Distributor Seal, WTF Am I Doing Wrong?...

I swapped out intake manifolds and valve covers on my small block chevy. The new intake is an old Edelbrock Torker with the oil fill fube. The distributor is a HEI big unit. The first time, I reused the old seal. It leaked. Obviously, I figured the seal was shot. So I got a new seal and used silicone on top and bottom of the seal. It leaked again. No problem, I figured I didn't give the silicone enough time to cure or the surfaces weren't clean enough. So next, I used brake cleaner and got everything nice and spotless and installed the new seal without silicone. It's still leaking.

WTF am I doing wrong. And it's a good thing the gaskets are only $1, lol, or I'd be losing my ever lovin' mind. It didn't leak before the intake swap. A quick once over didn't reveal anything visibly wrong with the intake. Any ideas or tips? The parts place guy said to try two seals at once. Please help before I cause a nationwide shortage on distributor gaskets.

 

Look at one of the gaskets after you have installed it and check to see where it is and isn't being compressed. While you have it apart, try to get some good pictures to post if possible and "do not touch the trim"!

 

Install the dist without a gasket and look to see how much clearance there is between it and the intake (where the gasket sits). Sometimes the old intakes were machined too short and the dist shaft bottoms on the oil pump shaft,holding the dist up and not compressing the gasket. Also bad for the oil pump. If that's the case,two gaskets will fix it.

chicken

 

I appreciate the help. But what do I do after I see where it's not being compressed? I ***ume that since the intake is the only thing that's changed, that there must be an irregularity or something that's not completely flat keeping the gasket from sealing properly and allowing oil to escape. I know the bolt holding down the distirubtor bracket is tight.

What about the parts guy's idea to use two gaskets? I really want to avoid using silicone, because I think that when I go to set the timing that turning the distributor will just break the seal.

 

Thanks. I'll try that too when I remove and inspect the latest leaking gasket.

 

I thought I had had the same problem you are talking about. Pitch the end seals in the trash, put a 1/4"bead of silicone and stick your intake back on. I pulled my hair out thinking it was the dist seal, oil plug at the back of the block or leaky valve covers. It sure is nice not smelling burning oil or seeing oil leaks on the shop floor.

 

You don't need silicone on a distributor gasket.

Clean it off REEEL good back there and then figure out if it's the intake rear seal, or the oil pressure fitting in the back of the block. There's so little oil thrown against the distributor base that you'd have to drive 500 miles to notice if you'd totally left the gasket out.

 

I didn't use the end seals, in fact the intake gaskets didn't come with end seals. I used a good 1/4" bead of silicone on the front and back of the intake.

I'm trying to think ****ytically about what has changed since it didn't leak before.
1. PCV valve and grommet drilled into the intake manifold.
I can see it's not leaking here. The distributor gasket started out blue. After running the engine for a few minutes, you can see oil seeping out around the base of the distributor at the gasket and running down the back of the engine.
2. Intake manifold is new (old), maybe it's not totally flat where the distributor goes in?
3. The distributor gasket.
Again, maybe an irregularity in the intake manifold keeping it from sealing properly?

I really don't think it's coming from the intake manifold itself. I can feel a good bit of RTV squished out in the rear.

 

I cleaned everything off real good with the last gasket I installed. It didn't leak at all when idling in the driveway. The gasket was still blue after five minutes or so and there were no drips on the driveway. After driving a short distance (maybe a mile to the corner store), the gasket was now black and there were a couple of drips on the pavement after stopping.

I may be wrong, but I would think if the intake manifold was leaking at the rear, the oil couldn't make it back on top of the intake manifold around the distributor hole. And I don't think it's the oil pressure fitting because I didn't screw with that and it didn't leak before.

 

If it is pushing alot of oil out I would still say the silicone bead. If not that make sure that your valve covers are not being ****ed in causing you leak. I also installed new perma seal valve covers that have the metal sandwiched in the gasket. I believe I haid 23.00 for the pair.

 

I can't exactly rule out a bad silicone seal at the rear of the intake manifold. But that's the most difficult fix. I'm pretty sure I can rule out leaky valve covers. There is literally no oil around the valve covers. I did use new cork gaskets on the valve covers.

Based on where I see oil, I think it has to be the rear of the intake manifold or the distributor and I'm leaning towards it being the distributor mostly because of the gasket turning black all around. I may be wrong, but I would think there wouldn't be oil up around the front of the distibutor seal if it was leaking at the rear of the intake manifold?

 

no, it wouldnt really go uphill, just double the gasket and see how that works

 

Please keep up the replies and tips, it all helps. For now, I'm gonna pull the distributor back off and check the gasket to see if the gasket or the distributor hole itself reveals anything out of the ordinary. If not, I'll put it back together with two gaskets and see if that fixes it. If that doesn't fix it, I'll pull the intake back off and make doubly sure I've got a good seal all the way around.

