chasing a ghost

[Spun4Fun]

Happy Turkey day every one .!

Can you please Help me find this ******* oil leak that i have been chasing for a long time .Where is all the possible places that this IDI could leak from , Here is what i know and done . Front seal slight leak ( nothing am going to worry about at the moment ).

I rerouted the Turbo drain tube to the VC . Every thing is pretty dry there and working good .


I ran RDT but it's going back in place as it covered under the driver side ( plenty of oil dripping from it after i park ) , not sure if the vapor coated every thing with oil. SO its process of elimination i guess

All my VC gaskets are brand new torqued to spec 6lb , VC are dry around the gasket after driving 400 Miles yesterday .


I resealed my Dip stick tube and its Bone dry


Yesterday i visually inspected the truck and found OIl all over the Eng and covering upstream towards the end of the heads , oil it's dripping all over the starter .. Driver side could be related to the vapor from the RDT .

I looked around the Turbo flange as i had a helper rev the eng and it's Bone Dry and no leak from the new Oil drain . I am confused specially the passenger side i am trying to save the starter that i just rebuild from getting oil soaked

 

[OLDBULL8]

Did ya plug the CDR hole in the valley pan?

 

[Spun4Fun]

Did ya plug the CDR hole in the valley pan?

\
Yes but not 100% up to standard as i rigged something up to plug it until i find the best fitment for it ( i used the Battery post plastic cap with ultra black )


Does oil have a way to come out from there

 

[icanfixall]

No chance the plug you designed for the intake crd valve location is holding up. Remember you have probably 10 lbs of pressure on that "plug" trying to push it out. Even if a little leak is there your boost will suffer and oil leaks out. Even though you no longer have the crd directed to the intake I'm betting you have plenty of oil in the intake manifold. Now knowing the oil as you refer to is dripping off the starter only you still have a leak on top of the engine. Hers why I believe this. Any oil or fuel leak on top of the engine can ONLY run down the valley pan to the drain and then out ONLY the passenger side back of the block onto the starter. The block oil leak passage only flows to the passenger side of the block. There is a part of the block that has a cast iron wall keeping any leak from flowing off the drivers side like it does on the passenger side. If the valley pan is dirty with old oil any fuel that might mix with that is going to look just like an oil leak when it drips off the starter. Many owners have felt they had rear main seal leaks when it was a return line cap leak or an injection pump fitting leak. Try looking at the advance plunger lever seal on the drivers side of the injection pump. If its wet you found the leak.

 

[ironworker40]

Also check those valve cover gaskets and bolts. The bolts love to loosen up and leak. Gaskets are like $10 bucks so just change them to eliminate that possibility. They are available in rubber or cork your preference, I don't see much of an advantage in one or the other. Oops I reread original post I see you already changed them.

 

[Spun4Fun]

No chance the plug you designed for the intake crd valve location is holding up. Remember you have probably 10 lbs of pressure on that "plug" trying to push it out. Even if a little leak is there your boost will suffer and oil leaks out. Even though you no longer have the crd directed to the intake I'm betting you have plenty of oil in the intake manifold. Now knowing the oil as you refer to is dripping off the starter only you still have a leak on top of the engine. Hers why I believe this. Any oil or fuel leak on top of the engine can ONLY run down the valley pan to the drain and then out ONLY the passenger side back of the block onto the starter. The block oil leak passage only flows to the passenger side of the block. There is a part of the block that has a cast iron wall keeping any leak from flowing off the drivers side like it does on the passenger side. If the valley pan is dirty with old oil any fuel that might mix with that is going to look just like an oil leak when it drips off the starter. Many owners have felt they had rear main seal leaks when it was a return line cap leak or an injection pump fitting leak. Try looking at the advance plunger lever seal on the drivers side of the injection pump. If its wet you found the leak.

So what you saying is that there about 10lb of pressure pressing upward on that home rigged plug i placed where that OLD CDR use to plug or technically the OLD BANKS Oil drain tube ...?


Does this 10 LB appear as you drive or it's always there during the Idle in the drive way . I took every thing off and i can see oil in the back of the VP , I know i have IP leaking but i got paper towel under it for now


What would you suggest as a proper plug for that Grommet

 

[icanfixall]

Purchase the plate from Banks that they designed exactly for this job. It attaches to the back of the manifold just as the original cdr did. It has an o ring groove machined into it for the seal. Or design your own block off plate and use some rtv and a gasket for the seal. Its a simple piece of 1/4 inch aluminum is all it is. Use the original cdr for a size. Just make sure it is wide enough to reach the 2 bolt holes in the manifold so it has something to fasten too.

 

[Spun4Fun]

Purchase the plate from Banks that they designed exactly for this job. It attaches to the back of the manifold just as the original cdr did. It has an o ring groove machined into it for the seal. Or design your own block off plate and use some rtv and a gasket for the seal. Its a simple piece of 1/4 inch aluminum is all it is. Use the original cdr for a size. Just make sure it is wide enough to reach the 2 bolt holes in the manifold so it has something to fasten too.

icanfixall ... I know the plate you are talking about .. But i am referring to something totally difference . In fact i am referring to Grommet it self that is under the Intake where the CDR use to connect to .


I am plugging it because i rerouted Banks Turbo OIL drain tube to another location so i have to plug it .


On a side note you are right i have oil in the intake from the turbo pulling the cdr vapor .. in fact if i go back to RDT and add a catch can i pro would get a shot or 2 worth of oil

 

[Spun4Fun]

i located a pipe thread plug the fits real real snug in the Grommet , i pulled it and applied RTV to both the plug and Grommet . i am not sure where else to look farther for oil

 

[icanfixall]

I was concerned you may have been talking bout the plug in the hole of the valley pan. So the engine makes some but not lots of pressure in the crank case from blowby. It will not be enough to blow out the plug you designed and installed. With the road draft tube you will see a few inches of mercury above a normally vented thru the cdr to intake manifold in the crank case. The intake suction be it a little is better than sending any blowby to a road draft tube. Our very high compression engines create much more crank case pressure than say a Cummins. I was reading about Cummins oil not being black like ours is because they have a lower compression ratio. Not sure if it because of that or a combination that and a better ring seal on the cylinders.

 

[Spun4Fun]

Agreed on the Hight compression of our 7.3 IDi's .
I connected the tube back to the CDR and no longer running RDT, I know my IP is slightly leaking but there some catching paper towels laying under it .so the fuel not making it all the way back to the VP


Any other location that I might need to double check for sign of oil ... I am certain that the oil was coming upstream