Pulled oil pan to clean, paint and seal..found this in pan.

James Romano

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What the hell is this stuff. Is grey in color, doesn't mix well with oil and has the consistency of very thick paint. Was all over the bottom of the pan, no trace of it anywhere else. I'm going to pull the oil pump to check it.

Any ideas? Not metal, tried a magnet. The pic is of it all out of the pan and slapped on a piece of cardboard. Was very gooey.

Here is a before and after of the pan just for kicks.

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That is an oil and water mix. It’s not going to be in the oil pump, but it will be around the lifters in the block and other flat areas where it can collect.
 
My guess would be condensation from lots of shorts trips or idling where the water doesn't burn off. Doesn't appear to be a coolant leak, that would be worse. Good job making the pan pretty!
 
On some engines that were driven a lot of short trips, that is usually sludge mixed with the detergent that seperated out of the engine oil. If that is the case, I would also expect the same deposits on the inside of the valve covers and valve gear. Back in the 1960's and early 70's Shell used a detergent that formed a grey colored sludge. When you get this engine ready to run, I would suggest running a hydrocarbon test on the cooling system to be sure that you do not have a coolant leak.

Dave
 
That's lead deposits from the old leaded gas. Tetraethyl lead. I found it in my engine as well, in the valley. It precipitates out of the oil and gas and settles in depressions and low spots of the crankcase.

Hopefully you wore gloves. It's very harmful stuff and absorbs through your skin. Just like your engine, it doesn't leave your body.
 
That's lead deposits from the old leaded gas. Tetraethyl lead. I found it in my engine as well, in the valley. It precipitates out of the oil and gas and settles in depressions and low spots of the crankcase.

Hopefully you wore gloves. It's very harmful stuff and absorbs through your skin. Just like your engine, it doesn't leave your body.

Makes sense. I found it on top as well at the back of the heads when I changed the valve cover gaskets. I thought it was lapping compound at first, then I found it on both sides. No where else though. But again, I'm going to pull the oil pump and take a look to be sure...plus paint and re-gasket never hurts.

Thanks for the info. I've never seen anything like that before. Back in the day I was just oil sludge on everything, not this stuff. Good to know what it is...and how toxic it is
 
Makes sense. I found it on top as well at the back of the heads when I changed the valve cover gaskets. I thought it was lapping compound at first, then I found it on both sides. No where else though. But again, I'm going to pull the oil pump and take a look to be sure...plus paint and re-gasket never hurts.

Thanks for the info. I've never seen anything like that before. Back in the day I was just oil sludge on everything, not this stuff. Good to know what it is...and how toxic it is

There's probably no deposits in the oil pump as this stuff likes to settle out where oil pools. However if your pump is original or otherwise old, the o-rings are brittle and reducing the pump's output pressure.
 
Those o rings are not reducing the output pressure unless they are leaking.
 
That's lead deposits from the old leaded gas. Tetraethyl lead. I found it in my engine as well, in the valley. It precipitates out of the oil and gas and settles in depressions and low spots of the crankcase.

Hopefully you wore gloves. It's very harmful stuff and absorbs through your skin. Just like your engine, it doesn't leave your body.
I'm not a chemist, but when I asked about that stuff 20 years ago was told it came from leaded fuel. Found it around the lifters in every leaded-gas-era engine I've had apart, and not in any of the 'newer' engines I've had apart.

Never found as much as the OP did though!!!
 
Did you pop any of the conn rod or main bearing caps to have a looksee when you had the pan off?
No I didn't but I can say they looked very good from what I could see. It looks like the stuff was in that pan a long time as the pan has never been removed. By the heavy feel of the goop, it would have drained out of everything in it's way to get to the bottom. Makes sense that it was lead as it was heavy for what it felt like.

Why do I suddenly feel like Kane... looking into the egg.

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