Breakin process came to a stop

[TXcharger70]

This was just not my day
Well we were getting my 383 (496) stroker build ready to break in the cam. I had the steering column down so i put it back in place so that i didn't have any mishaps with the linkage accidentally shift the trany while we were going to break it in. So here i am putting bolting the column back up and getting ready to fire this puppy up. Well before I could get it started smoke started to fill the inside. I was sitting in the seat when all the smoke started from underneath the dash. As I rush to find where its coming from my buddy goes to disconnect the battery. I saw a wire that was glowing red hot going to my 3 gage cluster (aftermarket). I immediately grabbed it and pulled it out burning myself but better than the car burning down. You can image the scare we had. So after i sort threw the wires i found out i had pinched a wire when i bolted up the steering column. I look at all the wires to make sure i didn't burn through any others. Now after that little scare we are ready to fire it up. So i go to crank it and it fires right up. Man she sounded beautiful. I start to look at my gages and i notice i have oil spewing on to the carpet. I had one of those plastic oil pressure lines which i should have know better. So had to shut it off to inspect and needless to say the wire that almost caused a fire had in fact burnt through the line which i did not catch. I then removed the plastic line and went to oreillys to get a copper one so we could continue. I got back and we installed. Now try number 3 to get this motor broken in. I start it back up and everything looks and sounds great, i have great oil pressure, the temp is holding and everything looks good. About 10min into it i look underneath the car and i am leaking oil enough to shut it down. After inspecting it was coming from the back of the engine where the tranny meets dripping through the dust shield. So I have a rear main seal leak. Now that i have this leak whats the best way to change it with the motor in the car and to keep it from leaking a second time

[terrible one]

Hate to hear that man!

As far as the motor spilling oil out of the trans dust cover . . .

When I broke my 383 in it did the same thing, and I mean a good bit of oil, probably half a quart. I first thought it would be the rear main seal but the guy helping me break it in said that was just too much oil unless the rear main seal was royally messed up. Come to find out, as a young and ignorant 17 year old, I didn't install the freeze plug that goes behind the camshaft bearing at the very back of the block! That was a nice full day's work in the garage with no lift getting the trans dropped just to spend 5 minutes tapping that plug in. I know it's probably rare that anyone else would make that same mistake, but I just thought I would throw it out there and it might be something to look into. That's a lot of oil to lose in less than 20 minutes and to want to shut the motor down.

[TXcharger70]

Well it was a constant drip it leak about a 1/4 of a quart it was maybe 5 to 10min into it when i noticed

[Cooter]

For whatever reason, I had the same EXACT thing happen to my fresh 440. Pulled the pan, popped the rear main seal cap, only to find the seal looked good...Swapped it anyway with another and solved the problem...Still leaks, but nowhere NEAR what it was...

[c00nhunterjoe]

You might have to have the rear main seal cap machined for a snugger fit

[TXcharger70]

Does anyone have any experience with this billet cap http://chucker54.stores.yahoo.net/bilrearmains.html

[Kern Dog]

That cam plug deal is a new one. Pretty unusual.
I had a leak in my first 440 years ago. tracing it was a pisser. I changed the oil pan gasket twice, the rear main once, then decided to pull the trans. Yeah... there it was. In my case, the oil gallery plugs were NOT tight enough. I pulled and cleaned them, then sealed them with Gaskicinch. No more leaks after that.

[7chargers]

Yeah having the same issue with my 383, runs great, good oil pressure, leaking from the rear of motor, changed the rear main seal with after market one from O'reliys auto and still leaked  . Went and ordered another rear main seal kit from mancinni's and guess what again leaking just not as bad??! So I think my plan is to drive it and then dropped the tranny this winter in the shop and see what the deal is... I understand the frustrations trust me..

