John & Graham-
Thanks to both for replying on this one. I think you both might be on to
something, mainly the sealing block. I did the complete engine rebuild several
months back, and she has been sitting dry since then. I did soak the wooden
wedges, but is it possible they dried out again, and will reswell? Also, John-
Where were the two extra bolts placed? I would imagine either side of the
timing cover, through the front plate, so there is less of a potential for
gapping there. Can this be done in situ as well? The bolt into the block
through the timing cover seems well tightened, with no cross threading. It
appears the leakage is from the back of the engine front plate gasket.
I am hoping I might be able to rectify this situation as noted here, as I
really do not like the idea of a front end teardown and regasket job.
Thanks again,
Scott
>Secondly, in my experience it is more likely the front sealing block leaking
than the front plate. Both these leaks will be very close together, and real
detailed analysis is needed to determine one or the other. Have you done a
complete rebuild of the engine, or has it just been idle? If rebuilt, did
you soak the wooden sealing blocks in oil before installing, if not I would
wait a week and see if it seals as the wood swells.(Graham Stretch)
Scott,
Oil leaks from around the bottom of the timing cover are depressingly
common. It is usually some sort of fault with the aluminium block, the one
with the bits of wood at either end, either distorted or a bad thread. The
UNF threads are very prone to stripping, and there was a modification around
1967 with two extra bolts into the block through the front engine plate. The
bottom timing cover bolt that goes into the ally block can be tapped out to
3/8 in situ (been there, done that), if you think the problem is from there.
John Kipping
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