Oil leak

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bill detamore

bill detamore

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Men

I have an oil leak in an odd place. Backstory

I have 1971 Scamp that has a 318. I had a Performer manifold istalled. Only when I go on the freeway I guess at high RPM's, I have a leak from my valve cover. I get a pool on the topside where the head meets the manifold. If I am going for sometime, I get a bit of oil in the pockets of the manifold. As far as I can see there is no other leaks.

New gaskets were installed when the job was done and I just had new ones installed again but I have the leak in the same spot. There was no leak before but ever since, I have had this issue. Am I right to assume there is not a right and left side on these?

I would love to hear some thoughts on this.

I am also looking for a rocker trim peice for below the door. Any suggestion on where to get it.

Thanks guys.

B
 
I've heard of oil wicking through the center bolts of the LA heads and causing some oil to show in the area you described. If you look at the head in this area it has a fairly small metal thickness and the bolts go right into an area where there is likely to be oil.

I would try cleanining these holes out, applying thread sealant and re-install the bolts, and installing a new set of valve cover gaskets. I would also suggest cast aluminum valve covers if you don't already have them as they are much less likely to be out of shape and allow the valve covers to leak.
 
Lets me ask this and please forgive my ignorance on.

Are the bolts you are talking about for the valve cover or the actual head.

I already have aluminum covers. Thanks for that tip though.

Thanks brother.

B
 
im no expert but i pulled intake bolts and put gasket sealer on them and put them back in no probs since but i suggest asking or waiting for real mechanics to reply
 
Yes, you can take it apart one bolt at a time, apply sealer & reinstall. I think I might take the valve cover off to make sure you don't get any excess sealant in the engine, but if you are sparing, you'd probably be fine too.
 
Check also to make sure the valve covers are sitting squarely on the heads and not contacting the intake runners. Some aftermarket manifolds have slightly raised intake runner height causing interference with the covers. I have had to trim covers to fit some combinations.
 
Rocket said:
Check also to make sure the valve covers are sitting squarely on the heads and not contacting the intake runners. Some aftermarket manifolds have slightly raised intake runner height causing interference with the covers. I have had to trim covers to fit some combinations.
Click to expand...

X2. I've ran into that problem on nearly every aftermarket manifold I installed along with aluminum valve covers. You usually end up grinding a little off the underside of the valve covers to get them to clear the intake.
 
Thanks so much for the great advise. One more question.

When I put the bolt back in does it have to be torqued down or just tight.

B
 
I've got the same little oil leak on top of my intake. I wick the puddle out with a paper towel once in a while. LOL
 
Rocket said:
Check also to make sure the valve covers are sitting squarely on the heads and not contacting the intake runners. Some aftermarket manifolds have slightly raised intake runner height causing interference with the covers. I have had to trim covers to fit some combinations.
Click to expand...

fishy68 said:
X2. I've ran into that problem on nearly every aftermarket manifold I installed along with aluminum valve covers. You usually end up grinding a little off the underside of the valve covers to get them to clear the intake.
Click to expand...

I just bought a new set of black Mopar Performance valve covers and had to trim the edges so the covers would seat all the way down. I already new I had to do this because the chrome MP covers was already notched by the previous owner. I wonder why Mopar hasn't addressed this issue yet? I mean all the years that the covers have been for sale I know there has to be at least one person file a complaint.

When I bought my car I noticed oil around the intake bolts of the 273 and new something wasn't right. I got on FABO and explained my problem and received the same info as above. Sealant on the intake bolts and torque to 35 ft/lbs. Never had the problem again. 273 engines intake bolts are more at a angle and prone to leak however.
 
One more question.

After I had this job done, manifold and carb, I have an oil light that come on at low idle. Never had it before. Only happens when the motor is at operating temp. Does not burn oil. Starts everytime etc.

Could this issue be causing the light to go on? I just put in a new pressure sender last week. Again, started after the work was done. I went from a stock 2 barrel and manifold to a performenr and a 600. Also, electrinic ignition.

Thoughts?
 
If the oil light is coming on, you need to put a gauge on it. Its saying you have less than 10 PSI of oil pressure at idle which is not a good thing. My original 318 did the same thing, kept getting worse, found it had 7psi oil pressure at idle and 20 going down the road. It never used oil or made noise. Popped the pan off and had a plugged oil pump pickup screen and toasted bearings. It now sits in the corner of the garage as a backup engine in case something goes seriously wrong I have a block to rebuild.
 
goldduster318 said:
If the oil light is coming on, you need to put a gauge on it. Its saying you have less than 10 PSI of oil pressure at idle which is not a good thing. My original 318 did the same thing, kept getting worse, found it had 7psi oil pressure at idle and 20 going down the road. It never used oil or made noise. Popped the pan off and had a plugged oil pump pickup screen and toasted bearings. It now sits in the corner of the garage as a backup engine in case something goes seriously wrong I have a block to rebuild.
Click to expand...

Friend had a 87 Ford F150 do the same thing. The oil pickup had been stopped up by plastic teeth off of the timing chain gear. Plastic???!!
 
Yes, some 318's came with nylon upper timing gears as well. Apparently its quieter (like we care, right)
 
bill detamore said:
Wht does it do it only when it is hot and at idle?
Click to expand...

The oil pump spins slowest at idle (drives off the cam so its directly related to RPM), and oil thins out when hot. As soon as you get off idle, the extra speed that the rotors are turning in the pump increase pressure just enough to turn the light off.
 
I understand. I thought that since the oil was thinner when hot, it would be easier for the pump to send it through the motor. I was also assuming that thicker oil would be harder for a pump to pump.
 
pressure is the resistance to flow. I could go crazy on the fluid mechanics equations regarding this, but I'll save you the nerdy pain of that.

When the oil gets hot it flows more easily and the pressure drops. It also flows out of wide clearances more easily and further drops pressure...your engine's oiling system is kind of like a house with a series of faucets which are controlled leaks. When the leaks get bad enough, there is a pressure drop to the point where it doesn't come out as fast.

When the oil is cold, its capped at a max value because there is a relief spring in the oil pumps.
 
Hello again

I want to thank you for the info. Very kind of you.

One last question for you. If the motor has good pressure by the guage at higher RPM am I okay? When the light goes on, just a very slight tap on the pedal makes it go away. Usually it flickers at idle. I think I asked this, could the leak at the bolts be causing the pressure issue?

B
 
No, the bolts seeping oil have no relationship to oil pressure, as long as you have sufficiant oil in the system.

Russ.
 
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