[TXcharger70]

Ya i am going to hopefully check it out this weekend to see exactly where my leak is coming from. 7chargers you said you have replaced it twice have you replaced your cap? That could also be an issue with it not sealing properly. I have also heard people machining the crank a hair to get a better seal. I hope i don't have to go as far as this. I just don't want to pull the engine and would like to drive it this year and not have to wait another year if you know what i mean. Mine leaks a good amount I had started back up last weekend and its a constant drip. It has great oil pressure but i will just have to wait till i cant get a better look under there.

[jrust]

Same problem on my 496 stroker, changed out three rear seals and even tried a rope seal but still leaked. Finally had to pull the motor and took it back to the builder, we found that the aftermarket crank was defective. Somewhere during the machining process the journal had been turned down just a hair to small just enough that oil would leak past the seal when the motor got warm. Well to make a long story short the builder installed a hemi crank, after checking it out several times. He also tested the engine out several times before I got it back with problem solved. The real bitch about the whole ordeal was having to pull and reinstall the engine. Good luck.

[TXcharger70]

Did you have to just scrap that crank and eat the cost? Cause that's what i am afraid of being worst case scenario. I had order my online and i believe it is a scat crank. I pretty much did the build myself minus machine work i needed

[jrust]

The builder ate the cost of the new crank and all associated cost with gaskets etc....... He told me since the other crank had been installed and ran that the manufacture wouldn't take it back so it's now a boat anchor. The other kicker was that he couldn't find a replacement six bolt crank so he had to buy a eight bolt crank which was almost triple in cost. What really got my goat was having to take apart all the stuff to get the motor out and having to put it back in.

[7chargers]

Yeah I wonder if it's the cap? I hate to think it's the crank since the motor does have some miles on it and it didnt leak before   Got to love these cars!

[jrust]

That was the last step,milled it down. It reduced the leak but it was there. My only option was to yank the motor.

[TXcharger70]

Well yesterday afternoon I had a buddy let me borrow his lift so that i could get the charger on the lift to change the rear main out. I ventured to change the rear main with the engine in the car. Well we drooped the centerlink which was not that bad at all so we could get the pan out. The hardest part was getting to some of the bolts by the k frame for the oil pan so i thought. After all was said and done i was ready to drop the oil pan but that is where the hard part started. The problem was that i used the best stuff you can buy in my opinion to seal the pan which is (The Right Stuff). Boy This stuff is made so that what ever you seal with it will stick and seal not to be taken apart again. After while of  using a razor blade and some pulling and prying i manage to get the pan off. Then I had to do the same process with the windage tray. Boy did that suck. As i go to remove the rear main seal cap i look at the seal and it was installed incorrectly and on the block side it was correct. So at least it was a sigh of relief to know at least i had some how installed the seal incorrectly. Well I mange to get everything off and replaced the rear main cap with a billet cap from Mancini cause i wasn't sure what i was going to find. Which was an excellent quality piece. So hopefully i can resume my break in process this weekend, cross you fingers that this thing doesn't leak again.

[Chryco Psycho]

I am glad you found & solved it . I recommend you check the oil pressure sender , got fooled but that once years ago , changed the rear seal 4 times before we found a crack in the fitting for the oil guage !!

[SRT-68]

Glad you got it fixed!  A little bit of trivia on rear main leaks.  We had a kid come in to the shop with a 440 in a car with a terminal rear main leak. He had been to 3 shops and all three changed the rear main and it still leaked. It turns out that the short block was from a marine engine. There were twin engine boats using two industrial 440s made that had one left hand rotation and one right hand rotation. The cranks are identical except for the tiny machined grooves where the rear main seal rides. The RH rotate crank has them going the other direction. When used in a standard engine they push oil out of the engine instead of in.

Pulled the crank and had the grooves polished out and no more leak.  Here is what a pair of them looks like. The also have reverse rotation cams with a different intermediate shaft so that the distributor turns the correct way.

[TXcharger70]

Well good news so far we were able to start it up and break it in with no leaks except i have a miss on one of the cylinders. Now just need to finish up some minor things and get it on the road i can't wait.