by ncbkr2002 Tue Jan 15, 2013 11:44 amok ... heres the deal ... i have replaced the oil pan gasket, rear main seal, timing cover seal and gasket, intake/exhaust manifold gaskets, side cover gaskets, valve cover gasket, oil filter ... seems like everything but the water pump, thermostat, and head gasket.and i still have an oil leak. i put 2 bottles of dye in the oil and ran it for over 20 minutes and got everything hot and using the ultra violet light in the dark ( after 7pm )and the CSI glasses i can not find any leak other than a very small one where the grommet goes in the top of the valve cover and the pcv valve is located. so im wonderin if the head gasket could be leaking or could i have a cracked head or block ?. oil is ALL over the dog house sides and the cover , both sides of the engine, the plug wires, distributor. any ideas where to look ? it just seems insane that with 2 bottles of dye in it that i cant see any leak. after i replaced the gaskets and seals i could go about 150 miles before i needed any oil ... then it was like 1/2 qt. HELP !!! im going insane lookin for this leak
+3
Digz
donivan65
ncbkr2002
7 posters
oil leak coming from ?????
ncbkr2002- Number of posts : 140
Location : Raleigh NC
Registration date : 2012-10-11
donivan65- Governor
- Number of posts : 12246
Location : San Diego, California
Registration date : 2008-05-12
What engine do you have? Take the oil cap off and feel if air is coming out or being sucked in,,,,,it should be sucking in if the PCV system is working AND you have a breather cap or tube one it,,,,,If the rings are worn,,,the compression will be going into the valve cover and shoving the oil out every single gasket and seal,,,,,,
ncbkr2002- Number of posts : 140
Location : Raleigh NC
Registration date : 2012-10-11
ill check that out as soon as i put the plugs back in but i just checked every cylinder and they ALL registered 150 psi exactly except #6 and it was 160 psi ... its a 230cid
donivan65- Governor
- Number of posts : 12246
Location : San Diego, California
Registration date : 2008-05-12
You got do a little more CSI work Grissom,,,,,start at the top,,,,,oil flows down,,,,,and towards the back,,,,,,see if the valve cover is leaking,,,,see if the side covers under the spark plugs are leaking,,,,,but #1 in my book is the front pulley,,,,timing cover seal and worn out harmonic balancer,,,,fan blows the oil all over the distributor and alternator,,,,,
ncbkr2002- Number of posts : 140
Location : Raleigh NC
Registration date : 2012-10-11
valve cover has new gasket, new front seal with harmonic balancer/ front pulley has repair sleeve, new timing gear cover gasket, new oil pan gasket but i still cant understand how 2 bottles of dye in the oil cant be seen even after being run for about 30 minutes at various speeds. when the valve cover was off along with the side covers ... i made certain there were no plugged return oil holes and put back together with new gaskets ... it seems mind boggling .. lol
donivan65- Governor
- Number of posts : 12246
Location : San Diego, California
Registration date : 2008-05-12
In my book,,,,,,those rubber gaskets leak more than cork,,,,,and cork leak when you tighten them too tight,,,,,,so where is the leak,,,,,above or below the spark plugs? is it towards the front or rear of the engine,,,,is it on the drivers or passenger side?
Digz- Number of posts : 3794
Location : United States Six Lakes MI
Registration date : 2008-05-17
Like Don says in his first post. Make sure your engine is breathing right. The PCV should be connected to the intake manifold , but also it has to be able to draw air into the block to keep the correct pressure. Either an open air breather at the fill on the valve cover or one of those hose set ups that go from the valve cover to the riser beneath the air filter.
I goofed on my V8 and didn't have this right and it would pump oil out of the front and rear seals.
I goofed on my V8 and didn't have this right and it would pump oil out of the front and rear seals.
ncbkr2002- Number of posts : 140
Location : Raleigh NC
Registration date : 2012-10-11
Digz u might have somethin there ... there was a tube coming out from the side of the valve cover that went to a stack under the air cleaner but was blocked off. the PCV valve is working correctly and is connected to the intake. but there is oil ALL over the engine and engine compartment. i used only cork gaskets and all are new. i'll see what i can do to find a tube or figure out a way to put some kinda small breather in that hole in the side of the valve cover. also when i took all of the plugs out to do a compression check every plug had a puddle of oil around it. like i said its all over the place but why cant i find the leak when i have 2 bottles of dye in it ?
Digz- Number of posts : 3794
Location : United States Six Lakes MI
Registration date : 2008-05-17
LOL . Can't tell ya on the dye. But I'll guarantee on the breather setup, It will blow crap all over , but it will do it worse as the RPMs go pup.I have only used dye for hydraulic leaks on equipment. maybe there is enough detergent in Motor oil to make it disappear??
Farmer- Number of posts : 67
Location : Randolph, Tn
Registration date : 2010-12-27
Oil pressure sending unit, or if you have a mechanical gauge, the little plastic hose that goes from the engine to the gauge. My worst leak was the camshaft plug at the rear of the block, made it look like the rear main was leaking. Take it for a drive and check it under load.
Nightmoves- Number of posts : 2214
Location : Old Hickory Tenn.
Age : 64
Registration date : 2008-11-17
Bump
Any luck with ya leak , NC?
Any luck with ya leak , NC?
Twinpilot001- Number of posts : 6186
Location : spokane ,Wa.
Registration date : 2009-09-28
crankcase3 pressuer!! guys are all corect- likely way to much blow by & the harder that engine works ??=More blow by! Remove the top of the DH & get on the highway a while -u will see it then!! 
ChevyVanMan1- Number of posts : 425
Location : Your Nation's Capital
Registration date : 2009-07-19
I've experimented with the big vac port near the engine block (on the intake of course) and the smaller one just under the carb mount. I like the one closer to the carb in hope that it mixes raw air with fuel mix and is less likely to burn valves. I really don't know which one is better for PCV. Either one, agreeing with above, will really reduce the amount of oil squirting around especially if you too made the mistake of putting synthetic oil in an oldie ;-)
ncbkr2002- Number of posts : 140
Location : Raleigh NC
Registration date : 2012-10-11
update !! when replacing all the gaskets i had a serious brain fart and plugged the hole in the side of the valve cover with one of those rubber expansion plugs and the engine had no way to breath so as soon as i unplugged it and put a new breather tube with a filter it stopped leaking .... like i said ... brain fart . thanks for all the help guys
