Name that oil leak?

[Solamar]

Just picked up this 3.2, Zero history.

Budget re-fresh. Will do a leakdown test first, new ref sensors, clean it up and run it.

Any pointers on which oil leaks to address first?


#1 Oil return Tubes?




#2 Left Chain Box




#3 Left Valve Cover




#4 Oil Cooler


#5 Rear Main

[Solamar]

#6 Right Chain Box






#7 Triangle of Doom




#8 Top of left bank (only two acorns )


#9 Top of Right bank

[proporsche]

well? why have you pull the engine exactly?
since you have it out, reseal everything you can..name that oil leak would be "all seals and gaskets to be replaced"..Check the cylinder head studs , rocker arms shafts as well while you are there....
Ivan

[T77911S]

above.

I would replace the 2 cam housing oil lines, reseal the triangle of death at the top rear of the engine, pull the oil cooler and clean it and have it tested, new timing cover gaskets and Orings on the tensioners. clean up the valve cover surfaces and put on the reusable gaskets but only lightly snug the bolts.

pressure wash the he!! out of it,.

I would also replace the CPS while you have it out.

[pampadori]

it would be so satisfying to have that motor and about 4 hours with a pressure washer and some degreaser!

But you pop off those valve covers and I bet you're gonna have a much bigger project than you hoped for.

[dannobee]

I agree with everyone else, but would also add the intake gaskets.

Triangle of death looks the worst. T-stat o-ring or oil pressure switch. RH tensioner line/oil sender block is second (change the copper washers, too). If you have no plans on tearing it down, I'd be tempted to leave the oil return tubes alone as they don't have the telltale clean streak coming down the case yet. It's not much harder to change them in the car. The telescoping ones can sometimes induce a leak that you didn't have before.
Oh, and wiggle the exhaust guides when you have the lower valve covers off. If the guides are worn, it'll need a top end overhaul anyway.

[7783911]

depends on how far you want to go, adding rocker seals is a great way to tighten up the engine re leaks/smoky starts?

[Solamar]

Just bought the engine for a car I am completing. Fun funds are seriously depleted so my plan is to address the major leaks, install, drive, evaluate and save for a more thorough engine refresh.

Originally Posted by proporsche

well? why have you pull the engine exactly?
since you have it out, reseal everything you can..name that oil leak would be "all seals and gaskets to be replaced"..Check the cylinder head studs , rocker arms shafts as well while you are there....
Ivan

[Solamar]

Originally Posted by T77911S

above.

I would replace the 2 cam housing oil lines, reseal the triangle of death at the top rear of the engine, pull the oil cooler and clean it and have it tested, new timing cover gaskets and Orings on the tensioners. clean up the valve cover surfaces and put on the reusable gaskets but only lightly snug the bolts.

pressure wash the he!! out of it,.

I would also replace the CPS while you have it out.

Definitely something leaking on the right side where the cam tensioner oil line meets the oil pressure sender. Is that typically the line, or is there a crush washer/seal that I can replace?

The left chain cover is only oily below the tin line. Wonder if it's just oil drifting rearward from other leaks?

Reusable VC gasket? I have the kit from Wrightwood racing 930 105 195 01 98. Will have to check if it's intended to be reusable.

TOD, definitely!

Wish I could power wash this, environmental police would run me outta the state...

[Solamar]

Originally Posted by pampadori

it would be so satisfying to have that motor and about 4 hours with a pressure washer and some degreaser!

But you pop off those valve covers and I bet you're gonna have a much bigger project than you hoped for.

Valve covers coming off shortly. Fingers crossed.

[Solamar]

Originally Posted by dannobee

I agree with everyone else, but would also add the intake gaskets.

Triangle of death looks the worst. T-stat o-ring or oil pressure switch. RH tensioner line/oil sender block is second (change the copper washers, too). If you have no plans on tearing it down, I'd be tempted to leave the oil return tubes alone as they don't have the telltale clean streak coming down the case yet. It's not much harder to change them in the car. The telescoping ones can sometimes induce a leak that you didn't have before.
Oh, and wiggle the exhaust guides when you have the lower valve covers off. If the guides are worn, it'll need a top end overhaul anyway.

Looking at the two pictures of the top of the cylinders there is some oily accumulation near the intake ports. Does this suggest leaks at the intake manifold? I will be removing the intake manifold and replacing the gaskets.

Oil return tubes - I originally thought they were the main source of leaks, but now that I see how much oil came from the TOD I suppose it's possible thats the main source. I'll wiggle the oil return tubes, if they arent loose, maybe I'll leave them alone for now.

Wiggle the exhaust guides or the exhaust valves in the guides?



Appreciate all the feedback!

[Solamar]

24 head studs intact One sigh of relief. Hopefully will have time to do a leakdown today.

Lower valve cover gaskets fell to pieces.

1-3 Bank






4-6 Bank

[proporsche]

so far sounds good....
Ivan

[T77911S]

with all the oil on there and miles you really cant narrow it down. you just have go in and hit the known bad spots plus a few others that are "while you are in there".
oil also blows around under there while driving.

put the reusable valve cover gaskets on it, trust me you will thank me for it, seal it up so no water gets in and clean the he!! out of it.
for, nothing worse than working on a dirty engine.

if the gasket starts to squeeze out from the valve cover you have the bolts too tight, very light torque. if you think they are too lose, they are fine, if it leaks, just snug them a little more.

I would also take the engine tin and get it powder coated.

[dannobee]

Sorry, wiggle the exhaust valves to CHECK the guides. Gently pry around the spring to see how much they move. 3.2's were pretty bad for leaking intake gaskets. Change them while it's out.

+1 on the good valve cover gaskets.

[911obgyn]

Pressure wash over an old piece of carpet, then let it dry and throw it out

[Solamar]

Originally Posted by 911obgyn

Pressure wash over an old piece of carpet, then let it dry and throw it out

Thats a darned good idea!

[Walt Fricke]

The photos with valve covers off show me that you should leave your rocker shafts alone. They don't appear to be leaking, or there would be a lot more crud in the spark plug (and the lower bank analog) spaces.

I like orange silicone/rubber valve cover gaskets. Those are the ones you don't want to squish out, and are the only ones advertised as reuseable. Of course, you can reuse more standard gaskets (though not if they fall apart)once or twice usually, maybe more. The only downside to the orange ones is that you don't want to try to take them off the studs while the engine is hot - they will tear. But that's not an issue at the moment.

Intake gasket leaks affect performance, but don't leak oil.

The rubber part of the cam oiling lines can get leaky. Probably a good thing to replace just on spec.

Crank pulley sealing looks good - I'd leave that alone. Not sure what to make of the flywheel end seal - I've had that area a lot dirtier, but with the triangle area pretty likely to have contributed a lot of dirt catching oil, some of which could get into that area, maybe I'd leave it alone. It is a bit tricky to replace.

If the exhaust valve cover gaskets were incompetent, that could be the source of almost all of the oil in the lower part of the engine.