First off I want to thank some veterans here who've helped me alot with some tuning to get my engine running. Now, I need more help!

Well I had my truck on the road 4 whole days and it is back in the garage with major oil problems. The motor, a '72 Camaro 350, was used but it was in good shape with good compression. I tore it down and replaced all the gaskets before I put it in so that I wouldn't have any problems. I spent money on the Felpro one-piece oil pan gasket and a high-volume oil pump.

Here is the sequence of events... the motor has been running for about 2 weeks total (the first week in the garage during tuning), and had been on the road for the past 4 days. For the first week and a half it didn't leak a drop anywhere and carried between 60-80 lbs of pressure. About Tuesday of this past week I noticed it was dripping out of the back of the motor while running. I snooped around and found that my oil pressure sending unit was going out, blowing oil out the top hole. Great! I changed it out, added a half quart of oil to fill it up and drove to work Wednesday (10 miles).

Not great. Still leaking, looking worse now. Snooped around more, it was leaking bad out of the back side of the motor, up under the inspection plate on the bellhousing. Oil was running everywhere, down the frame rails, all over the tranny, everywhere. Well, I had to get to work and back Thursday so I added a quart that it was low and drove to work and to the store. Got home, Thursday night and let it cool down then went out to check it out. It was down 3 quarts now. POURING out of the back of the motor. No other oil leaks anywhere. My first thought was, "I put on a new intake, it might be that", so I checked all across the back on top and it's not the intake.

Yesterday I left it parked and drove wifey's car to work. Last night after work I put 4 quarts (totalling 1 overfilled) in and headed to my dad's garage to jack it up and see what the he11 is going on. So I am cruising down the road with one eye on my guage, first few miles was at the typical 80 lbs pressure, then it gradually dropped down to 35 lbs after about 10 miles. When I exited the highway and idled at the stop sign it dipped to 5 lbs. I cracked the throttle and it went up to 40 again. Huh???? So I drive the final mile and a half to Dad's house at 40 lbs. and when I pulled into the driveway it nose-dived to zero. I shut it down and coasted in. Checked the oil, it still had about 4 quarts in it!

I dropped the inspection plate on the bellhousing, and we both snooped around. We can't tell where it is coming from because everything is bathed in oil. All the bolts were tight on the oil pan, and I used a TON of RTV on the fancy one-piece gasket when I put it on. No oil is leaking anywhere else on the motor. It's coming from the back and running everywhere. Dad thinks a main seal would not drop that much oil that fast being that everything was fine for over a week. I talked to the guys at Napa and they said the 1-piece oil-pan gasket is not seen often on the older motors. They told me to replace it with the older 4-piece gasket. Anyone here know whats going on there? I'm about sick to my stomach.

Also, what are the opinions on the goofy oil pressure situation? I checked the pickup tube and all is well there. Didn't fall off the pump. Dad is wondering if the new sending unit is bad. I hope it is, otherwise I fear the worst.

 

my first thing to check would obviously be the sender again. The fact that it's streaming out from between the inspection plate and the block is disturbing though. I've had that problem twice....... one time it was just me being stupid and when I built the motor I forgot to tighten the plugs on the back of the block that go into the lifter galley. The second time the block was cracked at the rear cam bearing journal(it was a blower motor that had sneezed a few times) Best thing to do is use a case of brake clean on it and watch it close after you clean it up. The only way to check the back of the motor is to pull the trans and run it that way if you can. Sucks but true. Good luck and I hope the old motor's not hurt,

 

I rechecked the sending unit and it is ok, no leaking at the top half of the motor. It has to be cam plug, one of the 3 lifter plugs, main seal or oil pan gasket.