well, installed a cam like month or so ago, and since than I have had an oil leak that keeps getting worse...and worse...and worse...

Now, i'll tell you what we've done

2 Pan gaskets (they keep getting pushed out, and torn, and yes, they have been torqued right)
2 front timing cover gaskets (yup, pushed out and torn...again, and torqued properly)
3 sets of VC gaskets (pushed out)
and 2 front main seals, and opti seals while I was in there again

The car used to idle with really low oil pressure. 20ish cold idle. Now its 50ish cold idle according to my guage, but pushing these gaskets out makes me think it might be even higher than that.

Any recommendations?

 

The oil pressure itself has nothing to do with pushing out those gaskets. Since the oil under pressure is not pushing on those seals. The oil is pushing that pressure on the crank, cam, and lifters. What does push on those seals is is crankcase pressure. Take the PCV breather off the passenger side valve cover and set a piece of paper over the port in the valve cover, there should not be any significant suction or pressure. I have a feeling you will find one or the other. The paper is to show any air movement.

If its pressure: Then you have excessive blow by, or worse a whole in one of the piston. When the piston is forced up the pressure is leaking past the rings (or blowing threw a hole in the piston) that combustion pressure is now in the crank case and under the valve covers, pushing on the seals causing leaks.

if its suction: then your PCV valve is malfunctioning and letting way to much vacuum into the crank case and the breather cant keep up, thus making strong vacuum in the crank case. Those gaskets are not made to handle pressure.



Tell me this. how does it run?..


btw: 50psi cold is normal, not high.

 

this engine has always beena bout 20psi cold, never as high as it is.

It was sucking the paper in pretty good. so going to check that out tomorrow.

 

so the oil pressure changed at the same time you did the cam swap?..

you should have some vac at the breather. my mistake. google says there should be 3 to 5 inches of vacuum at the breather, but still at idle your intake is under 15+ inches on merc, and if your crankcase is seeing that much vac then the breather cant keep up.

 

Vacuum in the crankcase isn't going to "push out" the pan gaskets.

 

yup, oil pressure went UP with the cam swap, so i dont know if it was something with the oil pump drive or something or what.

It sucks it down decent, not sure though just put a receipt on it. Im going to check everything PVC related and see how thats doing.

The car used to be a turbo car pushing high boost, but theres no oil burning or anything to indicate a burnt piston or blowby, never any metal in the oil pan or anything like that.