Oil leak

Cgillman45

Registered User
Joined
Jan 28, 2020
Posts
15
Reaction score
7
Location
Ohio
All right guys just looking for a little bit of help here so probably about a month ago I installed and R&D IDI turbo kit a new oil pan new rear main seal rebuilt oil cooler put new head gaskets head studs new valve springs and somewhere I have a massive oil leak got the truck running for about 30 seconds and it poured out probably about a quart of oil I have a small leak from the oil cooler mounting surface I’m gonna seal that back up no leak from the oil pan no leak from the dream plug no leak from the oil filter itself just needing ideas as to what it could be
 

Farmer Rock

just a fella' without a 10mm socket
Joined
Oct 27, 2020
Posts
1,423
Reaction score
1,313
Location
Glen Rock,PA
I am gonna bet it's your rear main seal. They are really touchy, and it probably didn't seal correctly. If the truck is a stick, pull the clutch inspection cover, and take a look for oil in the bell housing. In this case, your clutch would be slipping as well.


Rock
 

Big Bart

Tow&Slow
Joined
Dec 22, 2020
Posts
1,481
Reaction score
950
Location
Newport Beach, CA
So I believe you are saying it poured out onto the ground. To lose a quart of oil in 30 seconds onto the ground, it was under pressure. You mentioned it, so guessing your oil cooler is not sealed up correctly. Not only could the oil cooler mounting gasket be leaking but make sure your o-rings are not leaking either.

If not the oil cooler, some thoughts -
1) Oil lines to and from turbo.
2) Valve cover gaskets.
3) Oil filter loose or did not seal.
4) Front or as mentioned above rear main seal. But you would see oil coming out the bell housing if your rear main was not sealing.
 

ROCK HARVEY

Full Access Member
Joined
Oct 3, 2021
Posts
417
Reaction score
372
Location
Dayton OH
The only time I’ve ever lost that much oil that quickly was when I did an oil change and the gasket from the old filter stayed stuck on the engine and I didn’t notice. Now I always check to make sure I get the gasket when I remove the oil filter. Two gaskets don’t seal at all I guess. Left a nice streak of oil down my driveway when I backed out of the garage.
 

catbird7

Full Access Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2011
Posts
1,598
Reaction score
1,347
Location
PA
As others have suggested, the amount of oil you're describing can only be the result of a seal failure where pressurized oil is present. I never replaced the rear main seal on an idi however 40 years ago when rebuilding my first ever engine, I installed the rear main seal backwards and it leaked something like you are describing. Rear main is one of the places you need to check, both ends of the oil cooler, plus the supply and drain to the turbo. All potential leak areas.
 

catbird7

Full Access Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2011
Posts
1,598
Reaction score
1,347
Location
PA
Another place is the oil pressure sending unit. Did you possibly forget to reinstall, or possibly damage it?
 

Cgillman45

Registered User
Joined
Jan 28, 2020
Posts
15
Reaction score
7
Location
Ohio
So I tore into it a bit more today and the piece for the turbo drain popped out of the Bally pan. I got some new sealant and stuck it back in there. Hopefully it holds. Giving it some time to cure then try to start it again. As far as the oil pressure sending unit I have a Dakota dash and installed it with lots of permatex on all the threads using the oil pressure hole as my turbo feed and putting it on a tee to have both in one. It was leaking well above the rear main so I know that wasn’t it. It was leaking from above the engine down onto the cross member. Was just curious if anyone had run into that issue when using R&ds kit.
 

IDIBRONCO

IDIBRONCO
Joined
Feb 5, 2010
Posts
12,236
Reaction score
10,925
Location
edmond, ks
If it was leaking onto the engine crossmember, then it couldn't have been coming from the turbo drain. A leak at the turbo drain would run down the back, passenger's side of the block onto the starter. There is a factory designed drain that makes leaks in the valley pan run that way. To have oil leak onto the crossmember, you're back to the oil cooler or one of the oil galley plugs that are behind the oil cooler.
 

Robm45497

Registered User
Joined
Sep 3, 2016
Posts
42
Reaction score
13
Location
Mead wa
Did you punch big holes in the valley pan for the turbo oil line return. If not it could be that location. I didn’t do it and leaked very badly. The stock holes in the valley pan would not flow enough to overcome the amount coming from the turbo
 

Forum statistics

Threads
91,217
Posts
1,128,519
Members
24,045
Latest member
Ramtough01

Members online

Top