Ferdinand Posted November 11, 2018 Author Share Posted November 11, 2018 ...coolant leak... If I have my overflow blocked off right now..., would that build up too much pressure while running and force a leak where there wouldn't normally be one?It might, assuming no leaks in the system. But there are no coolant ports or plugs in the back of a 351W block. Only oil. https://supermotors.net/getfile/1133914/thumbnail/20180527_192357.jpg The only rear-facing coolant plugs are the bore plugs in the heads. The head & intake gaskets can leak coolant, but that would be OUTside the bellhousing. Have you checked what's running down the outside lip of the bellhousing/separator plate? It would still collect at the bottom of the bellhousing, but not much (if any) would be INSIDE. Can you buy/rent/borrow/steal a coolant pressure tester? https://supermotors.net/getfile/1036778/thumbnail/prestest.jpg...since water and oil don't mix, .......unless there's some other chemical agent allowing them to mix, like a detergent, soap, surfactant, or ALCOHOL (like ethylene glycOL). ;) Thanks guys. Steve83, I actually have a coolant pressure tester that I used the first two times by Gary's recommendation. (Thank you Gary) It was a much better route since you don't have to dodge a spinning fan while nosing around. I pushed it up to nearly 20 psi and still could not produce a leak but since the operating psi is much lower than that I didn't want to run the chance of blowing my heater core (trying to use the original.) I took some pictures of the back of my block and posted them a few pages back but nothing really stood out. Even when pressure testing. I am hoping with the UV dye where ever this thing is leaking the residual should tell me where! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ford F834 Posted November 11, 2018 Share Posted November 11, 2018 I am sorry to hear about your stubborn leak, and unfortunately I’m not much help with that... looks like others here have some good suggestions though. I really hope you don’t take this the wrong way... but from the picture it looks like the vehicle is supported by cinder blocks and truly scares me 😱. Not trying to be anyone’s nanny if you are aware of what you are doing and working safely, this is just genuine brotherly concern and wanting to look out for each other. Gary and I had a similar discussion over one of my 4x4 swap photos that looked sketchy. Anyway, just wanting you to be safe and I hope you get that leak solved. It is frustrating now but will be equally satisfying when you fix it.  Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rembrant Posted November 11, 2018 Share Posted November 11, 2018 Sooooo, This is depressing. My next step at this point I guess is to pull the transmission again and see what the dye tells me from inside the flywheel / bell housing area. My guess is that the block is cracked and it just doesn't show anything to the naked eye. Man, I can't tell you how frustrating this is. I think it took me nearly 6-7 hours to get the transmission and T-case all up in and mounted but at this point I don't know what else to do. Doesn't seem like there are many other options at this point, does there? I know my little 2wd drive is much less work than a 4x4, but after I installed my 5spd earlier this year, I forgot to lube the clutch splines, and had to pull it all out again. Man that sucked...especially working on the floor, without really even having the truck jacked up at all. I spent so much time under the truck this past spring my shoulder has been killing me ever since as a reminder...lol. I hope you get the leak sorted out OK (and soon). Do you have one of those little borescope cameras that you could look up behind the ring gear with? I guess it doesn't matter at this point...if it is still leaking, then it likely has to come apart again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rembrant Posted November 11, 2018 Share Posted November 11, 2018 My guess is that the block is cracked and it just doesn't show anything to the naked eye. How quickly does it start leaking after you start the engine? I assume that it doesn't leak until after it is up to operating temp and the coolant system is under a little pressure? Is the rad cap bleeding off? Did we ask this before? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted November 11, 2018 Share Posted November 11, 2018 My guess is that the block is cracked and it just doesn't show anything to the naked eye. How quickly does it start leaking after you start the engine? I assume that it doesn't leak until after it is up to operating temp and the coolant system is under a little pressure? Is the rad cap bleeding off? Did we ask this before? Those are all good questions. If the leak doesn't start until after it has run awhile then you are right - let's hope the dye shows something. And I like the bore scope idea as they aren't terribly expensive. But can you get it up under there with the engine running, assuming it has to be? Or, might you be able to see the dye if you had a bore scope and pulled the flywheel cover, supplied a lot of light, and ran it up there w/o the engine running and with the tranny still in place? On the blocks, pun intended, my father STRONGLY encouraged his boys not to use them. He had his car up on them and they crushed. The car came down around him, pinning him but not hurting him. His little brother was there and would take off running for the house to get their father, then stop and come back to see if his brother was ok. I guess it was comical in retrospect, but Dad wouldn't let us even think about using blocks. However, you probably have it worked out and are doing it safely, I'm sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdinand Posted November 12, 2018 Author Share Posted November 12, 2018 I am sorry to hear about your stubborn leak, and