I screwed up...uuugghh ***UPDATE w/pics. Please read ****

[nirvana]

Well, Getting old and senile.
My 351w build that has taken 2 years to finish because the Dart heads were back ordered for over a year, then my machine shop taking 6 months and so on...
Yesterday was the big day! Finally fired her up! Ran it for about 30 mins at 2000 rpm. Oil coming out from the the front...think that I put the balancer seal in BACKWARDS..
Also put a mustang timing cover on it with the front dipstick...oil blowing up from there, Why would that be??? I hate me right now!

Other than that it ran great! When should I change out the break in oil and what should I replace it with? you know, after I redo the timing cover.

early 351 block, 60 over flat top piston. non roller cam (yeah I know).. Dart heads 194 valve, rpm manifold, holley 670. I would be ecstatic if it weren't for the timing cover seal.


UPDATE, Finally took the front timing cover off today, I took pics of the front seal. Does this look right to you guys? I am thinking the leak was from the front rubber pan/timing cover seal.

 

[AZ73]

No crankcase ventilation? Before the rings set there's a lot of blow by. Although it looks like you removed the PVC valve from the valve cover so that should release the pressure.

 

[Timmy390]

Can't answer the oil leak...as to after break in. If it were mine...I would drain the break in oil, change the filter and refill with Rotella T4 15w40.

That's what I did on my big block FE mustang and have had no issues. I run the Rotella T4 15w40 in my Bronco too.

Tim

 

[nvrstuk]

Congrats on your build! Oil blowing up from the dipstick or slight mist coming out?

OIL coming out is a lot of blowby. Slight mist on 30 min of run time is probably just fine.

Where in the PNW??

 

[nirvana]

Congrats on your build! Oil blowing up from the dipstick or slight mist coming out?

OIL coming out is a lot of blowby. Slight mist on 30 min of run time is probably just fine.

Where in the PNW??

post falls id

 

[DirtDonk]

Doesn’t sound like there’s a dipstick. Just a hole mounted low in the front of the timing cover where it can get a lot of splash. In addition to any blow by.
I think that’s right in the thick of things near where the timing gears are spinning, and not familiar with any casting details that redirect oil away from it, or whether it’s just a straight shot.

I normally run my engines at 2500, but 2000 should be good. I hope!
I don’t know if the T4 is any different, but you can no longer assume that Rotella-T is a high zinc oil.
Many of the versions out there are standard modern stuff with low zinc/ZDDP additives. So the best thing you can do it, no matter what oil you choose, is to read the packaging and make sure it’s got high ZDDP content to protect old flat tappet cams.
Not even diesel oil has the same zinc it used to. So here again, read the label.

As for which way the timing cover seal goes in, post up the number on the timing cover and maybe somebody can tell you if it’s early or late.
Do you know what year Mustang it came off of?
Did you put the seal in from the front or the back?

 

[BOBS 2 68S]

I run Motorcraft 15-40 diesel oil in my Blue Print with flat tappet cam. It was one of the oil's they recommended / approved.

 

[Timmy390]

Rotella has 1203 PPM Zinc.....Your research may very.......Motorcraft has 1188 PPM

Tim

 

[ba123]

Hey, think positive...balancer seal better than rear main, and it runs, congrats!!!

Are you sure about that seal? Might just be from the dipstick hole.

You could just plug that dipstick hole. They do sell dipstick plugs since you can't tap that hole and then you could swap the covers when you feel like it, if ever.

 

[nirvana]

Doesn’t sound like there’s a dipstick. Just a hole mounted low in the front of the timing cover where it can get a lot of splash. In addition to any blow by.
I think that’s right in the thick of things near where the timing gears are spinning, and not familiar with any casting details that redirect oil away from it, or whether it’s just a straight shot.

I normally run my engines at 2500, but 2000 should be good. I hope!
I don’t know if the T4 is any different, but you can no longer assume that Rotella-T is a high zinc oil.
Many of the versions out there are standard modern stuff with low zinc/ZDDP additives. So the best thing you can do it, no matter what oil you choose, is to read the packaging and make sure it’s got high ZDDP content to protect old flat tappet cams.
Not even diesel oil has the same zinc it used to. So here again, read the label.

