Finally no leaks.

[Dirtleg]

Just thought I'd share with ya'll the fact that now, after 3+ months of IDI ownership I finally have all the leaks under control. I haven't had a drop hit the ground in 3 days. I am very excited about this. I hate leaks and it has been bugging me to no end.

I finally just went ahead and stuck a new, nylon crush washer on my oil drain plug. Since my oil is new (500 miles) I didn't drain it. I just removed the plug and stuck my thumb over the hole as quickly as I possibly could in one motion. Then I leisurely replaced the washer and just as efficiently as before reinserted the plug and tightened it up. That worked. One down. And I only got a small amount of oil down one arm. Not bad at all.

Next on the list was the power steering pump (thanks Darrin). Mine had developed a leak between the reservoir and the pump body. I am glad my pulley remover was in my work toolbox. Most of my automotive specialty tools aren't. Lucky for me. With that out of the way I thought I was finished but I wasn't.

Once I started the truck up to finish bleeding the power steering and top it off I noticed a drip between the outer and inner parts of the pressure hose fitting where it attaches to the pump. O.K. off to NAPA for a new hose. Put that on and then cleaned that part of the engine compartment really well to help identify the source of any additional leaks. Also to stop the immediate dripping of the residual fluid that had already leaked.

Now, for the moment at least, I have no leaks.

Maybe I am a little too happy about this.

 

[flatlander]

My truck has undergone a complete rebuild one part at a time (my wife named it "that damn truck") and I have at one time or another leaked every fluid in it somewhere. I remember the first time I parked it and didn't leak anything. It was a moment that I'll remember.

 

[Andylad13]

i had that same feeling when i fixed my leaks!! thats funny. my return lines were cracked with the o rings. fixed that all and then my power steering resivior was leaking...sound familliar? haha, so i got a working pump for 20 bucks from a friend, cleaned around it and she was good.

had a slight oil leak in the beginning but it was because there was debris in the oil filter seal so after an oil change that went away.

now the lower seal on my passanger side caliper is weaping, small but still leaking. thats what i have to go after next, but for about one month out of my 4 months of owning an idi, i had no leaks.

 

[Dirtleg]

Yeah I expect I'll have a new one soon enough. But I got insurance. Just to make certain my steering box doesn't leak I bought a seal kit for it. Now that I have the parts to fix it if it does leak, it's guaranteed not to.

I think next is transmission cooler lines. They are looking leak prone to my eye. Perhaps I should just replace them now before they start leaking.

 

[Ford428CJ]

Man that is awesome! I have a few leaks myself that I'm trying to get rid of. What a pain in the butt. I hope to have mine fixed as well. Glade that you got it taken care of for the most part.

 

[Greg Pettit]

Hey man, I share your disdain for oil leaks... I don't like 'em at all!

On my recently acquired IDI there was a bad... I mean like BAD oil leak at the rear main while running. So bad that oil was slinging off the flywheel and coating the entire underside of the truck! We're talking a 6" diameter oil puddle at aevery stoplight.

Well, after removing the trans and flywheel to get at the rear main, I foind that the rear plate was improperly installed. One of the dowels had been pushed into the block where it was only sticking up about .060". Both dowel holes in the cover had been drilled out to 1/4". There was a cork gasket between the pan and the rear plate as well. The top of the main seal was not even touching the crank!

Somebody had just put this seal in, too.

Oh well, I made a new dowel, got a different rear plate off the junk engine i have here, and put in a new seal. Presto! No leaks now!

It IS a great feeling to park on your driveway without leaving "evidence" behind.

Greg

 

[jimraelee]

It IS a great feeling to park on your driveway without leaving "evidence" behind.

Greg

to me its very embarrassing when your at someones house and leave drips/oil in the driveway... and when you do park in the street, they always say "Oh just park in the driveway," " nahhhh I'm good out there" making that huge oily mess underside of the rig is also nasty... I hate rolling under the truck and getting oil on ya... I too enjoy a leak free truck. Now I just need to figure out how to keep the rain water from dripping on me next time I roll under to take a look-see

 

[Ford428CJ]

It IS a great feeling to park on your driveway without leaving "evidence" behind.

Greg

Man I hope to be in your (or your guy's) shoes right now! I got a good one going right now and think its coming off the back of the intake! I usw baby powder to find mine and blow off the rest (the lose stuff) with an air gun. My IP is dry as a bone.

Thats cool that you dont look like the Valdez's going down the road !

 

[Greg Pettit]

Man I hope to be in your (or your guy's) shoes right now! I got a good one going right now and think its coming off the back of the intake! I usw baby powder to find mine and blow off the rest (the lose stuff) with an air gun. My IP is dry as a bone.

Thats cool that you dont look like the Valdez's going down the road !

Spoke to frickin' soon, I just got back and there's a dang oil spot under the truck..... from the rear main!

I guess I should have installed the speedy sleeve kit instead of simply replacing the seal.

Well, Out comes the trans again. Practice makes perfect! lol....



Greg

 

[Ford428CJ]

Spoke to frickin' soon, I just got back and there's a dang oil spot under the truck..... from the rear main!

I guess I should have installed the speedy sleeve kit instead of simply replacing the seal.

Well, Out comes the trans again. Practice makes perfect! lol....



Greg

You should get-r done a lot faster this time. Sorry to hear that ...... I wish I could help ya but Texas is too far from me

 

[dbarilow]

How are you supposed to know when you run out of oil if it isnt leaking? I just look for it to stop then top it off!!!

 

[RLDSL]

What'd you go and do that for? Now that you've stopped the leaks, you're going to have to start blowing money on undercoating

--Robert

 

[Greg Pettit]

You should get-r done a lot faster this time. Sorry to hear that ...... I wish I could help ya but Texas is too far from me

Yeah, that would be quite the drive for ya now wouldn't it? ....

Got the trans out again, and the seal was leaking for sure. Too bad, I sprung for the expensive one, too.

Anyway, once I got it all apart, I verified that the seal was undamaged (it was like new) and that the gasket on the rear plate wasn't the source of the leak (it wasn't).

There is a groove in the crank, but I really didn't think it was that big of a deal. I have certainly seen worse on any number of dampers I have reinstalled.

I can only presume that the rear main seal on these engines is under a little more stress than the front seal of a gasser, due likely to crankcase pressure and the colse unshielded proximity to engine oil and the pressurized blowoff from the rear main bearing itself.

I will be installing the crank seal repair kit tomorrow after I see who has one here in town.

Sorry for hijacking your thread, Dirtleg...

 

[kcw12]

woah woah woah woah wait one minute, these trucks aren't so posed to leak somewhere???????? I think your out of oil or something. I would check it. I mean if its not leaking then it doesn't have any.....

Just joking on that. Good work. Mine leaks pretty good, reminds me to check the oil.