Hey guys I found the oil leak. It is at the back of the intake near the distributor. Looks like I get a little on the timing chain cover too but not as much. So whats my next best step? Am I gonna need to pull the intake and reseal it? Is there any other way to try to fix it without pulling it. I did tighten the bolts dwon and it still leaks.
Found leak! Now what?
oregonchevelle
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Hey guys I found the oil leak. It is at the back of the intake near the distributor. Looks like I get a little on the timing chain cover too but not as much. So whats my next best step? Am I gonna need to pull the intake and reseal it? Is there any other way to try to fix it without pulling it. I did tighten the bolts dwon and it still leaks.
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No not the oil sender. It is from the intake manifold.
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I agree with Leo, the right way to do it is to pull the intake. You can probably stop the leak with RTV silicone, but it's a bandaid, possibly won't last, and may get into the engine as you try to apply it blind.
I am currently dealing with the *same* oil leak, and I agree the best way to fix it is to pull and reseal the manifold. However, having said that, I have tried to FIRST seal the leak with red RTV. Here's why:
The leak might be an indication that there is excess blowby, and so the ability, or inability to seal the leak may tell you whether pulling and resealing the intake will also only be a temporary fix, if that. If I seal with RTV and it blows out again, or, the seals hold and oil starts blowing out the dipstick tube, then I know the problem is not going to be solved by pulling and resealing the manifold. I'll know this weekend when I take the car out and get onto the highway.
My $0.02
The leak might be an indication that there is excess blowby, and so the ability, or inability to seal the leak may tell you whether pulling and resealing the intake will also only be a temporary fix, if that. If I seal with RTV and it blows out again, or, the seals hold and oil starts blowing out the dipstick tube, then I know the problem is not going to be solved by pulling and resealing the manifold. I'll know this weekend when I take the car out and get onto the highway.
My $0.02
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Thanks hoytpr. Keep me posted I will be interested in fnding out from your experience.
If you have enough crankcase pressure to blow out an intake gasket before spraying oil out the dipstick tube or PCV, then you have more problems than just a bad gasket.
Let me ask you this, and it's just a what if. What if you don't get a good seal (VERY LIKELY) and you still have a leak? Do you contribute that to crank case pressure????????
Do you honestly think RED RTV is stronger than a compressed intake gasket, hold the blow by and force it out the dip stick tube, but the gasket failed because of this??? Doubt it........
Let me ask you this, and it's just a what if. What if you don't get a good seal (VERY LIKELY) and you still have a leak? Do you contribute that to crank case pressure????????
Do you honestly think RED RTV is stronger than a compressed intake gasket, hold the blow by and force it out the dip stick tube, but the gasket failed because of this??? Doubt it........
Yeah, this is my point.
... and you make a good point too
, but it's pretty easy to try this and I asked here on TC and got several members who said Red RTV worked for them. I haven't tested my application yet, so YMMV. My assumption is that if I can clean the area well enough I should be able to get a temporary seal to hold. If that causes no other problems, then I'm satisfied I only need to pull and seal the manifold. If it immediately blows out again at higher speeds, I'm going to assume that internal pressure is getting high, and maybe do other more difficult tests.Ummm. No. I was only trying to give some asked for advice, based on my previous post on this subject.
http://www.chevelles.com/forum/ultimatebb.php/topic/9/17444.html#000000
I would not rely on a patched manifold gasket for long, but it makes sense to identify severe blowby if you can so you don't have to pull the intake twice. My engine condition is largely unknown, so anything is possible. My manifold doesn't appear to have anything more than black RTV on the front and back as sealant anyway, not gaskets at all. I didn't mean to say anyone was wrong, I just said what I was going to try, and why.
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So then what may cause the high crank case pressure?? My first thought it was the rear main seal on the engine so I added some bardahl stop leak and now my oil pressure when engine is cold isway higher about 75 at idle until it gets warm then eventually drops to 25 at idle. When running hard at operating temperature it goes to about 80. I may have more leaks than the intake but it is one I know for sure I have as everytime I run it I end up with oil on the top back of the motor and can see it around the same area on the intake.
I want my chevelles dry but I own a pick-up to and let that baby leak ( stops that thing from turning into a rust bucket)
I know this does not help much though
I would check with a mirror and make sure that the rubber part is not distorted between the intake and block
chances are you will probably be pulling it back off
when we would seal up the race car we would put the intake on (with a light layer of ultra blue) and just start the bolts to finger snug and than let it sit overnight before torquing it down
I know this does not help much though
I would check with a mirror and make sure that the rubber part is not distorted between the intake and block
chances are you will probably be pulling it back off
when we would seal up the race car we would put the intake on (with a light layer of ultra blue) and just start the bolts to finger snug and than let it sit overnight before torquing it down
Oregonchevelle,
Just to let you know that the Red RTV seems to be holding for me, at ordinary driving. I've only taken the car upto about 55-60 mph, and haven't revved it past about 3500. But the leak area is completely dry to touch, and it was previously a pretty significant leak. It's the first time my clutch shroud has started to look like it's drying out!
I cleaned the rear of the engine with mineral spirits until it was really clean (no color on a clean rag), then went into the seal area with a mineral spirits-soaked toothbrush. After that, I cleaned everything again with acetone, and used an acetone-soaked toothbrush in the seal. After that using a mirror to see what I was doing, I applied the Red (Permatex) RTV with my fingertip, to push the RTV into the seal several times. Finally, I put a thin layer on the outside, letting it adhere to the seal area. I let that sit for over 24 hours before starting the engine.
Like I said, this is ONLY a temporary fix, and it just makes me feel better until I can repair the seal properly. The good news for me is that I don't see any oil coming out from other areas either.
Just to let you know that the Red RTV seems to be holding for me, at ordinary driving. I've only taken the car upto about 55-60 mph, and haven't revved it past about 3500. But the leak area is completely dry to touch, and it was previously a pretty significant leak. It's the first time my clutch shroud has started to look like it's drying out!
I cleaned the rear of the engine with mineral spirits until it was really clean (no color on a clean rag), then went into the seal area with a mineral spirits-soaked toothbrush. After that, I cleaned everything again with acetone, and used an acetone-soaked toothbrush in the seal. After that using a mirror to see what I was doing, I applied the Red (Permatex) RTV with my fingertip, to push the RTV into the seal several times. Finally, I put a thin layer on the outside, letting it adhere to the seal area. I let that sit for over 24 hours before starting the engine.
Like I said, this is ONLY a temporary fix, and it just makes me feel better until I can repair the seal properly. The good news for me is that I don't see any oil coming out from other areas either.
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