Oil leak

[wspringerjr]

I have a 55 235 engine in my 58 apache. Whenever I change the oil while filling the crankcase around thee time the last of five quarts go in oil starts to pour out somewhere just above the starter. If I slow down it stops. I have replaced the pushrod cover gasket ,valve cover gasket and the oil pan gasket.
Am I missing something somewhere?

[Valarius_Starchaser]

oil galley plug missing or corroded? Pan warped? rear main is my only other thought BUT its unlikely it would leak when filling they leak generally when the engine is running and the system is under pressure

[mr48chev]

I think the only thing in that area that will leak is the side cover. Probably time to get a new side cover gasket and replace it. Not fun as you have to work around the distributor or pull it out for room but it shouldn't take that long to do. Make sure that the areas around the bolt holes aren't bent out of shape from over tightening it when you have it off.
You will also want to make sure that the drain back holes in the lifter galley are open and clear and not crudded up and plugged. I think if the engine has some age on it on it the drain back holes may have gotten plugged especially if the previous owners were lax in oil changes. Those engines did and most likely still do need an oil change at every 1000 miles and if you are trying to get 3000 out of an oil change like the newer cars the oil gets pretty dirty and crud starts to form.
Short trips around town with the truck never getting up to temp and staying up to temp for a decent period of time doesn't help either. That sales pitch that it was owned by an older guy who never drove it out of town on the highway is total nonsense as just driving across town and back and never getting the engine up to full operating temp and keeping it there for a while is the hardest thing on an engine there is except a 16 year old lead foot.

To be sure though I'd clean the engine good and watch it real close for a leak starting.

[Virginian]

I agree with mr48chevy oil not draining down to pan through the drain back holes fast enough and coming out push rod cover as the lifter area fills up with oil. Might be time to pull cover again, check things out, straighten side cover.

[OrrieG]

Originally Posted by mr48chev

Make sure that the areas around the bolt holes aren't bent out of shape from over tightening it when you have it off.

Old school fix for oil pans, tin valve covers, timing covers, etc. is to set a small ball peen hammer, rounded side, on the mating (gasket) surface holes. A gentle rap with another hammer turns the convex shape around the hole to concave. Make sure the flange is supported so you do not bend it.

[Wrenchbender Ret]

There are too holes where the coil mounts. It there is no bolt in one or the bolts are not sealed, oil can come out of them.

[wspringerjr]

I have also just replaced the side cover gasket and swapped out the side plate from another engine and I did check it to make sure it was straight and flat. The leak is in in the same exact place as it was before I replaced the gasket and side cover. After a run on the interstate at around 65 mph when I got back home there would be oil spots on the tailgate. After I replaced the push rod cover there were very few spots on the tailgate. There is no way that much oil that I saw when refilling the crankcase could not be visible while running at 65. It only showed up pouring the five quarts back in. After changing the oil pan gasket and an 8 mile drive there are no oil drip spots under the truck 4 hours after completing the drive.

[Virginian]

There really is not much oil in the valve cover and push rod area when the engine is running you can start it without the valve cover on, doesn't compare with a quart of oil being turned upside down into the oil fill hole on the valve cover and running down the push rods etc.

[wspringerjr]

You are right about comparing pouring in five quarts at once as compared to oil inside the valve cover. Since there are no visible leaks while driving or after it's parked I will just pour in a quart at a time when changing the oil instead of the entire 5 quart container at once. I did look on my old engine that I took out and there is a small hole on the engine block just behind the starter about the size of a wire coat hanger that goes all the way thru into the oil pan. It 's in the location that the oil seems to have come from. As long as the leak is gone while driving and there is no spots under the truck after parking I'll let well enough alone.

[JoeDude]

In resurrecting another thread, I bought an '54 235engine from a resto-mod/junkyard. They claimed it ran smoothly and didn't see any leaks. I haven't installed or ran it yet. I have it hanging from the engine hoist. If I tilt it back, a few drops of oil drip on the ground. Same if I tilt it forward...a few drops from the front. Is it common for front and rear oil seal leaks? I hate to think I will have big oil leaks once I get it installed and running.

[mr48chev]

Well I am going to say it is probably leaking past the main seals or around the edges of the pan gasket.

Best thing is to clean the areas up real good and tilt it and watch closely to see where the leaks are. Time consuming but worth it for peace of mind.

[dsraven]

clean the engine well. castrol super clean works pretty good but can stain or take paint off if left too long. all around the back and sides as well as you can from top to bottom. maybe even use some brake cleaner after so you know it is dry everywhere. then pour some oil in and see where the wet spot starts. there are also dyes that can be added and the engine ran to operating temp, then a black light is used to make any leaks glow in the light. Ii have used this set up many times when I worked in a shop. one of those extendable mirrors and a bright led light works well or an inspection camera to see spots you can't get eyes on.
valve cover gasket all the way around, cracked valve cover tin, side cover gasket, cracked side cover tin, leaking from a valve cover or side cover bolt that isn't sealing or isn't tight or has a crack in the tin around it, rear main seal (not likely), oil pan gasket, cracked oil pan tin, porous casting, cracked casting, head gasket, breather tube (not likely)
sometimes taking a pic and looking at it in zoom will help you find the "wet or shiny" spot where a leak is. eyeballs too close can sometimes overlook those areas or your body has blocked the light so no glare is seen reflecting off the oil leaking.

[mr48chev]

If you don't want to spend a lot of money on cleaning solutions stop by a Dollar Tree if you have one in the area and grab one of those bottles of A's Totally Awesome cleaner. Cheap stuff that actually works.

In the past 50 years I have cleaned a serious number of engine compartments and engines looking for oil leaks, not only my own but on a lot of customer rigs over the years. My 292 was given to me because as the guy who owned the 68 it came out of said, it leaked oil out of every place an engine can leak. He bought the truck and drove it 200 miles home and pulled the engine to put a V8 in. Gave it to my buddy who gave it to me.

They day I picked it up. His little Ford tractor had to strain a bit to lift it out of his truck and put it in mine.