Question : on typical oil leaks

[solows10]

where are they normaly at mine is leaking very bad know and i need an idea on where to start

[alenhoff]

i would start with washing off the engine at the car wash. one with an undercarriage spray or by hand at the car wash. 2 common spots i've noticed on both my 3.1 and my 3.4 are the oil pan, and the plug where the distributor used to be that still drives the oil pump. its on top of the lower intake on the driver side. if you find that it is leaking around the lower intake area then repost. a good fix for that plug leaking is mentioned by a post at http://60degreev6.com/forum/f100/dis...ve-plug-t44352 and i don't mean the part about welding it shut. it has to be removable to access it if you rebuild the block as well as other reasons.

[pocket-rocket]

If it leaks bad all of the sudden, I would look at the dist. plug like alenhoff mentions. It is a very common and problematic thing on any 60* engines.

[SofaKingWeToddDid]

if washing your engine yields you no visible results, then i would say its time to take the upper and lower intake manifolds off.

when i got my 3.4 out of another car, it had 120,000km on it. i figured the timing was just done, the thing shouldnt leak or burn oil. lets take it.

well i was wrong. it PISSED oil like crazy!!! when i removed the intake manifolds i found the oil pump drive seal to be leaking, as well as a destroyed PCV hose. so i replaced the hose, the gasket to the plate it comes off of, and i did my best fix on the drive pump seal, but it leaked. thats when i found my fast fix that i mentioned in that link above.
if you need more detailed instructions, just let me know ill be happy to type for a little while!

[solows10]

ok so what do i have to take off to get to it im not 100% sure on where it is

[pocket-rocket]

Removing your airbox and tube that goes to the TB, and the exhaust crossover is a good place to start. Then at least with the help of a flashlight or drop light you should be able to see the dist. o ring.

[solows10]

is the cross over pipe hard to get out ive never had to mess with that one

[pocket-rocket]

It can be a little bit of a pain to wiggle out, but not impossible. You might end up using a few colorful metaphors while doing it, though.

[SofaKingWeToddDid]

the crossover doesnt really come all the way out, but when you remove the 6 nuts that hold it in place it goes pretty far off to the side. however if you are unsure of whats under the LIM i would take both intake manifolds off. its really not that hard. (i have a 10 second throttle body hook up procedure too) lol but i wouldnt JUST take off the crossover to check on whats leaking because you cant actually see all the way down there to the PCV hose to check on its condition. IF its just the oil pump drive seal (IF) then you CAN get to it by taking off the airbox and breather hose, then the crossover pipe. i have a couple pics of my LIM removed. just let me know ill post some links if you care to see.

[solows10]

care too see i need all the litle pointers i can get

[SofaKingWeToddDid]

sure thing. its pretty easy once you start gettin down to it, just remember not to FORCE anything out or in. and if something isnt sitting right, its probably pinching wires or vacuum lines. (the UIM is a can sometimes catch things the first time you set it on the LIM)


This is with both intake manifolds off, PCV valve is connected to the hose on the left, that rectangle plate can be leaking too, it has a cheap gasket in it. (canadian tire had the PERFECT gasket kit for this (minus the oil pump drive seal)


this is the LIM still on


I take the fuel rail and lay it on the rad support. if your lines cant take this, they need to be replaced anyhow.

i hear a chevy 350 distributor gasket will seal the oil pump drive seal nicely. i used a sheet of gasket material and found sockets the sizes i thought were appropriate, traced two rings and cut them out with scissors. then cut an opening into that ring of gasket, and coated it in gasket maker. then after cleaning the under side of the cap (too much typing) i used the caps ability to spin, to help guide the gasket i made underneath it, lined up the cut i made to get it around and tightened the bracket to hold it down. i dont think it leaks... lol i havent lost any oil since i did the change a week ago.


Edit: if you need to, click on the pictures. they go HUGE. i bet your moniter isnt big enough to get the whole thing in view! lol

[SofaKingWeToddDid]

incase you needed some more 'pointers'

am i aiming you in any direction that makes you feel more confident? basically the oil is only really going to leak from a few spots, and no matter what theyre going to be on the engine. its just a matter of where, and replacing the seal or hose. all im tryin to say, is just remember where you took things off from, and put it back the same way.

[pocket-rocket]

sure thing. its pretty easy once you start gettin down to it, just remember not to FORCE anything out or in. and if something isnt sitting right, its probably pinching wires or vacuum lines.

Like the FPR vac. hose. That's an easy one to get in there.

[SofaKingWeToddDid]

Like the FPR vac. hose. That's an easy one to get in there.

EXACTLY the first time i took it off, got it all back together... this was the very line i pinched. the car started, then reved to the limiter and would just bounce off of it!! hahaha so i took it apart one more time and when i put it back together i spent an extra 20 mins or so to look around, make sure nothing was left out or squished, pinched or whatever. THEN started to tighten down the UIM the LIM is pretty idiot proof.

but how are the pictures? do they help ya figure? i might pull my UIM off tomorrow just to check on my FPR and put a new coolant temp sensor in. (i dont think i HAVE to, but i will anyhow.

last time it took me just under an hour to get it off, tried to reseal the Oil Pump Drive Seal (OPDS?) and put it back together. but i didnt do the job good enough so i had to re do it.

[tinindian95]

I need to do this job also, where can I find a list of torque values for this motor? Never mind I found it right here on this site.