engine rear seal

[thrival]

Hi VZ;

Missed your message, haven't checked this board for a while.

As a matter of fact I do have oil dripping off the starter bolts,
and the support rods holding the tranny up. Most is dripping off the
pan near the rear seal / bell housing but maybe because that's the
lowest point on the engine. If I feel up near the dip at the front of
the oil pan, it's wet, and the puddle on the cement is at the rear of
the pan.

I can't really see or tell where it's coming from, just too hard to see
up there. I redid the intake manifold early this spring and the silicone
seems to be holding. The valve covers seem tight, no leaks or wet
spots around them. Could the head have separated? Cracked block? How does
a person find an oil leak???

[1976Scottsdale]

Lay the pan upside down on a truly flat surface and see if there are any dimples at the bolt holes.  Fix those as needed.  Now, did you apply sealant to the rubber strips that fit into the timing cover and rear main cap?  If so, did you remove all of the old rap first and rinse/scrub the surfaces with acetone or prep-all?  Check the back of the intake manifold for oil as well as the back of the valve covers.  If you happen to have a one piece rear main seal on you engine, then you may want to consider a rear main seal sleeve.

[ccz145a]

Definately check the back of you intake. If the leak started after you installed the intake, this would be the logical source.

[VileZambonie]

pick up some oil dye tracer and pour it in the engine. You can get a small UV light for a couple bucks or one of those ones that Napa sells with the pen. You can't miss it that way.

[thrival]

Actually the leak started BEFORE I did the manifold which WAS loose
but seemed to've fixed it. Then started leaking at the bell-housing
(seems to be running down inside the gravel-shield front of the bell-housing)
which is why I thought it might be the rear seal; but have since
determined that the rear seal is inside of and behind the oil pan seals.
Changed the rear seal twice, don't think that's it.

The last attempt I used blue silicone as a sealer and allowed to dry 24
hours before driving, by the advice of a local mechanic. The end seals are
wet so I need to do something else.

I've tried a lot of things to date for sealers. The 3M weatherstriping is
a good adhesive but leaks when exposed to hot oil. This next time I might
just crazy glue the end rubbers down and fill the gap inside and out with
the Right-Stuff. Cork gaskets are NOT the problem, a little of the Right-Stuff
on bolts prevents leaks there.

UV blue dye; that's a great idea, I'll try it! thanks!