🔧 BUILD LAME Turbo V6 Camaro

[v6buicks]

I got the pan removed.

What do you think? Enough to cause a leak? I sure don't like it! It doesn't appear that I used any RTV either. I'll redo it with dots where the cover meets the block next time.

If that wasn't a leak, this is!

Redoing these gaskets will for sure solve the external leak problems. As for the internal coolant leaks, I'm going to leave the pan off for a day or two and see where the new puddle forms. It may not tell me anything, but you never know. I have my bets placed on the intake gaskets though. Who knows. Maybe I forgot to seal those coolant ports with RTV!

 

[Rdrnnr]

I got the pan removed.
View attachment 84633

What do you think? Enough to cause a leak? I sure don't like it! It doesn't appear that I used any RTV either. I'll redo it with dots where the cover meets the block next time.
View attachment 84634

If that wasn't a leak, this is!
View attachment 84635

Redoing these gaskets will for sure solve the external leak problems. As for the internal coolant leaks, I'm going to leave the pan off for a day or two and see where the new puddle forms. It may not tell me anything, but you never know. I have my bets placed on the intake gaskets though. Who knows. Maybe I forgot to seal those coolant ports with RTV!

Um what coolant ports [emoji15] the ones with the orings? I rtvd the upper instead of buyin a new gasket but the lower I thought just goop the corners?

 

[v6buicks]

Um what coolant ports [emoji15] the ones with the orings? I rtvd the upper instead of buyin a new gasket but the lower I thought just goop the corners?

I had mixed feelings about it, but I'm finding that it's common for people to smear RTV around the coolant ports on the heads and intakes.

 

[v6buicks]

My philosophy was always to let the gasket do the work in situations like that. We aren't dealing with shitty oring-less paper gaskets anymore. I never had problems in the past. This will be my first failed 3800 intake gasket job if that's actually the problem. ?‍

 

[Rdrnnr]

My philosophy was always to let the gasket do the work in situations like that. We aren't dealing with shitty oring-less paper gaskets anymore. I never had problems in the past. This will be my first failed 3800 intake gasket job if that's actually the problem. [emoji2369]

Well, I guess im not into doin it on the lower either and I never have with an ls but I'm not scared to put the black stuff anywhere either. I'd be lying if I said there weren't some gaskets made with cardboard and black goop around here tho

 

[v6buicks]

Another thing I failed to mention was that I once again investigated better turbo drain locations. I put that bung where it is because it was easy to weld with the original pan on the car. When I got less sloppy and replaced the pan, I was still too lazy to change the location. Now that I've given it a better look.... I'm gonna keep it in the same spot. The truth is that there is no better place to put it without serious reconfiguration of the exhaust or a tubular k-member. There are a couple spot that could work but I would greatly sacrifice serviceability. No thanks.

What will help a lot with cleanliness and my draining issues will be to run an AN hard line from the pan to just a few inches in front of the crank pulley. From there I can weld a little bracket that ties in to one of the front oil pan bolts or something. It should ensure a downward slope to the pan and look a little less janky. To better ensure proper drain back, I can also make that tube a lot larger while keeping the hose the same size. We'll see.

 

[Rdrnnr]

I just had red heater hose comin off the bottom of mine with a barb fitting at the bottom of the turbo and into the oil level sensor location and it worked fine.

This time I'm gonna do it with 10an and make it look nice, got a little power steering cooler I was gonna put in it but now reading this I think I'm just gonna go straight back into the pan I don't wanna have drain problems when I've got a nice balanced turbo with a factory installed restrictor and all that

 

[v6buicks]

I just had red heater hose comin off the bottom of mine with a barb fitting at the bottom of the turbo and into the oil level sensor location and it worked fine.

This time I'm gonna do it with 10an and make it look nice, got a little power steering cooler I was gonna put in it but now reading this I think I'm just gonna go straight back into the pan I don't wanna have drain problems when I've got a nice balanced turbo with a factory installed restrictor and all that

I wish I could find pictures of how it was before. My abrupt cast 90 isn't doing me favors. A mandrel bent 90 hose barb to to -10 AN might do wonders.

 

[Rdrnnr]

I wish I could find pictures of how it was before. My abrupt cast 90 isn't doing me favors. A mandrel bent 90 hose barb to to -10 AN might do wonders.

Dude I had a brass 90 fitting like 3/4ish crossthreaded into the pan with some thread tape. No leaks no issues nothin. Maybe I got lucky idk? I also fed the camaro full of Rotella too so maybe that's it [emoji23]

 

[v6buicks]

Dude I had a brass 90 fitting like 3/4ish crossthreaded into the pan with some thread tape. No leaks no issues nothin. Maybe I got lucky idk? I also fed the camaro full of Rotella too so maybe that's it [emoji23]

Lol my turbo is junky but the big difference is that you have room for the bing on the passenger side. Mine's on the driver side, so the distance to travel is a lot longer and practically horizontal toward the end. Oil doesn't wanna flow sideways through a 90 without some pressure.