Thanks again guys for the help.



One other idea I just had while typing this, maybe the new intake manifold isn't quite as tall as the old one where the distributor hole is? If that's the case, two gaskets should fix that?

 

yep, it may not let the dizzy sit all the way down, just balancing on the pump shaft. doublin the gaskets should cure it. when its out, set the dizzy in with no gasket, and see if it drops all the way down or if it stays up a 16th or 8th inch. thatll let you know if double gaskets will help

 

Next time you pull the distributor, drop it back in without a gasket to see if it drops all the way down to metal on metal. Or it if stops short because the oil pump shaft is holding it up. I'm basically saying what Chicken said in post #3

Edit. ****, also saying what skunk said in the post above, but with slower fingers

 

A quick way to put a dist gasket is to loosen the dist raise it up a little, split a gasket with a razor and slip it on. If it stops leaking then you know quicker and you don't have to pull the dist.

As far as the valve covers not leaking. not all leaks are on the bottom side by the plugs. Mine ****ed in from the rear. Once a gasket leaks once you will never grt that gasket to seal no matter how tight you tighten it down.

 

Mr. Murphy would say that that is precisely why it's the most likely answer.

 

Listen close here , remove the dist gasket and use a feeler gauge to check the gap . Now what ever the gap is add at least 10 thousands to the total then stack gaskets ,seal to each other let dry then install . If you dont then when alls tight your dist will jamb up the shaft and gear not to mention load pressure on the oil pump gears .If you havent got it yet im saying you will loose your engine in as little as a few 100 miles to bind up .c

 

the Chicken is correct.... if you have to use two stacked on each other.

 

There is a hole in the block back there for your oil pressure sensor - did you check that- I didn't read the whole post -like everyone else does on here so forgive me if its already been brought up. Good luck hoss - you'll get it.

 

I have been there done that a couple times this summer. Many of the aftermarket intakes ( especially the early ones) are machined a bit different from model to model.
Look at a early ( lets say 1960) intake gasket set (if you can find them) the end gaskets are thick ( maybe 1/4 inch) and the intake sits much higher than lets say ( a 1975 350).
Most of the guys around here do not use the end gaskets and just place a good bead of rtv on each end.
Hell the sprint car guys dont use gaskets at all on the engines , just a calk gun with rtv in it.

 

I'm hoping this is the cause and doubling up on the gasket will fix it.

I'm nearly positive it's not leaking at the valve covers. I can feel the rear of the covers and they're dry. Oil on the engine is basically limited to just behind the distributor and running down to the ****** pan.

That's usually just my luck, lol.

Thanks for the feeler gauge tip. I never thought to use that to check for gap. When you say seal the gaskets to each other, do you mean with that spray on gasket adhesive? If so, what brand do you recommend? I tired Permatex for the intake manifold and it ****ed.

Right, thanks.

I had thought about that but didn't post about it. Thanks for bringing it up though in case I hadn't thought about it. The oil pressure sensor wasn't leaking before the swap and I don't think it is now. I don't think that's it because there is oil around the distributor hole and hardly any on the opposite side of the intake manifold where the sensor is. Thanks, I won't let it whoop me.

This is along the lines of what I'm thinking (or hoping, I don't want to take the intake off again, lol). I figure the old Edelbrock Torker is just a little different in the distributor hole heighth than the Performer that was on there. I didn't use any end gaskets, and the Edelbrock gasket set I got didn't come with any. I used RTV on both ends.

 

I should've added that I didn't get a chance to get back at it today. I will first thing tomorrow though. My plan is to pull the distributor, inspect the gasket, measure the gap with no gasket, add gasket (two if neccessary), ****on it up and set the timing, then pray for no leaks. I'll report back with my findings. And I hope all this jibber jabber and heartaches helps someone else find a quick answer in the future if they're smart enough to use the search.

Thanks again everybody for the help. I appreciate it very much.

 

I glued two seals together and it's still leaking. Both the intake manifold and the distributor srufaces are fine. It looks like maybe the hold down bracket is not holding down, like it's not quite close enough.

 

hey, post a pic of yer hold-down. or maybe the setup, as it sits now. some of those hold-downs are junk!

 

I have the same thing with an old Edelbrock TM-1 intake, it’s leaking from the distributor gasket. Seems to be a problem with some of the vintage Edelbrock intakes.

I was planning on changing intakes this winter anyway, so I don't really care.

 

This might be a stupid question, but is a '75-'80 HEI distributor supposed to have an o ring?

 

i just checked the hei i pulled from a 307 and i see no orings on the outside anywhere

 

also, did the dizzy sit down good with no gaskets? forget to check that?

 

Is that a picture of Delton in your avatar? It looks like the kind of hat he wears.

Yes - did you drop in the dizzy without any gaskets to see if it sat down right?