Can I leak any place else?

[Idastang]

O K here I go with my first post. I picked up a so called rebuilt 200 ci for my wifes 64 1/2 mustang. It was to have only 15,000 since the rebuild. Well with much work on the engine bay and the underside of the stang, I got the 200 installed (a d8be block of which I understand is of the 78 vintage year) and the c4 that was attached. Well the rear main leaks just enough to be of concern, the transmission leaks just enough to be of concern, and the rear end pinion leaks, however I replaced the pinion seal since I had to change the pinion yoke for the c4, (since it was a 3 spped manual), but it leaks with the new seal, and to top things off there seems to be a small amount of seepage of coolant between the block and the head. Help is needed with the head, as I have not seen something like this before, Thanks Van

 

[Anlushac11]

If the head has been milled any significant amount the head bolts bottom out and give a false torque reading. End result is the gasket isnt properly torqued and the gasket leaks.

Try pulling the head bolts and putting hardened washers between the head and the bolts and retorque and see if this cures the problem.

If that doesnt you may need to replace the head gasket.

Best wishes and good luck on that fixing your problem.

 

[fordconvert]

Is the rear main seal leaking or is it leaking around the pan seal? There is about a dozen places to leak back there, if you ever take one apart you will wonder how they can ever seal. Since to do it right the pan has to come off again I would just try tightening the pan bolts at the back. Dont crank on them, they are only 1/4 and 5/16 bolts but make sure they are good and snug. Its also possible that the gasket got crushed from being banged around while not in the car.

 

[Idastang]

Thanks for the info on the head. I did check the torque on the expossed head bolts and they checked out at the specs for this motor. I thought I was looking at having to change the head gasket, but I will sure try the hardened washer. In doing this do I do one head bolt at a time, in the proper troque order of course or just loosen all head bolts and install all washers then retoque in the proper order? As to the leak at the main rear seal, I removed the inspection cover and was able to swipe oil from the seal area with my finger, and it appears to be the rope type seal. I am sure I will need to pull the pan and redo the seal. Thanks for the replies,Van

 

[wsa111]

The bolts which hold the flexplate to the crankshaft also have to be sealed cause they are exposed to oil behind the rear main bearing.

 

[mustangsilly]

If you haven't found hardened washers yet, I have 14 left from a Manley set I bought. I'd sell them for $12 plus mailing cost.

 

[67STR86]

If the rear main is the old rope type seal then I would change it no question..... I had a similar leak with my 67 and replacing the old rope seal with a new rubber seal was pretty quick, cheap and it totally fixed the problem..... at least it did for me

 

[jamyers]

I'd do the head bolts one at a time. Loosening them all at once can start a whole bunch of new leaks.

Be sure to re-torque them after its gone through a couple of warm-up / cool-off cycles, like maybe a couple of drives.

 

[60s Refugee]

The head bolt washers I bought was a "Mr Gasket" brand set. Any speed shop should have these. These not only compensate for the milled head, but also allow for a better overall torque.

I too had 'professional" reman engine and the head bolts were loose. I lost a head gasket as a result. I have since found out that (at least with Jasper) you are expected to 'check' the head bolt torque which essentually means "finish torquing them down". I didn't expect this and I so didn't. I expected that for $1200 they would have been done already. Shoz' what I knew! I'd bet that's what happened to yours too!

As far as the tranny goes, it may not have been overhauled when the engine was. The leaks you mention are all leaks that an old or worn tranny might have, except for one you might not know about...a cooling line! :arrow: One of the cooling line connections into the side of a C4 has an odd ball 90* elbow that has a seal between it and the brass fitting into the tranny. This seal is difficult to get right since it can be either too tight or too loose! It has to go up just snug enough to seat the little beveled 'o' ring, but not crush or tear it or go in past the sealing point. If it's in too far, or not far enough, it will leak tranny fluid all over everything, and you may well think all the seals are leaking! I know I thought that. I even had fluid spray on the rear bumper and tail lights! This can happen especially after an engine/tranny swap 'cuz you will have had the lines out or moved. The first time I encountered this I thought that by merely tightening the elbow into the fitting tighter it would fix it. Nope! It only made it worse. The "O" ring fits into a seat that goes around the elbow threads about a quarter of an inch up into the middle of the threads, not at the end of the fitting like you would think. I wouldn't have believed this set up if I hadn't taken the thing out and looked at it. I suggest you stop by your local tranny shop and have them look it over and get an estimate so you might have a better idea what's wrong. Then, fix it yourself! This might well be the only leak you actually have. It will probably need a new "O" ring.

Good luck!

Harry

 

[Idastang]

Thanks Harry for your input on the c4. I know the elbow you speek of and will be checking the tranny closer in the next couple of days. I was able to fix the leak in the pinion seal. I was unaware you could get the seal in to far, this will expose the small galley drain so the fluid runs under the seal. I was able to pick up a new seal at napa, get it in place, fill up the housing and presto, no leak. Well thats one down and three to go. Thanks to all that have shared, this sight is great. Van