unfortunately I’m not much help with that... looks like others here have some good suggestions though. I really hope you don’t take this the wrong way... but from the picture it looks like the vehicle is supported by cinder blocks and truly scares me 😱. Not trying to be anyone’s nanny if you are aware of what you are doing and working safely, this is just genuine brotherly concern and wanting to look out for each other. Gary and I had a similar discussion over one of my 4x4 swap photos that looked sketchy. Anyway, just wanting you to be safe and I hope you get that leak solved. It is frustrating now but will be equally satisfying when you fix it. Thanks Ford F834. No worries at all. I am quite thankful that the folks I have "met" on this forum really do seem to have each other's best interests at heart. I do feel quite safe with this set up but I will be adding a treated 2x10 to the top to tie the piers together and to provide some dampening between the frame and the blocks. I welcome any feedback of things to look out for or do better. I was a contractor for about 20 years and I am sure I've picked up plenty of bad habits in that time Thanks for accompanying me on this quest for sanity. Have a peaceful night sir. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdinand Posted November 12, 2018 Author Share Posted November 12, 2018 My guess is that the block is cracked and it just doesn't show anything to the naked eye. How quickly does it start leaking after you start the engine? I assume that it doesn't leak until after it is up to operating temp and the coolant system is under a little pressure? Is the rad cap bleeding off? Did we ask this before? Rembrant, The engine is dry for about 3-5 minutes and then the leak starts. Slowly at first then develops rather quickly to nearly a steady run. No "pop-off" at the Cap. Seems to run pretty normal. Now that I am thinking of it, since I have an extra threaded port on air gap intake, I may just thread a pressure gauge into it for now just to see what the pressure is when operating. I was told it should be somewhere between 8-10 psi. I'd be curious to know for sure what mine is, though I can't imagine why it would be abnormally high? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdinand Posted November 12, 2018 Author Share Posted November 12, 2018 Those are all good questions. If the leak doesn't start until after it has run awhile then you are right - let's hope the dye shows something. And I like the bore scope idea as they aren't terribly expensive. But can you get it up under there with the engine running, assuming it has to be? Or, might you be able to see the dye if you had a bore scope and pulled the flywheel cover, supplied a lot of light, and ran it up there w/o the engine running and with the tranny still in place? On the blocks, pun intended, my father STRONGLY encouraged his boys not to use them. He had his car up on them and they crushed. The car came down around him, pinning him but not hurting him. His little brother was there and would take off running for the house to get their father, then stop and come back to see if his brother was ok. I guess it was comical in retrospect, but Dad wouldn't let us even think about using blocks. However, you probably have it worked out and are doing it safely, I'm sure. Gary, The borescope is a good idea. That is a tool I do not have in the arsenal... I may go shopping (Please make a recommendation if you know of a good one!) Though the space between the flywheel and the aluminum plate between the block and bell housing is extremely small. The scope would need to be done with the engine off to be safe. Right now I am contemplating an adapter to fabricate for the jack I use to raise and lower the transmission and transfer case. If done properly, that adapter could shave at least an hour off the project so I will let you know how that goes. The cement block story is a serious and comical one. I am really picky about what type and size of block to use and never single stack them. I am sure there are certainly safer methods but it is what I have at the ready. I have been given far too many blessings (5 lovely ladies among the greatest) to be negligent and unsafe, but I have been known to push the envelope a time or two. I really appreciate the concern. Lord willing, they will only be in use for a few days!! Our Gospel Meeting started today so while I am excited for the feast of God's Word, that will take up the lion's share of my time this week. My hopes are to tinker a bit each night once the kids go to bed in hopes that I might be ready to pull the transmission by this coming Saturday. I will keep you posted. I sure am not looking forward to pulling that tranny again but I am pretty anxious and curious to see if the dye sheds some light on the subject! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdinand Posted November 12, 2018 Author Share Posted November 12, 2018 Found this little gem while searching for some clips for my grille clipsandfasteners.com They sure seem to have quite a selection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted November 12, 2018 Share Posted November 12, 2018 Found this little gem while searching for some clips for my grille clipsandfasteners.com They sure seem to have quite a selection. I don't have a bore scope to suggest, but I think Bill/85LebaronT2 does. Hopefully he will chime in. And Clips and Fasteners is a good one. I downloaded their catalog some years ago, but should probably get a new one. As for the gospel meeting, we haven't done one of those in years - but should. Did you bring in a guest speaker, have a different speaker each night, or what? I'm curious as it may be just what we need to do at the church where I'm an elder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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