Persistent oil leak from somewhere?

[AR67GTX]

OK - This is not a major issue as in my motor is knocking, or blowing smoke, or won’t start but it is starting to irritate me. Last spring I replaced the rear seal, the oil pan and gaskets and the valve cover gaskets on my Hemi. I think it had a side seal leak on the rear seal retainer but also some drips coming down from above, some of which I got stopped. I’m still getting a drip from the weep on my clutch cover and oil (or trans lube) along the bottom of the transmission.

The only external signs of leaks ( other than a drop hanging on the very bottom of the clutch cover) are a drop usually on the lower choke tube going into the underside of the exhaust manifold, and a drop usually hanging on the right-rear lug on the block above the choke tube - circled in the photo. I made the mistake of wiping them off before I decided I needed to take some pictures.

I can’t find where this is from. The valve cover edges are dry and they were slowly retightened using threaded studs over a period of several weeks.

The bulk of the oil is settling into the gap between the clutch cover and the block - on the sides and the rear - nothing really along the front. The inside of the bell housing is pretty dry - no oil being slung around. The rear main area looks dry although I could see a very slight sheen at the bottom of the left side seal, although it could be there from the block rail. I don’t see any drip on the left side of the engine but there is a lot of oil in between the clutch cover and bell housing gap on that side. Here are a bunch of pictures of the bell housing interior, rear main, oil sitting on bell housing flange. It’s hard to get a good shot inside. The oil collected between the clutch cover and the bell housing represents ver few miles since I last cleaned it up - maybe 50 or 60.

Are A833s known for leaks at the input or the countershaft bore (like Muncies)? I’m sort of wondering if some of this might be from the front of the transmission and seeping down between it and the bell-housing and then collecting in the cover gap and flowing downhill towards the block and also back on the belly of the transmission. This seems to be what the drip off the bottom of the clutch cover comes from. It could be running the other way - from the engine, up the sloping flange to the transmission - but that seems unlikely ( flowing uphill) and I don’t see any sign of a large enough engine leak to generate all that oil back there. A transmission leak wouldn’t explain the oil on the choke tube and right-rear of the block so that’s still a mystery but it does seem to be a minor drip anyway. Of course part of the problem is the Hemi engine itself that make getting into tight places to see virtually impossible.

And finally, I put some dye in the oil last winter but the UV test light for seeking AC leaks isn’t picking it up. Anyone know of a good dye that a UV light will really light up?

 

[pnora]

Get a mirror and flash light and look that rear intake sealing area closely. I try to get my hand back there and follow the sealing surface with my fingers and then look for oil on my finger tips. If I do get wet oil I brake clean the back well and dry it out. Then run it and keep checking. That oil will wick through the bell and drip like a rear main. Once you figure the mirror and light angles it is easier to see.

 

[AR67GTX]

Thanks. I’ve rummaged around in there with my hand and even ran my inspection camera back there without finding anything but since I’m still having some issues I will try it again. With all the heat and choke tubes, oil sender and an auxiliary oil gage pickup back there it’s crowded.

I should have added the outside of the bell housing is dry, at least all along the sides. But even if it was leaking down directly on top of it, I would think some would come down the sides.

 

[GetX'd]

I’ve always heard if it doesn’t leak from somewhere it ain’t a b body ……

 

[AR67GTX]

Looks like I’m going to have plead guilty to crying wolf. I do have some oil down below the sender unit. I know I’ve tried probing around down there but I must have imagined I used my inspection camera on it - Can’t explain. I’ll have to remove a heat tube bolt holding the sender heat shield and see if it will tighten up.

So, all for now until I get that done.

thanks

 

[gtx6970]

I was going to say oil sender or intake to block / head seal. dont forget the plug across from the oil sender

I just went thru this a few weeks ago and ended up being the rear corners of the valve covers. on both sides.

