[V8] More oil leaks! Been there, done that....

[Roger Woodbury]

I had the same trouble with a mysterious oil leak in my '93 V8.  We did the
timing belt service because it needed it, and went searching for the oil
leak because the oil cloud at the stop sign was begging to be annoying.  If
I wanted an aged Camaro with oil cloud from its antique small block, I would
have bought one.

The wrench did the timing belt and replaced ALL the seals and gaskets and
stuff.  And because "we were in there" the power steering pump, reservoir
and a partridge in a pear tree were all replaced.  

And....the damn thing still leaked.

Tore it down again.  No sign of any leak except that it WAS leaking from the
right side of the engine.

Die and black light.  

Nope. Couldn't see.

Tore off the heads and sent them out to be fluxed...maybe a crack in the
right side....oh, look THERE! That looks like an imperfect casting in the
head...maybe it leaks when it gets warm enough....hmmmmmmmmmm

NOPE. Heads were fine.  Machinist remarked about how finely made and
sophisticated the heads were....reassembled....

Still leak.

Wrench says:  "Now, I am mad.  I am going to find that leak and fix it.  We
are now working off the clock."

Tore it all down again.  Leak found:  turns out that the seal in back of the
inside of the right side timing belt cover was.....BAD....fixed seal. Fixed
leak.

That is the car that ultimately became The Gentleman's Express.

My own personal spin on the V8, is that about the time that the second
timing belt is due, the entire engine should be removed from the car, and
completely disassembled, and resealed.  

Figure the odds on doing all of that at 120,000 miles...but it could happen!

Roger

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