I'm only actually concerned about it because I removed the drain hose from the pan last night, and it dumped all over me. Since the engine hasn't been started in weeks, that means it can't be draining very well.

 

[Rdrnnr]

Lol my turbo is junky but the big difference is that you have room for the bing on the passenger side. Mine's on the driver side, so the distance to travel is a lot longer and practically horizontal toward the end. Oil doesn't wanna flow sideways through a 90 without some pressure.

I'm only actually concerned about it because I removed the drain hose from the pan last night, and it dumped all over me. Since the engine hasn't been started in weeks, that means it can't be draining very well.

 

[Rdrnnr]

Oops. Mine ran down to the driver's side and I'm pretty sure it horizintalled like that too? Maybe I was havin issues but there really was much oil in the hot side when I took it off either. Camaro also only had like 20 or 30 psi of oil pressure on idle tho and idk if it ever really saw much more than that. Maybe its just the 15w40s a lil harder to flow lol

 

[v6buicks]

Oops. Mine ran down to the driver's side and I'm pretty sure it horizintalled like that too? Maybe I was havin issues but there really was much oil in the hot side when I took it off either. Camaro also only had like 20 or 30 psi of oil pressure on idle tho and idk if it ever really saw much more than that. Maybe its just the 15w40s a lil harder to flow lol

Huh I thought you were the one I talked to with the bung on the other side. Yeah, my oil pressure is outrageous. ? Idk what my problem is there. The S3 spring makes it 90 at high idle. I'm gonna put the S2 spring back in whenever I remember.

 

[Rdrnnr]

Huh I thought you were the one I talked to with the bung on the other side. Yeah, my oil pressure is outrageous. [emoji23] Idk what my problem is there. The S3 spring makes it 90 at high idle. I'm gonna put the S2 spring back in whenever I remember.

I'll put a hundo on that bein where your problem is rather than the drain. I may see the same with this birds idle psi being 60+

 

[Turbocharged400sbc]

The only time I've had one of these that hit 90 PSI at all was when the oil passage into the block from the timing cover was nearly plugged with RTV.

 

[v6buicks]

Wonderful.

 

[v6buicks]

Perhaps I need to pull my tee again to see if some tape got lodged in there. If not, I'll pull the timing cover as soon as I'm done with the million other things I said I need to do. CRAP I need to make a new to-do list.

EDIT: The tee can't be what's plugged if a blockage is what's causing a high pressure scenario. It would have to be something further up stream.... Damn

 

[Rdrnnr]

Perhaps I need to pull my tee again to see if some tape got lodged in there. If not, I'll pull the timing cover as soon as I'm done with the million other things I said I need to do. CRAP I need to make a new to-do list.

I don't even wanna know what my list would look like I need to just start doin it

 

[v6buicks]

Finally you can see what I'm talking about.

Then I pulled the rear cover.

Sorry for the sunlight messing up the pictures. Although the seal doesn't line up perfectly. I don't see any reason why it would be mixing coolant with oil.

Oh well...

I didn't realize that the flywheel bolt holes didn't go through to the crankcase either. I was planning to redrill them now, but I'm for sure going to wait until it's resealed now.

 

[Turbocharged400sbc]

Do not use RTV lookup Permatex super 300 it's also sometimes referred to as Aviation sealer it's more appropriate for what we need.

 

[Turbocharged400sbc]

I'm remember with any sealant you're only looking for as much as the height of the ridges on your fingerprint if you can see your fingerprint in it you're fine if you squish when you fingerprinted you might have too much

 

[Turbocharged400sbc]

Did you replace that already? There is no way it is that immaculate to be the original paper gasket.
There should be at least one or two splits in it

 

[v6buicks]

Did you replace that already? There is no way it is that immaculate to be the original paper gasket.
There should be at least one or two splits in it

It's about a year old

 

[Rdrnnr]

Do not use RTV lookup Permatex super 300 it's also sometimes referred to as Aviation sealer it's more appropriate for what we need.

Aviation sealer seems like somethin I'd be into. Body shop buddy recently turned me on to panel bond and I tend to use that in places I really shouldn't get away with it [emoji23]

 

[v6buicks]

I'm probably about to get shit for choosing Fel-Pro. Oh well. I was feeling ultra lazy and dumpy yesterday despite the gorgeous weather. Waiting for my parts to slowly funnel through the Suez Canal or whatever the hell is going on is really demotivating. Hopefully putting a few parts back on the car and seeing it go the other direction will help.

What's the low down with these pins and rubber strips? I've seen them in product descriptions, but never actually got them in my kit before. Reading the instructions on the package only makes me more confused because it doesn't seem applicable to the 3800. Also, I wish I had that crank seal install tool when I did this last time. lol

I was thinking about what Turbocharged400sbc was saying in regards to my oil blockage... That's probably got something to do with my rocker tips chirping. I guess the front cover is coming off too!