rithsleeper

I'm getting what looks like oil pooling between my injectors and the rear of the manifold near the distributor hole... I'm thinking it might actually be dirty gas? But this a brand spankin new engine. The stealth ram was cut and welded lower and done well but maybe I'm missing something. It looks like it is coming from where the runners meet the plenum on top. If it is oil how in the world is it even up there?

I'm in the very first stages of tuning and the car is running really rich because I'm tracking some ignition problems (if you have read some of my other posts. . Not sure if it may be spitting back through a backfire in the intake or something. I do not have any pcv valves (just breathers) or even an egr valve. I just have three vaccum tubes, one for my map sensor, one for booster, and one fuel pressure regulator.

Here is the pooling between the injectors:

Here is the rear pooling. This is after it runs for about 2 minutes.

And here I'm not sure if you can see the trail it is taking down the back of the runner...

bjankuski

Look very closely at the middle cylinder head to intake manifold bolts. The center bolts are slotted to allow the use of 90 degree bolt heads and 72 degree bolt heads. I have seen the slot on the intake just slightly over hang the intake gasket allowing oil from the valley to leak out and pool on the intake. This same thing happened on my stealth ram.

BOOT77

I'd check the fuel rail and fittings right by it, they could be spraying the intake and making it look like it's leaking form there. Even maybe the valvecover/breather, distributor gasket or oil sending unit fittings. Possible coolant form the bolt threads if you didn't use a sealer on them when installing the new intake or just a bad seal on the gasket. All stuff visible form your pics.

Pretty much I'd stick my finger in it and if it smells like fuel I'd check everything related and same with oil. Kinda looks dark for coolant but idk what your running. GL

rithsleeper

It is coming from above the runners. Not the manifold bolts. It smells a bit like fuel but it has to be oil with fuel in it because it didnt evaporate after a week. I just can't imagine how it is getting up that far in the runner.

I put arp's torque grease on each bolt but maybe I need to put rtv. Only wild theory I have is it is leaking into the runner and getting blown back by the can overlap? I get a tiny puff of smoke after it sits for a week because it is a brand new engine and I doubt the rings have seated properly since I haven't been able to run it hard due to ignition issue.

The car is on jack stands so could the crank be scraping the oil pooled in the back and doing something? It is just so far away from any oil passageways....

cardo0

Have a cigar!

Heres a trick i recently say on u-twit. Blow cigar smoke into the intake through a vac hose (like the power brake line). Look for the smoke coming out.

Kinda confused here whether oil leak is from the bolts w/o sealer or pin-hole weld leaks or even bad gaskets. But u need to find out why u dont have vacuum pulling this oil inward instead of outward. Leads me to think u have a crankcase overpressure problem or even excessive blowby past the rings. What are u using for crankcase ventilation?

Last here oil contamination will lower your octane rating of fuel and prevent any accurate tuning.

1 - Find the leak.

2 - Verify good vacuum and crankcase ventilation.

3 - Retune once the oil contamination is stopped.

bjankuski

Is the valley on your stealth ram sealed off with an extra plate welded in? If not the valley is open all the way to the plenum and oil and vapors could leak out from under the runners if there is a poor weld or casting.

blackozvet

check the distributor gasket too, sometimes they dont seal well on the underside, and if they leak it will cause oil pooling like yours,
a smear of RTV on the underside of the gasket to the face of the manifold can cure it.
(just another suggestion )