New oil leak - new leak resolved

supergnat

Senior Member
I have a new oil leak just below the water pump. Oil bubbles out at the head gasket and runs down the front of the engine. I recently replaced the fan, outlet neck, upper radiator hose and added a 160 degree thermostat. Could I have caused this new leak? Should I re-torque the head nuts and see if the leak stops?

I have an oil consumption problem with this engine. I use about a quart every 50 miles and only fill it to half way between the full and add lines. Oil fumes and splatters come out of the filler tube with the filler cap installed (the tabs are working correctly). Oil appears to leak from the front and rear of the engine too. It doesn’t smoke much.

Any suggestions on what I should do next?

Thanks,
Supergnat
 
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Re: New oil leak

check the compression . all should be close (10#) . i believe you have a head gasket out or the motor is worn out .................. steve
 
Re: New oil leak

Go ahead and re torque the head to start. 55 ftpounds and see if it fixes your first problem. Remember to start from the center out.
 
Re: New oil leak

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll check the compression later today and then retorque the head and recheck the compression to see if the compression measurements change. First I need to find an adapter wrench. I sure can't afford a rebuild to do a rebuild.

Murry29, I have a 28 Leatherback (60A). The paint is not original and I believe the top was painted black when the painting color was changed.

Thanks,
Supergnat
 
Re: New oil leak

How long has it been since the head bolt torque was last checked ?? It can't hurt to check it again and see what happens.. If all compression are within 10% or less than 10# from each other and if it runs good other than the oil consumption,, what the heck,, why not run it.. Have you tried running it at the low oil mark to see if that helps the consumption ?? I don't like doing that either,, but,, some engines just throw some oil until the level gets where they want it.. If it marks its territory wherever you park it, just tell everyone it has either British or Harley relatives..
 
Well I discovered what caused the new leak and I am somewhat embarrassed to explain what happened. As I mentioned, I replaced the outlet neck recently. I read all the cautions about being careful not to over tighten the bolts which might result in breaking the tabs. I did not realize that the mounting bolts are also head bolts. I did not torque them when I replaced the neck. That caused the leak at the head gasket. All of the bolts were torque correctly except the neck mounting bolts. I fixed that and now no leak at the head. Easy solution!!
Thanks to all who made suggestions. By the way, my compression readings are 54, 55, 55, and 55. Now I need to figure out what is causing the other oil leaks.
Thanks,
Supergnat
 
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