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Post Info TOPIC: Can you help me identify where this oil leak is coming from?
jim larson


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Can you help me identify where this oil leak is coming from?
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Any Ideas?  It doesn't look like it is coming from above or the oil pan as there is no indication of oil.  Is it possible there is some leakage fromthe rear main behind the inspection cover and it is thown onto the sproket end of the nose housing?  Or can it leak though the bolt holes of the starter?  Thanks.



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Jim L

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Let me know if yo figure it out.  I have a similar leak, and I think Dashboard does too.  We replaced the rear main seal this Spring, so I hope it's not from there.



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Stan S.-Twin Cities 'South Metro'

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Lost in the 60s


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I would think if it was the rear seal, you would have oil dripping from the bottom weep hole at the inspection cover. I see the outboard starter bolt head is wet. I don't think there are any oil gallery's that it could leak from at that bolt hole, but I'm not sure. Seems the most likely culprit would be a loose bolt or 2 on the pan rail right above the starter.

I've also seen valve cover/intake leaks follow the back of the head and block down to the starter and drip off.



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Mitch D.   River Falls, WI

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1966 Chevelle SS 396 M20

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jim larson


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Lost in the 60s wrote:

I would think if it was the rear seal, you would have oil dripping from the bottom weep hole at the inspection cover. I see the outboard starter bolt head is wet. I don't think there are any oil gallery's that it could leak from at that bolt hole, but I'm not sure. Seems the most likely culprit would be a loose bolt or 2 on the pan rail right above the starter.

I've also seen valve cover/intake leaks follow the back of the head and block down to the starter and drip off.

 I have just a tiny bit from the weep hole at the bottom of the inspection cover.  Kind of expected that.  I tightend the pan bolts and they seem good and as you remember I put on the one piece rubber gasket with the metal ring.  Don't see any evidence of a leak around the pan.  Didn't notice that the valve cover gasket was leaking.  Everthing up the side of the engine looked so clean; but maybe the oil is that clean, that I didn't see it, will have to look again.

Thanks everyone.



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Jim L

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jim larson


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I think I may have located the leak.  Hard to see because of the exhaust manifolds.  But there seems to be just a little  oil leaking from between the head and block at the #8 cylinder area.  Where could this be comming from?  confused

 

Appears that there is no oil leakage from the valve covers.



-- Edited by jim larson on Sunday 28th of August 2011 06:48:15 PM

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Jim L

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I'm suspecting the intake corners. The oil on the front pad may be coming down from the intake, as it appears to be there too. Maybe the leak at the back is from the intake also and running down to the block/head seam and appearing to come from there.



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Mitch D.   River Falls, WI

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I would agree with that conclusion, shouldn't be anything coming out of the head gasket, most likely running along the head.



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Loren B. - Princeton, MN

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jim larson


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Is there anything I can do to stop the leak?  Kind of a pain to remove the intake.  Probably best to just live with it and clean at the end of the year. 

 

Most likely coming from the rear corner of the intake.  Also  looks like it could even make its way from the front corner of the intake and run along the gasket between the head and the block before it makes it's downward decent.



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Jim L

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jim larson


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Cleaned everthing and took the car out for a 10 mile trip.  Definetly leaking from rear main and seeping down the backside of the inspection cover.  Just a little indication that there might be a little seepage down the engine of the cover. 

Can't see any oil leaking from rear of intake-head area.  No oil around pan gasket area.

Oil on the upper bolt and lip of the inspection cover, where the gear from the starter is located.

Could oil be leaking from rear seal and as engine spins that oil is thrown off and hits the area of the starter were the gear sits inside the inspection cover  and show up on the upper bolt and seep onto the starter housing?

 



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Jim L

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Well that stinks...angry  we were so careful to seal the rear cap and clock the seal so the ends were not on the same plane as the cap/block.

I would now pull the starter and inspection cover and see what is wet up in there. There are oil galley holes back there too that could seep.



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Mitch D.   River Falls, WI

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1966 Chevelle SS 396 M20

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Not much is leaking so, I think  I will leave that for the winter project list.  Don't want to  wrestling with that heavy starter right now.   Or should I???

I also had a leak from the fitting for the oil gauge at  where it screws into the elbow that screws into the adaptor at the block.  Guess I should have been more careful there.  It's a special kind of fitting that squeezes the steel/copper line as it is tightened into the elbow and it would not seal back up after I removed it when taking the engine out.  About a 4 hour hassle.  Had to get the fitting off the line, not easy.  Then cut a little off the line, reshape the fitting so the 1/8" line would fit into the compressed end  of the fitting.  Then I took out the 90 degree elbow that was screwed into the adaptor in the block and replaced it with a 45 to make things line up better.  Had to take the Z bar off in order to have enough room to do all this. 

Short story, it no longer leaks.

Didn't think about oil galley holes in the back of the block.  Thanks



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Jim L

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Well Jim, whatever you have, it sure sounds a lot like my oil leak; same spot same symptoms.



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Kevin

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