gen questions and oil leaks

[Billpro785]

Ok, after spending the weekend , checking \repairing the elec system, finally drove the car , ya is was worth all the headaches !!
Now have some questions , The car has a 428 with a top loader 4 speed , what would be a safe redline for the car ( axle is about 3:54 )
Has a oil leak , about a class 2 I think it is coming from the main seal , is there a better seal than the stock 2 section one ? Have heard ( even from new ) that oil leaks are a common issue, right now going to live with it ,as the leak is small ,

[mdross1]

It's your cars way of marking it's territory.At first I took the motor out of my car trying to stop an oil leak (small but annoying) now just leave a sorbent mat under car and totally enjoy it the way it was meant to be.Life is too short to be so up tight especially in these frustrating times.

[Ron61]

A safe red line is going to depend on how your engine is built. In my 428SCJ which is bored .065 and balanced and blue printed, the horsepower tops out at 6300 RPM. Also it has a solid cam that is rather radical but not as bad as the one that I had taken out. I set my red line at 6,000.

As for the oil drip, it is an FE motor and I have owned ever size Ford made from the 332 up and have never had one that didn't drip oil. This one does too, and it is a small drip, so I just slide a piece of paste board under that spot. I have had the engines out and everything else in the past and couldn't stop a minor drip. So I quit worrying about it around 7 years ago and as long as it doesn't get worse I won't worry about it. If it gets bad enough that it starts to show up on the dipstick as losing oil, then I may try to find it.

Ron

[mreid]

Your cam specifics and quality of rotating components determines redline. If it is unknown, I would limit your FE to 5800 until you know what you have for sure. While I agree that oil leaks are common, you don't have to live with them and they can eventually cause bigger problems like oil saturated clutch disks. Often, a rear main will seal itself with use, but many times leaky valve covers look like a rear main when the oil runs down the back of the block. Identify precisely what the problem is and then determine if or how you will fix it.

[mpanten]

is it a new motor or has it been rebuilt lately? the reason i ask is that a lot of builders use an assembly lube on the head bolts and intake bolts that will drip out when the motor gets warm. I drove myself crazy trying to find a leak that didnt exist.

[Billpro785]

thanks again for all the help, Will use the red as 6000 rpm, As for the oil leak will live with it , didn't ; they call the 427 's track oilers in the 60's ? Going to drive and enjoy the car for now, one thing I'm going to do is add the ZPPD oil treatment ( with the zinc ) .

[RICK LAKE]

Billpro785 Bill was the motor dynoed? The old rule of thumb is 500 rpms pass max HP rev number. Any thing more than that you are wasting motor life. Are you running an MSD? They kick in about 2-300 rpm before the limit in the car of the chip. With a 3.54 rearend you are going to get to 6,000 in a hurry. You might want to drop it to 5,800 rpms. Just a thought.
As for the oil leaking rear main seal, Does your crankshaft have a smooth or narrel groove where the seal is?Did you turn the seal about 15-20 degrees for installation? Where the blocks installed? Was a thin coat of RTV added to the ends of the seal and allowed 24 hours to cure? If this was done you should have almost no leak.
Last thing, are you running a PCV valve in the motor. High pressure in the crankcase will also cause a rearend leak or parking on an angle in the driveway. Add an extra quart of oil to the motor for extra protection. This is due to slow returns from the heads and a 3.54 ratio in the rearend. Even a mild 428 will put you into the seat with your setup, same applys for the oil returning to the pan. Rick L. Ps I think you can buy a poly seal kit from either Kieth Craft or Barry R at Survivalmotorsports.

[Billpro785]

Thanks for the info Rick Lake, yes , have a MSD , and will keep it to about 5800 RPM for now, Motor was dynoed , but paperwork is not here with me.
Funny thing with the oil leak, seems the more I drive it , the less it leaks .
So, I'm thinking dry seals ??