Quote:
|
Originally Posted by rsimoes
Front of intake, some plate on the side of the block, oil pan, rear main and possibly the heads. . . . |
The rear main might very well
not be leaking -- don't even think about touching it until you've solved the easier leaks. The tricky thing with an FE
oil leak is that the
oil moves around on your engine and transmission and then drops from a different area than the true leak. I was leaving droplets directly under the lowest spot of my Tremec (and it wasn't trans fluid), from my bellhousing, and from a spot on the frame(!). My rear breather flange on my intake was leaking (solved with RTV) and the passenger side valve cover gasket was leaking. Both of these leaks were diagnosed with a "paper towel wipe" of the suspected area. Once I was pretty sure that I had stopped the leaks I still had a couple of drops under the car -- but not much. I added the fluorescent dye to the oil and after taking it for a long drive and letting it sit undisturbed for two days I again had a nice drop of oil, but the drop did not have any dye in it, and there are no dye trails anywhere that I can find. That drop must be old oil that had leaked earlier but not dropped. Again, another FE "mis-direction" when it comes to oil leaks; they can drop old oil that was hanging on any time they feel like it. You
can make an FE absolutely leakless (even with a solid lifter cam) but it takes patience. Tackle one leak at a time and tackle the easiest first. And even when you have solved all your leaks, you will continue to drop oil for a while. That's just the way it is. The dye really is handy though, and a strong UV flashlight can be had for less than $25.