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rebuild oil leak

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studabaker

Supporting Member
207
2
Nov 1, 2008
Sacramento, California
I am still leaking oil after replacing the rear main seal. Is there any reason I could have clogged up the oil pathway when doing the head gasket or bedplate? I have not even started it yet but only using the starter. I got a new fuel filter and started doing that and there seemed to be some oil on the bottom of the bell housing. I will do my fuel filter this weekend and see what happens. It appears to be going to leak oil again.
 
Thinking back and watching the internet video of a head gasket replacement I may have sealed it wrong. I used the same anabolic sealant as for the bedplate however online he used a spray sealant. I am disappointed the rear seal did not fix it at least I dont have to remove the harmonic balancer again i dislike that.
 
Where did you use the anaerobic sealant? When I insert new seals, I typically lubricate the inside with motor oil and apply a very thin layer of black RTV to the outside.

Are you sure the oil isn't coming from your transmission? ATF usually has a red tint, but gear oil may look more like motor oil (I don't know if you have an MTX or ATX).
 
yes its oil and Im glad to have an idea to solve this. They make these micro sleeves which is... on the internet. they add thickness to the crank. It may have been polished when I had the crank machined which took some material off or because I am using a different rear seal. who knows but thats where its from. I was exploring other causes but I found oil in the valve cover so oil is getting past the head gasket job I did with the anabolic sealant. I put oil when everything spins smooth and I cant wait to drive it.
 
Yup, I'm confused.

The oil in the valve cover (I believe you mean outside the valve cover, probably in the spark plug wells) is normally from the valve cover gasket (the round rings that go around the spark plug wells). Or possibly a crack in the valve cover.

Am I understanding this correct? You used anabolic sealant on the headgasket? That would be a no no
 
OK well it was because I suspected I blocked the oil pathway at he head gasket with the sealant. Oil was reaching the cams but may still be restricted or backed up and causing increased pressure in the crank seal where my leak is.

I thought it would seal extra good with sealant in the head gasket. I don't think I put enough to cause a clog. It would be a clog where it lubricates the cams then.

At this point I would rather do the head gasket than pull the engine again.

Thank you for this correction.[DOUBLEPOST=1408646101][/DOUBLEPOST]Repairing the cause is better than the bandaid of the micro sleeve. The rear main seal is less suspect than the mistake of the head gasket sealant. I know some oils is getting to the cams but due to the labor involved I am going to remove the cams and the replace the head gasket with no sealant.
 
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There does seem to be pathways blocked and the anabolic sealant was not air tight (did not ever dry) and must have burned up a bit at first which would explain white smoke at first. Anabolic sealant only dries when no oxygen is present. I worked a few hours last night and a few this morning to get to the point where the head can be basic cleaned. I am confident this is the problem and am grateful to have identified the most likely problem with your help. I will have it back together in a few days. I just plan on getting the head back on and major parts together today.
 

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Anaerobic sealant i meant. I got the new gasket in and will start it again in a few days the clog i pictured was only coolant holes. I also had issues with cam cap bolt holes requiring new threads. Im not sure if that would have impacted the oil system but i dont think so. Im optomistic about this but head may require additional cleaning[DOUBLEPOST=1409012489][/DOUBLEPOST]Ive heard the rear main seal might leak from crank case pressure which may be resolved wiyh a new head gasket and may have been caused by the sealant in the head gasket. hopefully. or I will try to find other causes of crank case pressure.[DOUBLEPOST=1409080158][/DOUBLEPOST]So I am happy to do the head gasket right however Im having a problem blaming the rear main seal leak on it. crank case pressure makes sense so im going to double check the hoses are functioning in pcv system. I did replace the intake with what i thought was improved one.
 
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Just from the starter (my fuel filter dried up, I think) there appears to be a few drops of oil leaked on the card board I put there. After talking with a near by mechanic who told me that silicone inside the rear main seal could solve my problem, that is the plan. The mcro-sleeve does not seem so bandaid because I would rather fix it better than some rtv (high temp black). I am considering switching back to the same as original seal.
 
