Oil Leak

[Tigerfan]

Hi all,

Having run my newly rebuilt 260 engine for a couple of 100 miles, I have an oil leak which deposits oil into the voids on top of the water pump housing.

The engine was rebuilt proffesionally and I'm guessing that the oil is coming from the cork seal at the front of the intake manifold to block joint, I believe quite common if care is not taken when fitting the manifold.

The manifold is a eldebrook (have I spelt that right?). Is it a problem to remove the Manifold with the engine in the car. Seems like it would be possible. Appreciate any advice.

Cheers Rich

[bigbob]

Its possible to remove manifold ok with engine in place. Its often recommended now that the cork gasket is omitted & a thick bead of silicon sealer used instead. Make sure you retighten bolts in correct order.

[michael-king]

Adding a bead of sealant is a good idea.. just make sure you use one with the correct temperature range (it gets very hot in the tiger engine bay) The other thing is make sure its oil.. the thermostat housings can leak if they are the aftermarket chrome ones and will puddle in the recess of the water pump casting

The manifold will be an edelbrock

[Tigerfan]

HiAll,

Thanks for the advice. I rebuilt my previous Tigers engine following the advice in the `How to rebuild your Small Block Ford by Tom Monroe', and had no leaks at all. He recommends adding a bead of silicone sealer to the cork.

It's definetely oil sadley, so I guess it's off with the Manifold and take more care than the proffesional builder !!

Thanks Rich

[JAYANDSHEL]

One thing I do is get a center punch and stamp some dots into the block so its gives the gasket and or silicone something to grip to.

[tigerguy2]

Echoing some of the foregoing recommendations, I think the silicon gasket maker approach is best. Put it on as a thick bead where the cork gasket would go, being extra generous in the corners where the intake meets the heads. Let it set up the recommended time so that it obtains a bit of body to it. That way when the manifold is tightened down you are assured a good seal as it spreads out from the pressure. Clean up excess after completely set as appropriate.

I do not recommend combining silicon and cork gasket. I had a problem doing that with an oil pan gasket. The silicon softened up the cork quite a bit. The right silicon gasket maker is designed to work quite adequately by itself.

You will want to "drop" the manifold down as straight as possible. You probably already know this, but for those that don't, you can make guides out of two bolts the size of the intake ones after cutting off the heads. Then hand thread them into the block at the front left and right corners. Using them as guide dowels, you can then lower the manifold straight down into position. Since the motor sits back in the engine bay as it does, it takes a bit of maneuvering to get it right. Taking the carb off reduces the weight and makes the positioning a bit easier too. Not a bad idea to make a practice run before putting the silicon gasket material down.

My two pence anyway.

Gene

[Tigerfan]

Hi Guys,

Thinking back when I built my last Tiger engine I probably did just use silicone to replace the cork. This method is also descibed in the `How to ' book. I'm pretty sure I have the headless bolts you describe in my `never throw away' box, if not I will make more.

Thanks again

Rich

[gtsmrt]

Hi Rich,

One other point before removing the manifold, make sure that you mark the position of the distributor housing and rotor so your timing is correct when you re-install it. Also check the shaft seal on the distributor to ensure that is also OK. Also take care in removing the manifold as the gasket can stick to the parts. Good luck!

Regards, Robin.