jlee29

iTrader: (5)

06' LQ4/t-56 in 240sx... Due to a small amount of oil collecting on the bottom of bellhousing, I put a new oil pan gasket (Gto oil pan) and a new rear main seal/cover gasket (Seal pressed in by the local GM dealership). I took it for a ride and now it is leaking worse than it was before I wiped everything down and believe I have located the leak. It is coming from the rear-most driverside oil pan bolt area, just in front of the bellhousing.. seems to be from the pan gasket.

When installing main cover I did not have the proper tool but I spent a lot of time making sure it was all flush and aligned.. I also put a small amount of RTV on the crack were front and rear covers meet the block.

Any idea of what i may be doing wrong? I have to pull the motor to remove oil pan completely so I sure as hell dont want to do this a 3rd time. I can drop the pan an inch to try a little more RTV in that larger area on the back left, without completely pulling pan off.

bww3588

iTrader: (49)

if i remember correctly, the front and rear covers have to sit 2mm above or below the block surface. dont remember exactly which in order to seal correctly. i didnt have the fixture either, i just used a depth mic to get it where i needed it.

jlee29

iTrader: (5)

Alright thanks, ill see if I can find whether its suppose to be above or below... that could be the problem bc I aligned it flush...

PitchblackC3

iTrader: (3)

I aligned the front cover using the pulley and then tightened it once I had both sides at the same level.
Where exactly is it leaking from? Good oil pressure?

Johnny-LT1-runner

iTrader: (15)

I've found that it is near impossible to get the covers lined up flush with the block. They are manufactured that way. The best you can do is make sure that the gap is the same on both sides and aligned properly at the same level. The covers sit just slightly below the block's oil pan surface, if the engine's upside down. I don't know the purpose, but that's just the way it works.

edwardzracing

iTrader: (59)

I had a similar issue with a rebuild that was still unfired. It was leaking from the rear and really pissed me off. I of course didn't realize it until I had the transmission bolted up already, and there was no way I was going to start it without knowing where that leak was coming from. So I tore it apart, and came to find out it was leaking between the rear main COVER, and oil pan. I dropped the pan just a touch, and put a little bit of silicone between the two... problem solved. Anyways, just thought I'd share what worked for me. Keep us posted on what you find out / resolves the issue.

Thanks & good luck.

Brad

jlee29

iTrader: (5)

Thanks guys, I drained oil out and loosened the bolts enough to drop pan, I cleaned in the area where it was leaking between rear main cover and oil pan gaskets.. and squeezed some red rtv in there... if that fails, I guess my next option is to pull the motor n trans AGAIN... FML I hope this works.

jlee29

iTrader: (5)

Alright guys I pulled the motor, put it on an engine stand, turned it over and installed the oil pan and rear cover to the best of my ability, with a little RTV where the block>pan>cover come together. I get it all back together and IT STILL LEAKS!!!! There were no visible defects in the pan/block/or cover surfaces, and all new gaskets were used and cleaned thoroughly.

The oil is coming from the left rear outer main cap bolt area, so I put a 10mm socket on it just to see if it was loose and it turned very easily, I didn't turn it much at all but it was considerably loose. Could that be leaking? Can I do anything about it. Im very frustrated with this leak!

I also checked the large Allen head plug just above the rear left main bolt and it was tight.

It drips about a drop per 5 seconds with it idling.

jlee29

iTrader: (5)

I need some advice guys, i'm suppose to dyno tune my car tomorrow...

bww3588

iTrader: (49)

did you use a good thread sealent and a dab of RTV on the heads of all the side main cap bolts?

XtraCajunSS

iTrader: (2)

I have the proper Kent Moore tools to align the front and rear covers of an LS engine. Both the front and rear covers should be perfectly flush with the oil pan rails on the block. The tool has a relieved area to allow the front and rear gasket sealing o-ring to protrude below the surfaces and mesh with the little "tick-tac-toe" imprint on the oil pan gasket. You should use a "pea-sized" amount of RTV on each of the four spots on the oil pan gasket or on the areas where the front and rear cover gaskets protrude below the oil pan rails. Each of the side cover bolts should also have a bit of RTV on the underside of the heads.

Shane

jlee29

iTrader: (5)

The side main cap bolts have never been touched motor has 30k on it. Thanks xtracajunSS. I have a new plan. I'm going to pull the motor and loosen the rear cover bolts so it has wiggle room, bolt the oil pan on first (so it pulls the rear cover down flush with the pan) Then bolt rear cover last.... The first times I was tightening rear cover and trying to make it as flush as I could. I am thinking the 2 bolt holes in the bottom of cover will draw it even with the pan. Along with more RTV.

XtraCajunSS

iTrader: (2)

Good plan. If you don't have the alignment tools, the oil pan should be used to align the covers vertically. Always torque the bottom cover bolts (coming though the pan) first.

Glad I could help.

Shane

jlee29

iTrader: (5)

Update* after installing the cover and oil pan properly, it still leaks! Pulled the motor and found that the corner of my block is cracked all the way through, FML. I am going to try n weld it.. obviously not just hitting it with a stick welder, but its at least worth trying... the crack is luckily not in a load bearing / critical place...

jlee29

iTrader: (5)

What I ended up doing was heliarc welded the places I could access, and covered the rest with Marine Tex epoxy. It didnt completely stop the leak but slowed it down big time, enough to where I drove it another 5-10k miles and I still have the engine (I just pulled it because I found another LQ9 for cheap)