I basically did as you detailed with this six quart pan, and filter. With this fancy Lokar dipstick I got, I was lucky to be able to see 1/16 of oil on the end of the dipstick.....BEFORE the leaking began.

 

I though dipstick was to keep from getting an oil level that the crank can hit and aerate causing foam instead of oil.

If that is the case, a stock oil stick will show the level keeping it below the crank because it is mounted at the pan line which shows the relationship of oil height in the pan?

 

 

Yes, My Morroso 7 quart is 8 1/2 inches deep and I use the stock dip stick. Yes the full high mark is just below the stock L-82 main cap studs windage tray.

 

This is the case on a lot of pans but not all......the correct oil level for any pan is just below the sump baffle.....so oil doesn't slosh around. A couple of quick measurements with the engine on a stand will let you know what is going on. But it should always be checked......it is good practice.

Windages trays do work BTW...and I have built many engines with them.....but they are 100% unnecessary on the street and reap zero benefits unless you spend a lot of time above 5000rpm.......
The down side to windage trays is the lack of oil they spray upwards to the lifters.......if using a windage tray for flat tappet application.....one should run the lifters with he EDM hole at the bottom to help lube the heel of the lifter.......I will not build a customer an engine with a windage tray for the street....and I know that L-82's and LT--1's came with but I wonder why.....especially the L-82....
I like the Moroso oil pump rear baffle for hard launching cars with a stockish style pan......cheap effective oil control there.

Jebby

 

When you purchased this engine did you get an itemized parts list showing part numbers and a build sheet itemizing all labor and machining?
I'm just wondering if you actually have a 6 quart pan or maybe a mismatched or wrong dipstick for your setup?
I purchased one crate engine from a major supplier.
After all the problems I had, I said never again.
I used a local, well respected builder this time around.

 

The bubbling of the coolant only when he turns on the heat is pretty indicative of a heater core issue. The rear main seal is also unlikely. And after 3 pan gaskets I would bet money the pan is fine and the timing cover is his issue, As far as the rear main I bet its the china wall. Also even a valve cover leak can drip from the bell housing. Because the motor is nose up and oil will run to the lowest point and drip.

Another issue no one ever asks , how is the crank case ventilated. That in and of itself on a built motor. Will cause leaks from blow by. Something the best of the best motors have. And why performance motors use vac pumps to clear the crankcase. I have seen small amounts of oil pushed out of a dip stick tube only under heavy loads b/c the crank case is Un-ventilated. And make it look like a pan leak. I have also seen Chevy's only after a hard pull leak out of the china wall. While daily driving results in zero leaks.

Its not always easy to find an issue. But its even harder to find what caused it to begin with. And a well done repair should cover both topics.

 

I borrowed borescope from work and looked up in the bell housing, and the oil galley plugs on the back of the engine have wet oil on the bottom. Could be sprayed up from the leaking rear seal I suppose. I could not be more pissed off. I am pulling the damn engine. Between leaking seals on a brand new engine and unknown coolant leak,....I should have built the engine myself. While it is possible to change the rear main seal from the bottom of the car,....now that these galley plugs look wet, and oil is everywhere, for me, its just better to get the engine out of the car, check out all the plugs, have it upside down where I can get good access to the seal, and the oil pan. I have a lot of cleaning to do.

I will borescope the intake manifold, check the head bolt torque....and if necessary pull it apart. I have this winter to get it fixed and back in the car.....and the last thing I want is all these problems next spring.

 

Responses - you say bubbling is a "heater core issue"......what exactly does that mean? Are you saying the heater core is leaking? I have no coolant on the floor. Or are you saying its allowing air into the system? How? What exactly do you mean?

As for the oil leak...yes the front seal is leaking. But its not the cause of all the leaks INSIDE the bell housing. There is oil all over the INSIDE of the bell housing. And its not the china wall, or anything else on top of the engine....I have checked it many many times.

