oil leak after rebuild and some questions -Solved-

[SiCkSTi04]

good easy on me it was my first build haha, last night after seafoaming the car, i peeked under the car to find a small leak from the rear of the engine. it was on the tie rod boots and support plate near it. i cant see that well to know if its the rear main or plate or even that other access hole.

the work was done by me using oem seal/gasket kit. i took my time and used every single piece so nothing was left behind lol. sealed the block, acces hole plugs, oil pump and rear plate with 1215 bond. the front and rear oil seals were seated flush and not pushed in too deep to block oil passages. i see a little fresh oil around the head bolts which im sure is the oil i put on them while installing the heads and also the valve cover gaskets (added oil to those too).

1. is there a way of drop the engine cross member giving me enough room to see where the leak is coming from.

2. also is it safe to run the car for a little bit while its off? seems the oil is only leaking while running. i was thinking of putting some jack stands under the heads to support the engine.

3. compression test were in fsm spec's. 170-180

4. wish i made one of those mini pen camera's lol

if it needs be i'll be taking the engine out again or maybe even the tranny which would be easier? (fwd AT wagon)

any help would be great

btw BIG thanks for the board members and admins for providing information, i wouldnt had done it with out you guys

-Solved- it ended up being the driver side rear cam plug. it was loose so i replaced it with a new one. problem fixed!@!

[def09]

Wonder if the seafoam dissolved the new silicone you used? Brake clean it all off and then look to see where the leaks come from. You have to have a good light. Is it from down low like at the oil pan, are the valve covers wet or dry. You can undo the pitch rod and engine mount nuts to raise the engine a little but you dont gain a lot of access to anything.

[SiCkSTi04]

i was also thinking the seafoam worked on the oil colted seals i put on. maybe it just that. i'll do what you said, clean up and watch for any other signs of oil. nothing on the oil pan. valve covers are dry.

[def09]

The pan is dry and v/c are dry they did not drip down the heads and onto the x member . Then it should be from the back of the engine like you were prob dreading.

[SiCkSTi04]

it gets pretty dark when im off work so i'll wait till the weekend. ill lift the engine up by then i should see a good deposit for sure

[SiCkSTi04]

so i plan on moved the engine forward by removing the fans and crank pulley. that should give me room to inspect the rear

[jp233]

if you just rebuilt the engine, why did you seafoam it?

Sounds like it still could be the rear main, or the separator plate or something.

Did the crank have a groove in it on the rear, from the old main seal?