Oil Leaks on 460's

[Gary Dyck]

Has anybody had success stopping oil leaks on 460's? Mine leaks down the front of the bellhousing. It's definitely not a pan leak and I've tried the sealer/teflon tape on the top bellhousing bolts but still can't stop oil from dripping down. Main seals also look okay. Appreciate any suggestions of where else to investigate!

[Back in Black]

It seems that you have a bad rear engine bearing and/or seal. It's a common problem on most motors. If it's bearings, that indicates wear inside. If it's just a tired or incorrectly installed seal, it's just a hassle of dropping the tranny and replacing it. A good shop manual can describe how to test for bearing slop (wear) while you have it apart...

If your seals are actually dry, then it has to be a cracked block ? Is there any plug/repair in there that could be loose?

[John Owen]

Possible sources are the manifold-block seal, particularly the corners at the head, upper left bellhousing mount hole, cam plug in back of block, and the most probable - rear main seal. The main seal will usually leak more inside the bellhousing then drip out where it bolts to the plate, leaves the flywheel clean. If oil is only on the front of the plate, the manifold joint or the loop gasket in the pan around the main cap move to the top of the list.

[Tony Radford]

Gary, if it's coming from the bellhousing, it's probably a rear main seal. I've had three seals in my Windsor in a year and they all leaked. My engine builder suggested I put in some stop-leak, which I did after my last oil change. It stopped it almost immediately. First time the car hasn't leaked since I bought it.

[techinspector1]

I read about a fix for leaks in a rod magazine several years ago and although I've never used it, it sounds like a viable operation. Rig a vacuum line to your oil filler tube to pull a vacuum in the crankcase. This could be a vacuum adapter for your shop air or you could tap off the manifold of a running motor. I suppose you would have to run a fairly long line to get the motor noise of the running car away from your unrunning motor. Using a stethoscope, pick around the motor with the probe until you hear air rushing in. Put a dab of RTV there and the vacuum should suck it in to seal the hole. The guy who wrote this originally said that he completely sealed the engine using this method and had no more driveway stains. Hope this helps. Richard.