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From what I understand the rear seal is not supposed to be under much pressure. The fact the I was only turning over on starter power rules out blow by, in my opinion. I have ordered this micro sleeve but I am going to try a better oil filter first because I suspect something in the oil line. I put synthetic in but I dont think thats really it maybe the oil filter colected some of this anaerobic sealant...
 
Blow by is not ruled out because just on starter and I did not put special grease on piston rings during assembly. I need to reinstall the pistons correctly. I may try to put some grease on the cylinder from underneath without pulling the engine. The oil filter was ruled out.
 
Blow by is not ruled out because just on starter and I did not put special grease on piston rings during assembly. I need to reinstall the pistons correctly. I may try to put some grease on the cylinder from underneath without pulling the engine. The oil filter was ruled out.

What do you mean by special grease on the piston rings?
 
Blow by in the piston makes the most sense to me. I know to stagger the opening of the piston rings but when they were compressed I am not 100% that they did not shift and line up just perfect to give me this problem. Working on this assumption I began to tear down and get to the pistons today when I found this which is oil and fuel. I have been discussing this with people and someone mentioned this and a potential this. I have to do research at this point as to what this means but I will return to it in the morning.

The install with just oil has been recommended. I was looking into different assembly lube/grease.

I know I am not getting fuel. I got a fuel filter because its been sitting empty for a while. That may be all it is? Or fuel pump but I think less likely.

I am not very confident in my installation of the rings they were recycled. as were the pistons.
 

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Blow by in the piston makes the most sense to me. I know to stagger the opening of the piston rings but when they were compressed I am not 100% that they did not shift and line up just perfect to give me this problem. Working on this assumption I began to tear down and get to the pistons today when I found this which is oil and fuel. I have been discussing this with people and someone mentioned this and a potential this. I have to do research at this point as to what this means but I will return to it in the morning.

The install with just oil has been recommended. I was looking into different assembly lube/grease.

I am not getting fuel I know. I got a fuel filter because its been sitting empty for a while. That may be all it is? Or fuel pump but I think less likely.

I am not very confident in my installation of the rings they were recycled. as were the pistons.

There is no special grease or assembly lube needed for the pistons or rings. Just a light film of oil on the cylinders is all that you need. Grease would likely make more problems than anything because it would gunk up the oil control rings. How did you install the oil ring gaps? The compression ring gaps being wrong won't make it burn oil. Also you could have excessive piston to wall clearance. Excessive clearance, or incorrect gap placement on the oil control rings is really the only possibility if your fresh engine is burning oil.
 
It is difficult to tell the position of the gaps but I started with the gaps correct. My spark plugs are pretty black and I will fix my fuel issue. I am also going to talk to someone who asked me if there was fuel in the oil. I cant find anything online. I do appreciate that information on the burning oil even though I dont have ignition yet.[DOUBLEPOST=1410147188][/DOUBLEPOST]When I removed the suspect piston the rings had good gap location. I will get it checked out. The oil in the combustion chamber is clearly a result of location of issues. The dot on the piston might mean something I dont know. There could still be something wrong with how I installed the rings. The machine shop checked out the piston and gave it the ok. I dont think its that. most likely my installation where I made an error.
 
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The upper ring was upside down. I may check the other pistons to be sure. The mark goes up. There are two different upper rings as well.
Upon discussion with knowledgeable dude the piston ring did not leak the amount of oil found. I may have to get the head checked out. I suspect a valve seal as well because I removed one valve out of curiosity. I do not take credit for the idea of the valve seal though I am hoping the head is not cracked.
 
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OK getting ready to test the pulled and had cleaned and tested by a machine shop. I have set the old head aside for now. I just have a few things; if your doing this with the block still in place then remember to put the pulley on before you put the head back on. I like to put the intake on before as well because those bolts are hard to reach and its easier just be careful to no scratch the surface with the extra weight. I put two bolts through the head to help me align it. I am confident this is it.
 
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