This question pertains to my 1967 Camaro with a SBC with a two piece rear main seal.

In a 500 mile span I lost about 4 quarts of oil, but it only leaks out a puddle of oil about the diameter of a coke can when the car sits up for a week or so. Everywhere around the oil pan is dry. I thought it might be a rear main seal, I believe the rear main is fine. The only place the oil is leaking out of is the bell housing and the front of the starter (part that goes into the bell housing) is covered in oil and the passenger side header has oil flung on to it. My conclusion is that the oil might be coming out of the crank some how. Does this make sense?

If there is anymore info that I left out please let me know.

Thanks!
Sean(Pig)

 

If it's passenger side only, it might be the valve cover gasket. Then it runs down to where you see it. Under what part of the engine does the puddle appear?

Anytime a leak is passenger side, it's a good idea to check the bolt on the front of the block where the 2 old style front motor mount holes are. One of those two bolt holes goes into the fuel pump rod passage. If bolt comes loose or is left off after a rebuild, mysterious leak.

A worse possibility is that one of the oil passage plugs in the rear of the block or the cam passage cap is leaking. But it wouldn't be passenger side specific. The bottom of the pan would be dripping, as it would be if it was the rear main.

The first two two possibilities are passenger side specific, and would be easiest to fix.

 

There is no oil on the passesnger side head or that side of the block. The only place oil is dripping out of is the bell housing. Oil has been flung on to the passenger side header and starter.

Its weird.

Thanks for the input man!

Sean(Pig)

 

Like angel71rs said there are a couple little oil plugs in the back of the block. Also make sure that its not the back of intake,distributor, or oil pressure plug (beside dist hole). WHy do you say the rear main is fine? Could it also be the oil pan leaking and getting blown back into the flywheel or flexplate? At work I sometimes use ultraviolet oil dye and a black light to see where its leaking from but it doesnt sound as iff that will help. Is the engine in poor shape? Could it also be burning a bunch of oil as well (any blue smoke)? If it is the rear main or the plugs you will have to pull either engine out tranny. Hope not .
Good Luck.
CoryM

 

That was my first thought. Maybe it's burning it...

 

More than likely, probably coming from the rear main seal.

When the engine is running, oil under pressure is on the back side. This pressurized oil pushes the lips against the shaft to seal, just as it is designed to do.

When the engine is turned off, pressurized oil is not present any more, the pushing is relaxed, the lips lose the push, and now you're relying on the natural tension of the seal to "seal" against the shaft. Hence, its not doing that designed task. Maybe it has become aged, or was old stock.

As Cory suggested, pour in the dye and observe with ultraviolet light.

The reason its showing up on the pass side is the residual from the last startup is being thrown by the fltwheel.

 

Ok, thanks for the input guys and gal. I have done the dye test and no dye is around the oil pan or on the back side of the flywheel (area facing toward the motor). I think the rear main and the rear plugs are fine is because of no oil has found its way on the rear of the oil pan or the back side of the flywheel. The only thing I can think of is the freeze plug (or just a plug, not sure what is called) on the back of the crank behind the pilot bearing might be leaking.

The engine is about a month old from a re ring and re bearing. There is no blue smoke what so ever and the spark plugs are dry.

Oh, the only place I saw the dye was on the bell housing.

Thanks!
Sean(Pig)