jclayc

iTrader: (8)

I had a small oil leak from between the bellhousing and engine for a while (like a drop a day) so when I put a LS7 clutch, etc. in about 6 months ago, I installed a new rear engine cover with the rear main seal already installed like this one. I torqued to spec, installed a little RTV at the bottom corners, made sure the rear cover bottom aligned with the oil pan, etc. After re-installing everything, the tiny leak didn't go away - no big deal but odd.

After a track day last week, the leak developed into about a tablespoon (or more) a day. It still looks like it's coming from the little bellhousing weep hole but oil is also up on the starter bolts and all of the bolts connecting the bellhousing to engine.

So... I made sure the oil pressure sending unit and heads weren't leaking (they aren't) and have pulled the trans back out again, figuring I didn't install, clean or align the rear cover/seal correctly. The other possibility is that the crank freeze plug or oil pan itself is leaking. When I look at the rear cover, it looks like oil is coming out from all the rear cover bolts... the rear main looks like it has some oil around it but not a clear dribble around it. My questions:

How could I tell if the freeze plug was leaking? It looks like there might be a tiny bit of oil behind the pilot bearing but not a ton.

I bought the rear cover with the seal already installed so I wouldn't have to worry about putting the seal in correctly. Am I right that I just need to slide the cover and seal onto the crank, with no worries about seal lips or seating other than making sure there's no oil on the crank journal & alignment?

I took the rear cover/seal off and, after I did, oil looks like it is dribbling down below the crank - see the pic below. I think that's normal. Can someone confirm?





Thanks in advance!

meatyCTS-V

On other cars I've worked on, When removing the flywheel and bolts, there has been at times (depending on the angle of the car) a little oil coming out of the bolt holes for the flywheel.

Have you checked to make sure it's not transmission fluid coming from the seal at the input shaft?

jclayc

iTrader: (8)

I thought about it being from the trans input shaft, but it's definitely motor oil coming out and not trans fluid.

Sleeper S10

iTrader: (13)

Were you able to pin point where the oil was coming out from?

jclayc

iTrader: (8)

Just got back from my 2nd re-assembly shakedown run. Looks like everything is fixed! I'm not absolutely sure it was the rear seal but I put a new one in anyway. (I'm not sure it was the rear seal b/c there wasn't a lot of oil on the flywheel and none on the clutch.) I think it was either oil coming out past the disintegrated dipstick o-ring or (more likely) the loosening oil pan rear bolts and lack of RTV on the corners of the rear cover.

I took this chance to do three other things I highly recommend: put in a brass shifter cup, upgraded to a creative steel trans mount & installed DEI tunnel shield in place of the factory trans heat shield ( ). Trans slop is gone and things are nice and quiet/cool.

Sleeper S10

iTrader: (13)

Glad you got that sorted out!