[V8] Heads & Oil Leaks

[dsaad at icehouse.net]

I don't know how good or bad the head gaskets are, but I do know that a lot of
people who were certain they had leaking head gaskets really had a different
leak. There are lots of places for leaks. If you look at the parts blowup you
will find several O-rings on both ends of the heads, as well as the distributor
with its associated parts, the cam bearing blocks actually have to be sealed,
the valve cover gasket, and probably even more than this. The best chance for
success I think is to get the motor cleaned up real well, and start chasing. You
may even try some dye.

Dave

Quoting Paul Jager <pjager at telus.net>:

> Is there a sort of chronic issue with the the head/block interface on the
> 3.6 and 4.2's. They don't appear to be as reliable as say a Porsche 928 V8
> motor. Lots of talk on the European forums too about the head gaskets.
>
> My engine may be leaking from the gasket, back end driver's side. Service
> record for my '93 shows heads re/re at something like 70K under warranty
> (bill $4000+) . Had this leak from the time I've had the car (105K). Just
> did the distr seals etc., still leaks. I run 0W30 to reduce the flow. No
> leaks when the engine is hot. I'll have to re-install my drip shields!
>
> My theory is this block is really short, which is a design challenge. There
> may not be enough surface area for a reliable seal if the surfaces are
> anything short of perfect condition, and perfectly installed.
>
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> Paul Jager
> www.jageng.com
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