Hello all,

I was able to start up the D2 after doing the HG job and after cranking and priming we got it started.

However, there is coolant pouring out the back of the block where the transmission engine meet.

HG job: followed the manual, deck the heads, changed to ARP studs, new intake bolts, cleaned up the intake mating surface, new temp sensor, heater pipe o ring replaced, coolant elbow o ring replaced.

Any thoughts?

 

Have you got one of those little round mirrors on a stick?

How sure are you you got the valley gasket straight? I have gotten those crooked/pinched before and they don't seal up quite right. I think there's a better chance of that being your issue than the head gasket.

I'd be getting a little mirror or a cheapo bore scope.

 

I am completely sure that could have happened. If that is the case do I have to get a new one?

It could also be the heater core pipe o ring. I was pretty rough with it.

 

The cooling fan blows everything to the back, so it might look like the leak is in the back while it is in the front. The best way to find a coolant leak is to drain the coolant system and put it under pressure with air (but max 20 psi !). Then spray some soapy water on the connections, gaskets and hoses. You will see growing bubbles with pinpoint accuracy if there is a leak. This is how I tested my engine after installing a new valley gasket, water pump and the pipes (plugged the open ends with rubber plugs). Then I tested again the complete cooling system after installing all the hoses. I found a tiny leak at the temperature sensor on the lower manifold (required a new crush washer).

 

Good thinking on the pressure tester.

Crush washer… FML… you mean the washer that is photo’d below on my old sensor that I replaced…

 

Pressure tested. Squirting out the heater pipe o ring.

 

Nice easy fix.

 

Hey everyone,

Thanks for the help. I figured out the Heater Pipe Outlet O-Ring was damaged when I was messing with the SAI bracket. Thing geysered when I pressured up the cooling.

No more coolant leaks for now. However, there is now a substantial oil leak. It is dripping from the passenger angled side of the oil pan through the rubber dowel. I think it’s the globs on the back of the engine, the ones that require the globs. Oil is currently dripping from the back corner of the oil pan coming from that rubber dowel hole and there is oil on top of the pan in that angled section.

How critical is getting the globs and the valley pan seal correctly set? I ask because here’s what happened, and I realize now that this was silly and now I might have to fix it.

When it was time to place the valley pan gasket I proceeded to glob RTV in to the cracks before placing the seal and then the gasket. After globbing all for crevices I proceeded to grab the bolts that were removed from the valley pan gasket clamps, and I discover that the two bolts were different lengths. Consulted the manual and confirmed they are both the same bolt. 602236 Qty: 2. Not a problem usually but I went to see if both bolts fit in their respective holes because they are the same and it turns out that the previous owner or mechanic put in a “close as they could bolt.” The correct thread and length I believe is 5/16”UNC 18 thread count. One of bolts removed was correct, the other was a close metric match or maybe from what I measured 5/16”UNC 20 thread count. It was late and upon discovering the bolt mix upI closed up shop.

Unfortunately, during the globbing process, l over extended on the side of the vehicle and am pretty sure I popped one of those lower ribs out getting the back globs. Being in pain and annoyed I left the globs of RTV to cure without the seals and the valley pan. Progress was halted while I figured out the threads and get the right bolts. After sourcing the right bolts, some thread cleanup, and fitment progress commenced. I proceeded to do a a halfass job of cleaning the previous RTV glob attempt. Haphazardly I removed maybe 60% if the cured RTV?

I didn’t do my best to ensure all the RTV globs were removed before applying new globs. Didn’t think much of it until I placed the seals and felt resistance pushing back preventing the ends of the seals to be perfectly flush. The fitment of the seals was just enough for my brain to subconsciously fly red flags but not enough for my ego to care. I will not be making that mistake again. As well, I am unsure if I globbed on RTV on the back corners after the seals were placed before bolting the clamps.

I don’t believe it’s the oil pan as much as I believe in my shortcomings during the valley pan gasket seal RTV globs.

If the oil leak source has been identified coming from the valley pan seal could I gently remove the gasket and seals and try again? My hope is I can do that tomorrow morning, allow it to cure for into the evening and fire it up.

Bonus story and a cautionary tale. Don’t put bolts you know aren’t going to fit into threads that you know aren’t right. Especially don’t put bolts into bad threads with an open engine block. And if you are going to be that dumb, like me, don’t also test fit it with the lock washer on it.

Got the bolts and lock washers from the hardware store and went to test fit it into the bad thread front hole of the engine block. Duh, of course it did not fit and it bottomed out cross thread tightened. Here’s the dumb part… the force required to loosen by hand caused it to slip out of my fingers when it broke loose. Bolt and lock washer. Bolt didn’t make it through the camshaft holes, but the lock washer sure did. I spent a good 2 hours on 33rd birthday with a pair of “magic fingers” grabber tool trying to blindly get a lock washer out of a dry oil pan. My buddies helped it get it out, and it was a hardly yell in the neighborhood when we got it out.