Small oil leak

[jtre]

Looks like my recent timing chain cover gasket repair (5.0) didn't work quite as well as I would have hoped...been dealing with small drops of oil under my truck whenever I park it for a few hours for about 2 weeks and 180 miles...just added 1/2 qt today (for my reference, the difference between the min and max lines is 1qt, correct?). It seems to be coming from the oil pan gasket (the section I replaced in my repair at the front of the engine)...coated the suspect area in flour (saw a tip where a guy used gold bond, same effect of creating a while backdrop) and added UV dye, we will see the result tomorrow. Is it necessary to remove the engine to do a timing cover and oil pan gasket repair properly? Or would putting a bead of RTV on the outside be effective? My father is paranoid about any oil in the driveway, so it seems like I am banished to parking in the street until I can resolve the issue.

 

[SupaSwope]

Yeah min and max is 1 Quart. and The 5.0s like to leak oil from a couple of places, the favorite seeming to be the rear main seal.

 

[lobo411]

I would invest in a large piece of cardboard. Park on top of it. Problem solved.

 

[jtre]

Yeah min and max is 1 Quart. and The 5.0s like to leak oil from a couple of places, the favorite seeming to be the rear main seal.

i suspect the oil pan gasket where it meets the TC because that is where i did the repair, plus there is oil all over the front crossmember

 

[jtre]

I did try Blue Devil, seems to have helped a bit...any other products people have had success with? Or maybe a heavier grade oil?

 

[koda2000]

Move out and get your own place.

 

[jtre]

Move out and get your own place.

LOL i wish, but theyre paying for my college so I cant complain too much

 

[jtre]

So does the engine have to be removed for this repair to be done properly? How hard is that to do on the 5.0?

 

[SupaSwope]

Depends on the leak. If its on the front of the engine like you said, you could drop the front of the pan slightly to access that part of the gasket to be replaced. If its the rear main seal, that would require removal of the drive shaft, tranny, flexplate. And sometimes they leak from the valve covers and drip down the engine.

Like what has already been said. You need to find out where that leak is coming from exactly and go from there.

 

[1998Exp]

If it's any consolation, I have been working on my cars longer than I care to admit, and managed to screw up this timing cover reseal job exactly the same way, with oil dripping from the front of the pan. The second attempt was much better... If you redo the job, make sure to seal the timing cover to the block well and re-torque the bolts after a day or so, or you'll end up trading an oil leak for a coolant leak... Those paper gaskets are too thin to fill the gap if the timing cover is just a bit out of plane. Was able to find a metal gasket instead, but can't remember from whom. I'd apply a bunch of gasket sealant on both sides, or even ditch the paper gasket altogether.

 

[koda2000]

I've had excellent success using K-Seal to stop the V8 timing cover coolant leak. Stopped a pretty constant drip almost immediately and it has never leaked again (that was 3 years/30,000+ miles ago). I'm not one for miracle cures in a bottle but K-Seal really works. It saved me a ton of time and aggravation on a vehicle with 200,000 miles on it.

 

[jtre]

Its definitely the front of the pan, im thinking, for now, I will just live with it. leaked a bit after sitting since friday but didnt register on the dip stick yet.

 

[lobo411]

Wise choice. It's 20 years old. It's just gonna leak, even if it's only a few drops from the rear main seal. Not worth tearing things up and possibly causing even more problems imo.

 

[jtre]

will this kind of leak get worse over time? I am in the process of potentially selling the truck to someone else, but is it possible with this kind of leak for it to suddenly let go and lose a lot of oil very fast? I have a month until I need to take it back to school (about 100 miles), so I guess I will keep an eye on it and see if the rate of the leak changes, but is it possible for a leak like this to get to a point where I can't make it 100 miles without adding oil?

 

[koda2000]

I would guess an oil pan gasket leak would remain pretty constant, not really getting a worse.

 

[CDW6212R]

If you can get everything cleaned very very well around that oil pan and TC area, it is possible to seal the leak without dealing with the bolts etc. I did it with my last LSC, a 90 Lincoln with the pan gasket leaking along most of the left side/rear. Those 302HO's use a similar gasket, though worse, rubber with small steel rings around the holes, and a steel plate along the pan for support. But the seals do shrink etc, over time, and the metal used as part of the gasket stops you from tightening it more than a certain level.

Anyway, I cleaned the crap out of that, and sealed over the seam, with Ultra Black. I was doubtful that I could get it clean enough, but it did work. It hasn't leaked since, and it's got over 120k miles more since then. I sold it to a friend right after that repair.

Ultra Black RTV, and the other colors, they seal tight onto any clean surface. If you can locate the leak, and clean thoroughly along both sides of it, dig out any material(gasket/rubber) from the seam, final prep with brake cleaner, it can be sealed. It's worth a shot, or else take the timing cover back off, and maybe have the same luck again.

 

[1998Exp]

will this kind of leak get worse over time? I am in the process of potentially selling the truck to someone else, but is it possible with this kind of leak for it to suddenly let go and lose a lot of oil very fast? I have a month until I need to take it back to school (about 100 miles), so I guess I will keep an eye on it and see if the rate of the leak changes, but is it possible for a leak like this to get to a point where I can't make it 100 miles without adding oil?

Most likely won't get worse. However, while driving at freeway speeds the leaking oil will be sprayed by the airflow, and you will get a nice oil coating all over the bottom of your vehicle, possibly causing a stink from burning it on whatever hot surface it finds.

 

[CDW6212R]

Yes, that leak will spread all over the bottom of the engine and everything behind it. My 98 truck has a tiny leak also, around the side of my oil pan, and it's not bad enough to worry with, but it does attract dirt to that area from the oil filter down and back to the trans. If you are leaving any puddle at all, that'll make a big mess of the underside.

 

[jtre]

hopefully it wont be too bad, i only put maybe 3k miles per year on it or so