new motor and oil leaks

[TulsaSpider]

Newly rebuilt motor 2L block 1800 head. It appears I have a couple of oil leaks. #1 the oil pan drain plug. Not worried about that. #2 the dipstick. a new seal was not included in the engine kit for some reason. #3 I think my rear main seal is leaking... any chance it will swell and seal? I think I am getting the motor dialed in. it is still stumbling some on acceleration. I can't seem to get the carb (34/36) adjusted right it seems... will the motor get more performance as it becomes broken in? I was expecting more performance but of course I have not pushed it. I have about 30 miles on it perhaps

[narfire]

The rear seal throwing oil is not the best thing for the clutch

[BlackWidow]

I agree with Narfire. I have a blown rear seal and it's causing the clutch to jutter when coming out of a stop after shes warm. Got a new one on the shelf just looking for some time. There shouldn't be any leaks. I soak my seals in oil before assembly and maybe that was done and your seeing the residual. I was having a time adjusting my carb myself. Turns out my choke cable was not positioned correctly so after she warmed up and I pushed the choke in it was still choked a little. I could feel it during acceleration. Slight hesitation and sputtering.

[Adam]

My new dipstick seal also had an oil leak. With the help of the forum, I put 2 pieces of heat shrink tubing on the dipstick shaft then slid the rubber stopper back into place. The 2 layers of heat shrink now make for a nice snug fitting dip stick. The rear main is over my head

[baltobernie]

Hey Tulsa, sorry to hear of your misfortune. Maybe new oil plug, or some Teflon pipe tape at every oil change. No big deal, as you say. The dipstick, is it leaking at the base or out the top? There's no gasket or seal at the base; the tube is swaged in to the opening. The tube is not very sturdy, and is easily deformed in the removal/installation process. I ended up cleaning the area w/solvent and JB welding the base of the tube. Put a little engine block paint over it, and I won't tell! If the leak is out the top, you can get a new rubber grommet from our usual vendors.

The rear seal is a serious problem, and one that I experienced on my new engine, as well. For the sake of argument, let's assume the seal was not put in backwards, the carrier is not cracked, and the gaskets (oil pan & seal carrier) are sound. If you're familiar with oil seals, you know that tension is maintained by a tiny circumferential spring contained in the lip if of the seal. Over time, the lip wears, the rubber hardens, maybe cracks. The spring begins rubbing on the journal. Perversely, the now-leaking engine oil preserves the spring and helps to cut a groove in the journal. Replacing the seal alone will not fix the leak, as oil will soon find its way around the new seal.

None of the remedies are inexpensive or easy. You can yank the engine, throw away the crank, and rebuild with a grooveless crankshaft. You can also sometimes save that crank by welding over the groove and machining the journal flush. Both of these cures are not only expensive, but frustrating. WTF didn't the machine shop see this and tell me before machining, balancing and reassembly! Another cure available to American V-8 owners (and some others, but not us) is a thin sleeve that fits over the scored journal. A slightly larger diameter seal fits the new, bigger journal.

What I ended up doing was dropping the (newly rebuilt, grrr) transmission, exhaust, and driveshaft, and removing the rear seal carrier. You can do this without removing the engine by jacking the block up a few tenths so that the two bolts going from the oil pan into the carrier can be removed and the carrier coaxed out. I took the carrier back to the machine shop, and he machined out the lip where the seal sits. Also flycut the back side of the carrier. The net result was relocating the seal 0.125" forward, with the hope that it would ride inboard of the groove. It seems to have worked, although I have only a few hundred miles on the new seal. (Be gentle with the aluminium carrier when installing the new seal, and run a bead of silicone in the mating surface; it helps ease the seal into the cavity, and prevents any leaks around the outside of the seal.) The only good thing about this expensive repair is that I fortuitously replaced both U-joints, and found one with a leg full of rust and disintegrated roller bearings. Also did the center bearing, and the car is much smoother on the highway now.

Again, sorry about the machine shop F/U, and I hope you can successfully repair your new motor. Along with the the clutch, oil spray will ruin the guibo and transmission mount over time.

[majicwrench]

I don't think he ever said his machine shop F/U??
Tulsu, in my humble opinion don't worry about a slight worn area on your crank sealing suface, if there even IS one. I see crank and cam sealing surfaces on a daily basis with a slight groove worn from the seal. No big deal.
First gotta make sure what is leaking. I assume youi have some sort of crankcase breather or vent so pressure can get out??
Rear main will not swell and seal.
Motor will not get any more performance as it "breaks in".
Oil runs down and it is easy for people to see oil leaking from the back of engine and think rear main. Almost anythign that leaks on the engine will run to the back and down.
How much does it leak>>

[fiatfactory]

.

[TulsaSpider]

Yes I do need to get under there and see if I can tell exactly where it's coming from. I was thinking today that once the rings fully seat maybe the leak will stop since there should be a reduction in pressure... it's a theory... it's just pretty damn disappointing... I posted before about this possibility when I was building it but was advised that as Majicwrench says there was a very slight groove on the shaft should not be an issue.. I'll report back...
The leak is a few drips at this point but a leak is a leak. It started after I had driven some highway miles.
My breather is an open wire mesh oil breather as you find in the auto stores.

[majicwrench]

Rings seating not gonna make a difference. What sort of breather?

[manoa matt]

Prior to dismantling/trans removal I would clean up the oil drips and snug up the bolts along the rear edge of the oil pan to see if that is the source. The area where the block, aluminum seal carrier, and oil pan all meet is also an area prone to leakage

If it turns out to be the seal, and there is a groove, here are a few more options. Grind/sand down the outer metal edge of the seal about 1mm to 1.5mm to reduce the height from 10mm to 9mm/8.5mm This will allow the seal to sit deeper in the carrier and move the sealing surface inward. Another option is to install 2 paper gaskets between the seal carrier and the block which will push the seal further outward on the crank shaft.

[jlferris]

If you have trouble pinpointing exactly where the leak is coming from you can use an automotive oil dye in the oil then drive for a short while then use a droplight with blacklight bulb and the source should be revealed good luck.

[TulsaSpider]

Found some time to get under there this evening. I thought by removing the little dust cover perhaps I could see something, wrong. I snugged up the oil pan bolts more wiped everything down good. It seemed that there was more oil on the back passenger side corner. hoping for success. We'll see

[TulsaSpider]

My new dipstick seal also had an oil leak. With the help of the forum, I put 2 pieces of heat shrink tubing on the dipstick shaft then slid the rubber stopper back into place. The 2 layers of heat shrink now make for a nice snug fitting dip stick. The rear main is over my head

It is leaking at the bottom. The dipstick is very easily pulled out. I will try the shrink tube solution as I have a bunch actually!

[baltobernie]

Adam's fix is for the grommet/stopper on the top of the dipstick. Since yours is leaking at the bottom, it's either the tube/nut swaged connection, or the threaded nut/engine block joint

[TulsaSpider]

oh oops, then perhaps the JB weld way! mine is the 2L block and it fits very loosely. May try to expand the tube a bit as well