New oil leak on 3500GT

Coming home from a Sunday trip with my 3500GT, I moved the car onto my wooden ramp with about 10% slope. I stalled the engine, turned it on again and did the last few inches. Then I cranked up the beginning of the ramp in order to get the car level.
When I then had a look below the engine, there was a oil swamp of 10 inches. On inspection I found that from the left side of the engine oil must has been spitted out.
I checked the oil level and it was at maximum, where it had been before.
My explanation was and still is that when the engine stalled with the car inclined 10%, a rear crank must have hit the oil in the rear of the crankcase and thrown it out somewhere.
The breather was dry. The highest oily place was between the cylinderhead and the motor bloc, where the chain runs.
I cleaned everything, drained the oil and put in a new charge of oil, this time only a few millimeter above minimum.
The next day I found again an oil swamp under the engine, but with less oil spoiled all over. Turned on the engine and had quite a bit of burned-oil smoke from the exhaust.
As I had filled the engine when cold, the new oil must have stayed quite some time in the upper part of the cylinder head and probably some oil has run down along the valve shafts.
On a new engine start next day there was no smoke whatssoever. But there is still oil leaking out between the cylinderhead and the motorbloc, at the left front corner.

I know very little about that engine. From the parts list one could conclude, that there is a gasket running all along the border of the mcylinderhead, and that there are other gaskets for the cylinders. Not one only gasket for sealing cylinders, waterway and oilways.

My question: is there a not too expensive way to stop that leak? I have removed and successfully restored the cylinderhead of a Jaguar Mk2, but I had a good workshop-manual.
If I need to remove the cylinderhead, I will only do it if I can get a detailed instruction of how to do it.

Can somebody give me good advise?
Wilfried

 

Do you call the seal that goes around the engine between motor bloc and cylinderhead the "rubber water seal"? The catalogue calls it "Nr.23 Guarnizione per testa cilindri a basamenti".
It is certainly there where the oil leaks out during days when the engine is at rest. Must be the oil that has been thrown to the inside of the valve cover.
The question is, how to replace this seal?
Has somebody written an instruction manual, how to remove and refit the cylinder head.
Are these seals available? Has anybody had the same problem with leaks there?
Wilfried

 

Hi Francesco,
I have just checked now: the seal I am concerned about is rubber. There are about 6mm of the material protuding outside. Seems to be about 2mm thick, still quite flexible. I have again cleaned that region and the had the engine going a minute. Will see where exactly it is "creaping" out. I say creaping, because at rest the leak is little, but lasting long.
Would it be possible to swell that rubber seal in place?
Wilfried

 

I notice, that the rubber gasket stands out on the left side front corner about 6 mm. Is this normal, i.e. is the gasket so much larger, or has it slipped out in this corner and does therefore not any more fulfill its purpose? I also find a "tear" of black stuff that has run down at the suspected place and has solidified.
Wilfried

 

This "burned-oil" smoke repeated itself again some days later. I really panicked when I saw that big cloud coming out during maybe one minute. Then, the next day there was no smoke at all.
Then I remembered that the smoke could have come from brake-line liquid, because of a faulty servo. Checked again the level in the reservoir and found it half empty!
What a releave! I should have looked better at the smoke: it was white not white-blue.
I have started to remove the servo to see what has gone wrong. Something in the servo must have been bad already some time, because when I put the foot down on the brake, the servo reacted with a short delay. And when I released the pedal, the brakes would only release about one second later.
Wilfried

 

I just want to let you know what I did since august 18:
- removed the brake servo
- bought a repair kit
- dismanteled the servo , renewed all seals, cleaned the cylinders.
- studied the "Girling vacuum servo units" instruction manual. Realized that there was an "early version" (with adjusting screw on the end cover) and a later version without this screw. The screw permitted to adjust the "piston stop" with the servo in place. In the later version (mine) the adjustment is factory made inside with a washer. Found that this washer was missing! This explaned the delayed action of the servo, and the binding after releasing the pedal. Assembled the unit again, now with a washer. Purged the system.
Result: good braking without delay, no white smoke any more.
The little oil leak on the rubber gasket was taken care of; I wan't tell you how, because I could not stand your critique!
Wilfried