May be pulling the oil pan

[BARRACUDA1968]

Been fighting an oil leak and I suspect oil pan gasket.

My question where is the best position to have the motor in to drop the pan? Can you give me a degree on the balancer? I have a T/A balancer so I have a mark for 25 degrees ATDC so I can use that for a reference if someone knows where I need to be to get the most clearance.

 

[v6turbo87]

Just try and drop it and if you need more clearance you can turn the enging by hand.

 

[Pronto]

Clean the block real good and put some oil dye in. You'll find exactly where it's leaking b/f you pull the pan.

 

[BARRACUDA1968]

Clean the block real good and put some oil dye in. You'll find exactly where it's leaking b/f you pull the pan.

Already did that and had a leak at the fuel block off plate. Fixed that and cleaned everything and after putting some miles on I'm still wet at the back of the pan. It runs down the back of the block over to the starter and then runs out the starter weep hole on to the crossover pipe. Front of the motor is dry and the pan gasket is too almost all the way back then I get oil. Could be rear main but until I do the pan gasket I won't know for sure.

 

[greeneyegi]

Already did that and had a leak at the fuel block off plate. Fixed that and cleaned everything and after putting some miles on I'm still wet at the back of the pan. It runs down the back of the block over to the starter and then runs out the starter weep hole on to the crossover pipe. Front of the motor is dry and the pan gasket is too almost all the way back then I get oil. Could be rear main but until I do the pan gasket I won't know for sure.

my valve cover leaks back their also,where the oil puddles at the back of the head.runs down the same way you describe.real hard to find being in that tight space back their.

 

[TR Custom Parts]

My bet is the valve cover!

 

[BARRACUDA1968]

I have a lift so I can see the back of both valve covers from underneath and they're dry. I wish it was that easy.

 

[Steve V]

corners of intake at rear where it meets the head, as suggested use the dye trick

 

[bison]

Blow by, valve cover, corner of intake or a combination of them. Oil pans rarely leak


BPE2013@hotmail.com

 

[BARRACUDA1968]

I've done the dye already that's how I found the fuel block off plate leak which was the majority of my problem. The corners of the intake are dry as well as valve covers. The only area I have glowing oil is at the back of the pan and nothing above it that I'm able to see.

I can get my hand at the back of the intake and it's dry and I also have a camera with a scope so I can see in most of the cracks and crevices.

 

[BARRACUDA1968]

Blow by, valve cover, corner of intake or a combination of them. Oil pans rarely leak


BPE2013@hotmail.com

I'm suspecting oil pan mainly because I had to switch pan gaskets in the 9th inning. Had a couple guys freed up to help put the motor back in and needed to get it buttoned up by a certain time. The original gasket Husek sent my got damaged so I used a gasket from a girdle build a friend of mine had left over. I believe it was an RLC cork deal, pretty thick. It didn't have the dimples knocked out of it just holes for the 20 bolts. I primed the motor and then we installed it in the car. It sat on the lift over night and I had a drip of oil off the front of the pan before the engine was ever fired. I've checked the pan bolts and they're still tight so I'm wondering if I pushed the pan gasket out somewhere when the pan dimple crushed the pan gasket because there wasn't a hole there?

 

[Steve V]

You can not use a non dimpled gasket on a dimpled pan it will leak everytime. If you did you found your problem.

 

[trixdout]

Have you checked if the front seal is leaking? It wont squirt out but will leak.

 

[BARRACUDA1968]

Yeah I've been watching it and if it's leaking I can't detect it with the dye. I can see oil dye on the back of the crank but without having the inspection cover on and the flywheel zinging back there who knows where the leak is? I thought redoing the pan would eliminate that as a possibility.

I thought front crank seal as well because I'm -10 under on the timing chain so wasn't sure how much tolerance I'd have there with the seal?

 

[trixdout]

Well the snout shouldnt be ground no?

 

[ITSAV6]

Do you have main studs? The back one will contact the pan if not clearanced. Mine was doing the same thing cause I didn't grind the nut corner slightly and it was contacting the pan slightly and not letting it seat the pan.

 

[BARRACUDA1968]

I don't have main studs so I think I'm good there.

I put a couple hundred miles on it this weekend after fixing the fuel pump block off plate and I hate to say it but I think the front crank seal is leaking. I can see a small trace of oil on the bottom of the front of the crank. Then it's wet under it and running down the front of the oil pan. Definitely not residual oil from the other leak.

Then to top it off my Alky pump started leaking too.

I just love this hobby!