somehting by the distributor. after spilling about 3quarts on the ground, i found that it was coming from the small hole near the vent for the internal breather. my friend said its probably for the oil pressure gauge, but i've never had one of those before, and it never leaked before. i stuck a 9/16" bolt in the hole and it seems to fit, will this be enough to keep the oil from spiling out or will i continue to lose oil pressure? please help

Corrected by Tom, do what he says!

Daniel

That hole is for the oil pressure sender, sounds like it came loose or blew out somehow. I'm guessing that in this case the 9/16" really means a 3/8" bolt, they usually have a 9/16" head. This is not the right thing to put in that hole at all. The threads in the hole are 1/8" NPT, National Pipe Tapered. Jamming a 3/8 bolt in the hole will only ruin the threads, possibly leading to a situation where the engine needs to be removed from the car to fix the block. What you need to put in that hole is either a 1/8" NPT plug or the oil pressure sender that should be in there. Does your car have a low oil pressure warning light or a gauge? Can you give the model, year, and engine size?

'66 malibu, 283, no dont have the low oil light. going to go take out the bolt now, hope i didnt **** it up

im going to go to Autozone and get one of those plugs. just in case i think i'll have my friend weld it on there. im sure i'll never use it.. sound like a plan?

John,

Don't weld it! Simply get the right npt plug, put it in and forget it....just my .02.

Do it right

Since you've already screwed the wrong thing in, run a 1/8" NPT tap down into the hole first to chase the threads
By all means, don't cause yourself more grief by trying to weld it

You can get a 1/8" pipe tap (and plug) at any hardware store

I would put a small oil pressure sending unit in the hole instead of a plug, simply because it would be so much easier to get hold of if you ever wanted to change it

Finally after 35 years I get to quote one of my fathers favorite lines "do it right or do it twice". Seriously, don't weld it. Put a correct sending unit in there-you NEVER know, some day you may want to throw a gauge on the car. Also don't forget the teflon tape!!

Whether it had a oil pressure sending unit there when you got it or not, it should have one. ALL of these cars had at the very least a warning light for oil pressure. If it were my car I'd get the oil pressure sending unit and wire it back into the warning light in the dash. If it doesn't work I'd find out why and repair it. Typically the only repair needed is the sending unit itself ($20 or less I'll bet) and the light bulb in the dash. I think I'd sure like to have a warning if my oil pressure suddenly went to zero (which is what the warning light tells you).

Fix it.

you guys were right, there WAS on oil pressure sender in there. it was hanging way down behind the block. i put it back on with some teflon tape too. i know i never took it off, that means i musta just popped off when i started her up again.
just got back from walking a mile to where it died, not too far from house. it puttered all the way home though. battery seems to be dead. along with the timing off, and the air/fuel mixutre off, its amazing it runs :cool: