Ok, before I clamp the head back down, I have an oil leak on the side of the block around the timing belt gear, etc. I replaced the cam seals awhile back so it’s not those, it’s not that high up anyways. It looks like it would be around the front main seal or in that area, the block has oil all over that vicinity as you can see in the pics. I first noticed it because it is self lubricating the tbelt and spraying oil on the alt, hood, etc… It does not leak onto the garage floor, and the leak is very small and does not contribute to a noticible loss of oil. It is a very fine leak, just enough to piss you off…

What else should I check out? I know oil leaks can be deceiving because they will run from different areas, expecially since the tbelt is slinging it around. Maybe oil pump seal or something, or just front main?? Help me out guys!







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little background on what's been going on w/ this project':
I blew a head gasket not long ago. After removing the head, it turns out that the engine builder used one of the old gaskets from what I can tell, stamped 11/98 on it. I have no idea how that gasket lasted through years of high 20psi runs on pump gas, but I guess that says something about that old thing.



I had the machine shop lightly mill the head to bring it back in range. I also had them pressure test the valves and they are all still seated properly.

Kinda tough to tell, I would say either front main, but looks a little high to be the front main, or could be the outter camp cap on that side, you are supposed to use some kind of sealant, like anerobic. Those are the tow places I could think of, aside from the oil pump seal itself. Could it be comming from the bedplate?

you sure? that does look like at mls, just not the mopar one, ive seen that one before just cant remember where...

That is not a mls gasket. That is the fire ring you see. I am guessing the leak is on the head somewhere

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Yeah doesn't look like the mls, oil could be from that

wow, good point. I should look a bit closer ...damn 15" monitor.

think this is what threw me off

http://www.store.partsdinosaur.com/product276.html

Yea, that old head gasket was, heh... a piece of crap, I never knew what was on the motor because I bought the motor built, so I just assumed that if I knew what gasket should have been used, surely an engine builder would have... lol

So you guys think this hg could have been causing the leak? What about if I had good compression results? I always did a compression test every month or 2 and it was ALWAYS 205 across the board. Even the week the head gasket went it was 205's...

Reguardless, I think I am gonna put a new front cranksharft seal on anyways since I am right there.. And the head already has new camshaft seals, anything else seal wise I should look into?

since your gonna replace the front main, might as well pull the oil pump and just reseal it back up with anerobic sealer (loctite 518).
just on less thing that can leak, and wash off the block, so you will be able to tell if it leaks again.

Yeah, good idea.. I havent removed our oil pump before, just re-seal w/ anerobic? Any other service to do on the oil pump while its out? New relief spring or other seals in it, or just yank it out, clean up mating surfaces and reseal?

I would just reseal it, and put a new front main in. I don't think there is anything else you have to do to the pump since it has been used already. There is an o-ring for the oil pick up tube, but that should be fine.

I vote for re-seal the oilpump with anaerobic. If the builder used that papertowel of a headgasket, I wouldn't be suprised if he used RTV or a paper gasket and hylomar on the oilpump too.

Don't forget to use anaerobic not just around the oilpump case, but also all the way around that pink o-ring on the oilpump when you re-seal it. It helps.

thanks for the tips guys.

I am glad the guy that installed the block/head didn't do the machine work and block assembly too, haha... same dood used the wrong tranny fluid and when i switched it back over to the right stuff, boom :/