Oil Leaking From Between Head And Block

[jiffo]

Sorry for the poor quality photo, had to enlarge it greatly but you can see where a smear of 3-bond is needed to stop oil leaking from the camshaft section of the head out to the cam belt section. Oil can weep between the cam cap and the head unless there's a smear of sealant applied.

Easiest way to do this is after the cam is installed but not yet torqued down.

As mentioned I also wipe a smear of 3-bond to the seal's outer as they're quite a loose fit.

I couldn't find any mention of this in my workshop manual, but it's pretty basic stuff.

Any original Rb I've stripped has had a nice deposit of sealant in this spot.

[iruvyouskyrine]

Okay thanks guys will try this. Someone has already PM'd me and said to do this also.

My genuine Nissan service manual makes no mention of applying any sort of sealant to either the cam caps or the cam seals upon installation.

The sealant I have been using is a permatex ultra blue RTV silicone gasket maker.

[jiffo]

It should be noted, normally you'd only get a slight weep from an unsealed cam cap joint, not a big puddle of oil as you seem to have.

I prefer 3-bond more than any other product. It's really good stuff.

[iruvyouskyrine]

What 3bond product are you talking about exactly? There is a whole catalogue haha

[Ben C34]

Is your manual for the r34?

I'm sure I've seen it in there.

The grease your mate reccomend ed is for lubricating the shaft in the seal and is good practice.

[iruvyouskyrine]

No I was using my R32 printed engine manual as I lost the R34 one when my computer died. Both RB20/25/26 were the same but none of them had VCT so that may play a part in it.

Greased seals in with no sealant under front cam caps results in no oil leakage when engine is running but when I turn engine off it leaks oil.

Weird.

[89CAL]

The manual I have definetly calls for the sealant. The nissan sealant is pretty much threebond from what I have seen. The orange threebond is the best but grey is fine as well. Can't remember what number/name they are though

[r33_racer]

Any chance you rebuilt the head before assembling the engine?

Did someone knock out the oil gallery plugs front and back and change to bspt/npt plugs when cleaning out the head properly? Sometimes if they aren't sealed up nicely when fitted oil can leak past them and run down and around.

It's probably not the case, but it's another possible cause unless your head is unchanged, stock form and you are certain you have identified the front cam cap area as the point of egress.

[iruvyouskyrine]

Head is completely stock. Had the cams out to get decked flat but then they went back in, didn't touch the valves etc. I'm very certain that it's an issue with the cam seals/cam cap.

Will report back tonight on how it's going.

[iruvyouskyrine]

So it still leaks. First time I have had it out in the sun and now I notice that it also leaks down the side of the block not just at the front of the engine as well.

It leaks from the intake cam right around to where the second runner is on a greddy forward facing plenum, so between cylinder 1 and 2ish. Peoples thoughts on if it is still the cam seal that is leaking that it would be able to reach back around the block that far? I have thermos that push a fair bit of air so not sure if they would be able to blow the oil back that far.

n the side of the engine it looks like it's leaking from the block but at the front it's still leaking from higher up because the oil is running down the head to where the VCT solenoid is. I have put a small amount of liquid gasket on the VCT solenoid thread and also put an O-Ring in as it has a taper that looks like an O-Ring is supposed to go there.

Thinking of removing VCT solenoid and blanking it with a bolt? Will give a lot more visual access to try and identify leaking area.

Welded VCT feed in head and DID NOT block the existing VCT feed in the block. I'm thinking now that I definitely should of done this. Also running an RB30 cometic metal head gasket.

Any advice/thoughts appreciated at this stage. Supposed to get tuned next Friday

[iruvyouskyrine]

I have another Neo VCT solenoid I might plug in and try. Why not.

[Ben C34]

Did you weld the vct gallery or plug it?

What gasket did you use?

30 or 25?

[Trex]

Did you weld the vct gallery or plug it?

What gasket did you use?

30 or 25?

RB25 Cometic Multi layer metal head gasket and RB25 ARP head studs.

Welded VCT feed in head and DID NOT block the existing VCT feed in the block. I'm thinking now that I definitely should of done this. Also running an RB30 cometic metal head gasket.

So now using a 30 gasket i think. Keen to find out the reason why only oil is leaking.

Edited September 26, 2014 by Stagea97

[Ben C34]

Based on the above quotes I am confused?

What vct feed in the block? The 30 block doesn't have a vct feed.

For reference for others, the 30 gasket is correct for the 2530 setup. The 25 won't seal by much around the coolant gallery around the front. It is only a few mm.

[R31 POWER]

3rd pic you posted, it looks like the valve cover is cracked around the bolt?

[jiffo]

Must be great to have eyes that still work without using the No4 magnification.

I agree, does look cracked.

[Jordy32]

Yeah i spotted that also, cracked rocker cover could be a big part, any clarification on that?

[iruvyouskyrine]

Sorry have been preoccupied with other issues. Yeah my mate cracked the rocker cover putting it on but it doesn't leak.

Turns out the external VCT feed line was leaking. I blocked it off at the block and nothing leaked a single drop of oil. Only ran it for 5 minutes but beforehand it leaked straight away.

Don't think I can be bothered taking the cam gears off again to fix it. Probably just run without VCT.

[steve200b]

That oil feed is also the oil feed to the cam journal.

[Ben C34]

Good thing you found it and it's easily fixed.

Fix it. Vct is good. It's not that hard to get to