As for which way the timing cover seal goes in, post up the number on the timing cover and maybe somebody can tell you if it’s early or late.
Do you know what year Mustang it came off of?
Did you put the seal in from the front or the back?

From the back, It was the disk looking seal and not the flanged one. Not really sure of the year of the timing cover, I have tons of mustang parts and it came out of the pile.
Maybe there was just alot of pressure in the motor during breakin and my pan was not quite tight enough. I put it on the lift and put a ratchet to it, they were not very tight.
So now that the breakin time is done should I be changing the oil out now? Trying to stay away from synthectics... Conventional oil is getting hard to find...thoughts?

 

[DirtDonk]

While it’s probably not needed, I still do it like I’ve been doing since the 60s. Probably overkill for these days, but I feel good doing it even though I don’t take wasting oil lately.
I think most modern engines are simply run on their break-in oil for the initial drive interval. I could be wrong, but not sure.
I do like was said above and change the brake-in oil out immediately after cam break-in.
Still using conventional oil, but with plenty of zinc additive, of course, and let that run that for 500 miles or 1000 miles and then change it.
Your choice on the mileage.
Then I run the next one for the usual 5000 mile interval after that.
So essentially, I still do two break in oil changes just normal after that.

 

[DirtDonk]

Conventional oil should not be hard to find. But it is hard to find with the added zinc anymore.
For a while, they were pushing that type of stuff for us using old flat tappet cam’s. Made it easy to find just about whatever you were looking for with the right amount of stuff in it.
I was in an O’Reillys recently, and couldn’t find but a single motor oil that had it. Yes, they had the usual giant shelf full of motor oils.
Just very little of it was usable.

What I did find wasn’t in the weight I wanted, but at least it was an acceptable weight range so that’s what we used.
And I still put a can of zinc additive in for the initial start up. Just for good measure.
I must’ve read the full labels on at least six or seven different versions of Rotella T and not one of them mentioned ZDDP or recommended it for use with flat tappet cams.
The closest they came, was having the versions for “high mileage“ engines. But that’s not very comforting considering you can have a roller cam engine with 500,000 miles on it anymore!

 

[nirvana]

Bumping my own thread for professional help and guidance. Thanks Bronco bros

 

[Timmy390]

Seal looks like it was installed dry. Alway loas the seal lips with grease. I always use the harmonic balancer as a centering tool. Leave the timing cover loose. Install harmonic balancer and the tighten timing cover.

Plug the dipstick hole that's not being used. Verify PCV system is functional.

Tim

 

[ba123]

Didn’t realize you were still waiting for help…hard to tell for certain with those pics, but seal looks correct. Really easy to tell before putting it in and if I did it myself.

Ditto on what @Timmy390 said. Never dry, always grease it. Dry and it can get messed up, but that isn’t for certain your prob and again, like Timmy said, verify your pcv is set up correctly or pressure will cause leaks.

I would just put in the top of a dipstick until you don’t see oil coming from that hole and then plug it, or since you have it off, get the correct front cover.

 

[nirvana]

Seal looks like it was installed dry. Alway loas the seal lips with grease. I always use the harmonic balancer as a centering tool. Leave the timing cover loose. Install harmonic balancer and the tighten timing cover.

Plug the dipstick hole that's not being used. Verify PCV system is functional.

Tim

Thanks for the reply, Actually I just wiped it dry to picture it.. The seal and the balancer snout were lubed before assembly. One thing that I noticed however was that the rubber in this particular seal seams very soft/squishy when compared to another new seal that I have sitting here. I will replace it. Getting a timing cover gasket set today and will try again. I am leaning toward the front pan to cover rubber seal as the culprit of the leak.

I really want the Bronco on the road this summer to enjoy. If I need to dump these pics and load better ones I will do that if it helps. Thanks guys

 

[TX-ZACH]

Hopefully just a seal. Valvoline VR1 10-30 is high in zinc and can buy a 6 pack on AMZ for $60. Not sure if your 351 uses the same filter but I also run a WIX 51515, extra capacity filter. Both easy to buy on AMZ or O'Reillys.