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I had the oil changed on my newly acquired 1995 a couple of months ago. No leaks prior to having the oil changed and didn't notice any after it was done like a filter leaking or the drain plug gasket. About 3 weeks ago I started getting oil on the ground and it's been getting progressively worse. I checked the filter and the drain plug they are good. There's a little seepage at the rear of the intake manifold but not much. I see on here that the intake leak is common but I'm not convinced that's the issue(yet). The valve covers are totally dry. The rear of the heads by the back spark plugs look to be a wet and I'm assuming that's from the intake seeping. Where else can I check to find the leak?
Last edited by Carguytroy1; Oct 29, 2016 at 11:21 PM.
I had the oil changed on my newly acquired 1995 a couple of months ago. No leaks prior to having the oil changed and didn't notice any after it was done like a filter leaking or the drain plug gasket. About 3 weeks ago I started getting oil on the ground and it's been getting progressively worse. I checked the filter and the drain plug they are good. There's a little seepage at the rear of the intake manifold but not much. I see on here that the intake leak is common but I'm not convinced that's the issue(yet). The valve covers are totally dry. The rear of the heads by the back spark plugs look to be a wet and I'm assuming that's from the intake seeping. Where else can I check to find the leak?
When it's at the rear, 99 times out of 100 the intake needs to be resealed. The oil pressure sender is also at the back of the intake (actually threads into a "T" on the block). If you have odd oil pressure readings, the sender is often bad and can leak as well.
LT1/4 intake is "dry"...no coolant running through it...and can be pulled and resealed in ~90 minutes if you have average mechanical skills.
Btw..."The Right Stuff" is hands down the best sealant to use for this. Costs a bit more than typical RTV, but worth every penny.
Oil pressure readings look normal, high when cold, middle ish when warm at idle and high when off idle(driving etc). I felt around the pressure sender and its dry. It's definitely seeping from the back of the intake, but not a full blown leak if that makes sense. I was going to tear into the intake tomorrow but I get looking around at it and it doesn't seem to be a large enough leak compared to what's on the ground. A little oil does go a long way though I guess. With the heads being wet at the back too that's probably it right?
Do I need to drain the coolant? I see where the throttle body has coolant hoses, but wasn't sure
Last edited by Carguytroy1; Oct 30, 2016 at 12:20 AM.
You do not need to drain any coolant. There will be a small amount that will drain from the throttle body. Catch that while you cap off the lines that go to it. Very little will come out. Some will leave the tb attached to the lines and just manuaver the intake around it.
The intake itself is dry. No coolant flows to or through it. It is not like the Gen 1 SBC that had coolant flowing through the intake from the corners of the heads.
You also do not need to disconnect the lines to the fuel rail. Lift the entire fuel rail assembly (with injectors) free from the intake and rest it on a towel on the windshield.
Last edited by 96GS#007; Oct 30, 2016 at 09:27 AM.
Got it done. Thanks for the help. I used some RTV that was made for synthetic oil and on the bolts I used some thread sealer made by Permatex. Hope that was the right thing to do. Haven't done one of these for 20 years.
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