Uncommon Oil Leak - Opinions?
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Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 112
Uncommon Oil Leak - Opinions?
Last night I pulled the heads off my 97 LT1 and found the source of one of my oil leaks (the most annoying one, anyway). It's pretty clear that the passenger side head gasket is leaking oil out between cylinder 8 and the very back of the block.
I have done the intake manifold/Ultracopper fix and that area is not leaking. It seems to start leaking only where the passenger side head meets the back of the block.
Can someone confim for me that there are no oil drainback holes that go down through the head and into the deck of the block? I know that there is oil drain back from the head into the lifter valley of the block.
The heads are going off in the next couple of days for the LE2 treatment, so I know they will come back flat.
I will be using a straight edge to check for flatness of the block deck to ensure that I do not have problems there. I would expect that the block is ok but I wanted to know what is the best sealing gasket to use and also is it a good idea to use any sort of RTV on the gasket (if so which type). I have not heard of anybody doing this but I am somewhat inclined to try it as a safeguard - at least in this area of the head, unless somebody tells me it is a really bad idea.
Also, do you folks think it is a good idea to pay extra for the bronze wall valve guides - what exactly is the benefit?
Thanks for the input.
I have done the intake manifold/Ultracopper fix and that area is not leaking. It seems to start leaking only where the passenger side head meets the back of the block.
Can someone confim for me that there are no oil drainback holes that go down through the head and into the deck of the block? I know that there is oil drain back from the head into the lifter valley of the block.
The heads are going off in the next couple of days for the LE2 treatment, so I know they will come back flat.
I will be using a straight edge to check for flatness of the block deck to ensure that I do not have problems there. I would expect that the block is ok but I wanted to know what is the best sealing gasket to use and also is it a good idea to use any sort of RTV on the gasket (if so which type). I have not heard of anybody doing this but I am somewhat inclined to try it as a safeguard - at least in this area of the head, unless somebody tells me it is a really bad idea.
Also, do you folks think it is a good idea to pay extra for the bronze wall valve guides - what exactly is the benefit?
Thanks for the input.
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 112
I have inspected the head carefully and there was no sign of oil leakage from the valve cover area.
The mating surface of the head, the block deck and the head gasket all showed oil on them in the area behind cylinder no. 8. It could be the bolt hole but I assume it would be the lower corner bolt hole that would leak (the lower one that is still under the valve cover of course). If that was the case, I would not think that the oil would make it's way all the way up to the lifter valley (which it has).
Presumably, a meticulous reassembly will solve the problem but I want to be sure of course.
Thx.
The mating surface of the head, the block deck and the head gasket all showed oil on them in the area behind cylinder no. 8. It could be the bolt hole but I assume it would be the lower corner bolt hole that would leak (the lower one that is still under the valve cover of course). If that was the case, I would not think that the oil would make it's way all the way up to the lifter valley (which it has).
Presumably, a meticulous reassembly will solve the problem but I want to be sure of course.
Thx.
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