As for ventilation, I have the Wagner adjustable PCV valve, adjusted as instructed, on the left valve cover, and on the right, I have a K&N air breather. There is no oil being pushed out of the dipstick.

So, now what?

Pulling the damn engine and starting over.

 

Stay positive, it could be worse and at least you have the winter to get it done.
Keep us updated.

 

Leaking into the interior is only one possible consequence of a bad heater core it can also get plugged up with ****.. And Inside the bell housing is were all oil ends up from leaks on the back of the engine. It in and of itself is not a indicator of the source.

Vent the crank case with something more then a PCV valve no matter who its made by or how fancy it may be.

 

And after you are all done with that, go to the county courthouse and file a small claims action against the builder. I don't care if Keith Black built the engine, he did a shitty job for sure!

 

You keep commenting, but its not making sense to me or is it giving me any information on what is the cause. I have a snapping/cracking/popping noise, noticeable at idle, ONLY when the heater is turned on. The noise occurs at exactly the same time as the heater hose going into the intake manifold pulses....you can see it, and feel it. I also have a situation where I am constantly loosing coolant. I have pressure tested the system with Stant pressure tester, both engine hot and cold.....and it holds test pressure for 30 minutes. The instructions in the tester says this is enough time to show a tight system. I have replaced the thermostat and the noise stopped for awhile,....but its back again.

What I do know is this. There is NO smell of coolant inside the car. There is no coolant in the carpet. There is no coolant draining out of the hole in bottom of heater core housing. The heater is very effective and can roast me out of the car. SO.....I don't think it is plugged, and I don't think it is leaking. So.....now what? There is also no other visible evidence of coolant leaks anywhere externally. The car was NOT blowing white smoke, and it was running great, with absolutely no symptoms of any coolant leaks internally.

I will say I pulled all the plugs out today....and they have a brown tint to them. All the same....and the headers have the same brown tint inside.

As for the oil leak, I find it hard to believe oil coming from the front of the engine, or from the china wall, or the heads, or anywhere else would migrate the whole way to the top INSIDE of the bell housing, as well as leaking from the seam between the bell housing and the Borg T10 transmission. There is wet oil on the pipe plugs in the back of the motor, above the cam freeze plug. But there is now oil everywhere....a huge f***** mess.

I have TWO problems here.....and I am looking for answers. The engine is almost out of the car. Once out I will be looking everywhere for causes of these two issue

As for ventilation.....I have no idea why I would need a vacuum pump. I have an open K&N air filter breather on the right side, and a Wagner PCV valve, which is more effective than a stock PCV, on the left side. Why is this not enough to ventilate a basic Chevy V8 that has 8000 miles on it. Why? And what type of ventilation system is available that would be better? Answers. Another point is that these 8000 miles of driving have been at normal street speeds, I have only taken the engine to 6000 RPM once, most of the time I don't exceed 4000 RPM....and that is rare. With this engine, there is so much torque, I have no need to push it any harder....I am going 70 mph without pushing it. Why does this engine need a vaccuum pump?

 

If you want to take out any doubt of it being the heater core or anything related to the thermostat, pull the thermostat and bypass the heater core and see if the pulsing stops.
Do one at a time so you can pinpoint which may be the issue.
Another thing you could check is to see if the lower radiator hose is collapsing under pressure.

 

Your crankcase venting is fine, especially if you're not dripping oil out of the K&N. If that happens after any high rpm runs you'd need more vent capacity or a catch can. I prefer just 2 vents and no pcv.

 

perhaps hand the assembled motor over to a local, genuine pro for the autopsy ?

 

Yeah.....I have had it with "pro's". I trust myself. I have respect for those that earned respect....otherwise, being a pro means very little to me. It means you got paid for the job.

 

Now this…..oil drain plug

 

damn.
hard to see what those coils of metal are,
regardless, they should not be there.

 

Could be old shavings from cleaning or tapping threads.
Someone didn't do a thorough enough job of cleaning things up before assembly.
You should take the time to open the oil filter and see what you find inside.