(Cam) Lobe Woes (with New Motor)
- Thread starter Terbro
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Jack Cotton recommended pulling that one.
Then I was thinking once I was under there...that I don't want to pull that one. Then...I thought yes I do, because I have one remaining oil leak that I can't find, and it's possible it's the rear main. Pulling the rear main will force me to check out the seal and put in a new one, possibly solving that problem too...so that's why I stuck with that cap.
I agree, but I've been all over the area trying to track down the oil leak. And I've seen oil up near the rear main in the past.
This leak was right around that area, and would dump a 2"+ puddle of oil after running...not from valve covers dripping back and down. Fairly confident it's from somewhere either around the rear main or the rear of the oil pan gasket.
Anyway...now - to put the rear main back on. I see black sealant on its sides. Is that RTV? And my local mechanic says with these two-piece rear main seals, one can push the top half through with the other. Is that right? Should I try? I'm not sure I want to get into a situation where it's half way out and not be able to push the new one in completely.
And he also recommended lubing the bearing up with plenty of oil when replacing it. Is that sufficient, or should I use assembly lube?
Is there a filter on the inside of the oil pick-up I should clean of debris? Should I pull it and clean it, or just get that surface debris off?
Sigh...with several people who stated with perfect confidence in effect, "You need to pull you motor and rebuild it...it's toast, period", I've once again learned not to listen to everyone on this board.
I also considered what I've *always* done when changing oil in any car: I change the oil immediately after the motor has been fully warmed up and circulated. I reason that this does two things - it whips up any debris that's settled in the pan and anywhere else and suspends it in the oil, which then has it drain out. And the fact that the oil is hot...it drains out quicker, more completely, being thinner and less sticky. I was thinking that played a part in purging the debris more completely during that first oil change (and of course the two others).
Lastly, in hindsight, as Nick and others have said, having a (BIG) MAGNET either in the oil pan or the one that wraps around the filter looks like an awesome measure to prevent catastrophic engine failure (i.e., bearing failure). Though $52, I like this one: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/ftm-ss365 , being that it traps it in the filter, and the debris A) is detectible if one decides to cut open their filter, giving one a heads up to possible internal wear...like a wiped cam, and B) is just gone bye-bye from the motor with every oil filter change.
ITSAV6
It's my Granny's car!
- Joined
- Nov 13, 2001
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Bearing looks great. You got a real stroke of luck.
ITSAV6
It's my Granny's car!
- Joined
- Nov 13, 2001
- Messages
- 2,451
I did see some "grit" on the pick up screen. Do you have main studs? If you do that may be cause of the oil leak. One of the rear studs sometimes contacts the pan and the pan looks like it is contacting the pan gasket but it will leak. You have to grind the nut to clearance the pan.
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Like I stated earlier, there was not enough damage of the cam to send enough debris through the engine to cause and damage to bearings or the turbo.
The rear main bearing verifies that.
My last choice would have been to pull the rear main cap first. If the rear main seal is leaking, which most do not, it is easily determined if there are oil "tracks" streaming from the front side of the flex plate.
There is a critical step when installing a rear main cap and seal besides the side seals, and that is the flat surface between the block and cap which can seep oil if not sealed properly.
Another comment is about draining the engine oil. When servicing my fleet of trucks years ago, I preferred to drain the oil after the engine has not run for a few hours or drain while we did other service.
It can take an hour or so for most all the oil to drain, so the pan plug was left out while we addressed other items. I would then take a quart or 2 of new, inexpensive oil after an hour or so of dripping, and pour this into the engine.
Depending on how much crud and used oil it brings out with one quart, we may use 2 or 3 quarts until I was satisified. Oil was under a $1 a quart then, so no big deal flushing with a new quart or 2.
With extreme service in brutal desert conditions our engine problems were nil even after hundreds of thousands of miles on them.
If the oil pan is off the car, weld an external drain plug bung to allow the bottom crud and last pint of oil to be removed.
A $7 magnetic drain plug is a very good tool for diagnosing engine wear as a magnet on the filter will tell you almost nothing.
The rear main bearing verifies that.
My last choice would have been to pull the rear main cap first. If the rear main seal is leaking, which most do not, it is easily determined if there are oil "tracks" streaming from the front side of the flex plate.
There is a critical step when installing a rear main cap and seal besides the side seals, and that is the flat surface between the block and cap which can seep oil if not sealed properly.
Another comment is about draining the engine oil. When servicing my fleet of trucks years ago, I preferred to drain the oil after the engine has not run for a few hours or drain while we did other service.
It can take an hour or so for most all the oil to drain, so the pan plug was left out while we addressed other items. I would then take a quart or 2 of new, inexpensive oil after an hour or so of dripping, and pour this into the engine.
Depending on how much crud and used oil it brings out with one quart, we may use 2 or 3 quarts until I was satisified. Oil was under a $1 a quart then, so no big deal flushing with a new quart or 2.
With extreme service in brutal desert conditions our engine problems were nil even after hundreds of thousands of miles on them.
If the oil pan is off the car, weld an external drain plug bung to allow the bottom crud and last pint of oil to be removed.
A $7 magnetic drain plug is a very good tool for diagnosing engine wear as a magnet on the filter will tell you almost nothing.
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