Which reminds me, I need to order gaskets
I will be pulling them in a month or so and go thru the valves . They are starting to click a bit more than usual

 

[AR67GTX]

Thanks I installed an under dash oil gage gage fitting on the other plug last year and carefully doped up the fittings with pipe sealer so it doesn’t look to be leaking. Still a mystery to me how I missed the oil on the factory sender side as I know I explored it before. I’m hoping it just needs some sealer and tightening and that the intake is OK. Do the easier stuff first.

 

[dvw]

Plug the pcv and dipstick. Air up at the the breather port. Use a $7 Harbor Frieght regulator set at about 3-5 psi. The leak will show easily.
Doug

 

[AR67GTX]

Might have to try that. But I’ll seal up the oil sender first.

 

[Dave6T4]

It's not leaking; it's just marking its territory! ( I was thinking oil pressure sender when first reading your post. )

 

[ckessel]

Degrease the engine, trans, steering. Check in with the dealer or parts store or tool trucks and get some dye. Put it in the engine, trans and steering[ if p/s]. Drive it for 30 minutes or so. Get ahold of a black light and look around. It will show the source of the leak. Dye has been around for many years. At the dealers I worked at, it got used quite a bit. Stops the guessing. It's also available for a/c and fuel[ just use the oil dye]. But fyi, you need to clean off the current Exxon Valdez first so you don't waste your time.

 

[AR67GTX]

I’ve put dye in the engine but it’s not showing up under my light I use for AC leak checks. Do you have a specific dye that works well?

 

[ckessel]

I've used the stuff from the dealer before as it was easy to get. Needs to be for engine but same stuff works for trans, stg, fuel if I remember correctly. The container held maybe a tablespoon of dye in it. Pretty concentrated. If you are trying to see the dye pattern during the day, you might wait till it gets dark. May show up better. I believe you can get black light bulbs off of Amazon or, who knows, try a pot shop since black lights were a 60's/70's thing. If you find one, put on some Doors, Grateful Dead, Zeppelin etc to set the mood.

 

[ckessel]

Mopar #5010042ab according to a quick Safari search. The other OE's have similar.

 

[AR67GTX]

Looks like the easy solution isn’t panning out. Pulled the oil sender out and resealed it but it didn’t look like it had been leaking. After blindly rummaging around back there with my fingers I came across the intake gasket on the rear china rail is pushed way out in the center area which looks like the oil source. I don’t see how that easily happens as there are dowels across there to locate it. So looks like I will be pulling the intake in the future. Hate that - the paint on the intake and fasteners is perfect shape. Couple pictures.

Any recommendations on gaskets and new mounting bolts. The hex head sockets on my bolts take a 4.5 mm hex wrench - that can’t be original?

 

[AR67GTX]

Probably time to start a new thread.

 

[Cranky]

Probably time to start a new thread.

Have you been running it hard and the PCV isn't hooked up or not vacuuming well? Been there with small blocks. Pushed out both china rail gaskets on a 318 that was seeing 6200......

 

[pnora]

I figured that is where you would find the leak.

 

[AR67GTX]

No, I havent been running it hard. I’ve hardly had much chance to drive it at all for all the sorting out. I’ve concluded you never own a Hemi - it owns you. The pvc valve rattles good but I haven't checked the vacuum draw.

 

[ckessel]

Looks like the easy solution isn’t panning out. Pulled the oil sender out and resealed it but it didn’t look like it had been leaking. After blindly rummaging around back there with my fingers I came across the intake gasket on the rear china rail is pushed way out in the center area which looks like the oil source. I don’t see how that easily happens as there are dowels across there to locate it. So looks like I will be pulling the intake in the future. Hate that - the paint on the intake and fasteners is perfect shape. Couple pictures.

View attachment 1399679View attachment 1399680

Any recommendations on gaskets and new mounting bolts. The hex head sockets on my bolts take a 4.5 mm hex wrench - that can’t be original?

You may have repop fasteners which are not US made. I've run into stuff like that for awhile now. Threads are correct but you need metric tools. Bolts, nuts, fittings etc.