Lifter Valley Pan Gasket Oil Leak

Stretch

Stretch

Member
I’ve got a significant leak at the back gasket of the lifter valley pan. I get oil puddling on the top of the driver side engine block below the gasket right where the block and bell housing mate up.
Engine starts first time, idles well and runs well. No bogs, hesitations, and pulls smoothly under load.
I don’t like the fact oil puddles up after normal driving around my weekend driver.
New pcv valve and grommet from IH Parts and connected to intake vaccuum port, driver side stock valve cover vent fittings and connection to stock air cleaner, egr block plate installed, no other smog stuff on the engine.
Vaccuum at idle on intake side of pcv valve, temporary tee installed to connect gauge, is about 18 and drops to about 10 under load going up a hill. Quick google search on pcv system vaccuum at idle says I should have about 1-3, pause, that was at dipstick, I’m going to go check that right now before continuing this post and my question.
 

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Just checked vaccuum at dipstick with everything connected normally, no registration on the gauge. I do feel a very very slight, barely detectable, vaccuum at the end of the driver side valve cover hose when disconnected from the air cleaner.

Thoughts?

My plan for the ride is to keep it basically stock, reliable driver. I like the time capsule vibe of the stock iron. I also don’t want it leaking but I don’t want to remove the intake and put it back on for a leak I could just check and feed it more oil every few months or more. It’s just kind of a bummer to take a bunch of stuff off and put it back together for no increase in performance, value, etc. Maintenance is totally required and necessary to avoid failure but it’s not as fun as spending the effort and making things better than they were before.

Thoughts, help, or convincing argument to drop a new manifold and carb on it?

It has the stock notorious carb now, but I got it dialed in pretty well by rebuilding it and with help from the people on this site and other old school carb gurus, Mike’s carbs specifically.

Thanks for any thoughts!
 
I know the back gasket of the lifter valley pan leaks because simply puffing on the hose connected to the driver side valve cover causes oil/air bubbles to come out of the back gasket.
 
Thanks for the reply FDChappie. I have not, it will only take a few seconds and I haven’t solve my problem so I will check them
out later when I’m back home. Thanks
 
Checked the bolts, they’re tight. Decided to plumb in a 3/8 barbed tee just above the pcv valve and plumb it to the driver side valve cover pcv 1/4 npt port.
Ive got 3 inches of vaccuum in the crank case at idle now!
Idles a bit rough now and smells pretty rich.

Seems like a figured out one thing and now may have to figure out another.
 

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That's a huge vacuum leak into crankcase. You are going to want to remove it.
On the driver's side valve cover there is a flame arrestor in line before the hose to the air cleaner. Remove it and use some carb cleaner to clean the crud out and make sure it's free flowing. If that is plugged excess blow-by can pressureize the crankcase under load.
To check for blow-by at idle, remove the oil fill cap and cover the hole with a strip of paper.
 
If you can't brake kleen it and smear some real good RTV like the Right Stuff on it and let it cure properly then you will have to pull the intake to redo the valley pan gasket.
 
Thank you FDChappie and Winchested.
Is the flame arrestor missing, the driver side hose appears to be stock, or is it in the hose fitting itself that screws into the valve cover? Anyone have any pics of the flame arrestor? Here’s the pic of the stock looking hose on mine yesterday prior to me removing it and in its place plumbing in a tee in between pcv valve and intake port and going right to the driver valve cover 1/4 npt port.
Yep, use some Right Stuff like that crossed my mind, that stuff no pun intended works very well, super sticky black cheez whiz!
Thanks
 

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Circled in yellow is the flame arrestor that is your free air into the engine. Don't tee anything into it.

Its supposed to have a mesh steel inside the body. To prevent a back fire or flash back into or out of it.

Everything in that photo looks correct.
 
Thanks Winchested.
I’ll put that hose back on tonight, bring pcv line back to how it looks in this last pic with the yellow circle and check vacuum at the dipstick again and see what I get. Those will be the only changes so I should be able to conclusively learn something from the changes. Thanks
 
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