1993 Yukon crate motor hydraulic roller lifter cleaning and adjustment journey - (Solved)

[scott2093]

Fascinating!
Of course I should have known this was going to be one of those paths that lead to a lifetime of new synaptic pathways being formed.

This would be great news but I just looked and am seeing the glistening of oil on top of the sealant?

I'd love to think that wicking is the cause but, as my wife always tells me, I can be pessimistic. I try to tell her it's not negative, it's reality. It's not a bad thing..lol

Of course I'll clean it up and get that plug resealed. It does look like the lion's share of the mess is coming from there for sure at the very least. Hopeful that's all it is?

 

[Hipster]

I tend to wipe gasket surfaces down with acetone or aclcohol, latex gloves, leaving no fingerprint/residuals that can lead to an oil path.

 

[Road Trip]

Fascinating!

Of course I'll clean it up and get that plug resealed. It does look like the lion's share of the mess is coming from there for sure at the very least. Hopeful that's all it is?

The heart of our engine bay is the sum total of countless metallurgical, lubrication,
analog + digital tradeoffs. Everything affects everything else. The total possible
numbers of reasons why stuff is going wrong sometimes feels like a Factorial function.
(Factorials and Probability Theory.)

I was complaining to an Elder once about the sheer number of possible causes to a radar
system exhibiting multiple simultaneous failures. And of course they needed it fixed
yesterday, so of course they were expecting some sort of miracle on demand?

His reply was simply, "Fix the obvious, and most of the time it will also take care of the exotic."

And he was right. (A global bad power supply can & will affect everything at once.)

****

EDIT:

Try cleaning that area carefully, and watch it closely. IF it is coming down from the
intake, it should leak in a very specific way. On the other hand, if it's leaking from
the plug, then the leak should spread out from the leaky plug in an equally unique way.

EDIT: Don't forget how the underhood airflow might be affecting the way the oil leak
travels. Sometimes this will make for a counterintuitive look.

If we watch it carefully, the shape of the leak should point us in which direction we
need to proceed.

Make it so. And if you share a nice, dry photo down the road, all the better for
those researching similar issues.

Cheers --

 

[Road Trip]

Of course I'll clean it up and get that plug resealed. It does look like the lion's share of the mess is coming from there for sure at the very least. Hopeful that's all it is?

One more thing. Since we don't know the history of this plug (factory original? Or
newer one not fully installed during a short block rebuild, etc) ...then we should
use just how hard/just how easy the plug comes out in order to establish the
probability that it is the source of the weep?

In English, if you discover that plug to be loose, then obviously the previous mechanic
got interrupted and never finished the job. On the other hand, if the plug is tight and is
resisting removal, then I'd leave it be, clean the area, and look for visual proof that the
intake is leaking. We need more data before we determine that you have to undo the
work you've already accomplished.

 

[scott2093]

tend to wipe gasket surfaces down with acetone or aclcohol, latex gloves, leaving no fingerprint/residuals that can lead to an oil path.

Hmm..I didn't use gloves but did have everything super ready imo. It was either MEK or Denatured alcohol I was using interchangeably during the process..
I brought some denatured with me here so will see if I can't get some cleaning with it before the trip to the auto parts zone..
sometimes that same day delivery they have rocks though.... $8 and avoid the gas,time and chances to have someone suddenly pull out in front of me or slam on the brakes for missing their turn..

if the plug is tight and is
resisting removal, then I'd leave it be, clean the area, and look for visual proof that the
intake is leaking. We need more data before we decided to undo the work you've already
accomplished.

Not going to go out of my way to look a gift horse in the mouth sounds good to me .Maybe I'll try to get it clean then inspect after a short trip to the store. Need info on size of that plug in case I need to grab something I guess..
Thank you!

 

[Road Trip]

Maybe I'll try to get it clean then inspect after a short trip to the store. Need info on size of that plug in case I need to grab something I guess..

The size is 1/8" NPT. (National Pipe Thread - tapered for leak-free fit.)

In the attached you can see both a modern hex allen vs the old school version.

Now to see if your plug is the perpetrator of the leak, or a victim of it's
neighbor Mr. Intake Manifold...

 

[Schurkey]

This would be great news but I just looked and am seeing the glistening of oil on top of the sealant?

Sealant on the pipe thread sensor in the photo, or sealant at the underside of the manifold on the China Wall?

Of course I'll clean it up and get that plug resealed. It does look like the lion's share of the mess is coming from there for sure at the very least. Hopeful that's all it is?

What plug is that? There isn't enough context for me to know for sure. I think I'm seeing the FRONT of the intake manifold, which makes that a coolant temp sensor.

Which means OIL is not wicking out of the threads on that sensor. Coolant, maybe.

If you're seeing OIL, it's gotta be coming out of the RTV on the China Wall. In which case, verify the PCV system is working properly, because that area does not have oil under pressure. It has oil mist, zero pressure...unless the PCV system is messed-up, in which case there could be crankcase pressure moving the oil mist past the RTV.

Hmm..I didn't use gloves but did have everything super ready imo. It was either MEK or Denatured alcohol I was using interchangeably during the process.

DO NOT get MEK on your skin. It's absorbed right through your skin, and makes Mister Liver and Mister Kidneys and most other organs very unhappy.

Health effects of acute exposure​

MEK is an irritant by all routes of exposure and potentially toxic following inhalation, ingestion or dermal contact.


Symptoms of systemic toxicity include gastrointestinal upset, headache, dizziness, fainting, tremor, incoordination, hypothermia, respiratory depression, bradycardia, tachycardia, dyspnoea, convulsions and coma. Hyperglycaemia, ketosis and metabolic acidosis may also occur alongside hepatic and renal toxicity.


Exposure to MEK may cause dryness, erythema, dermatitis, defatting of the skin and paraesthesia. Prolonged exposure may result in systemic toxicity.

 

[scott2093]

sealant at the underside of the manifold on the China Wall?

Yes...China wall...I'm not sure what it is (arrow) but it was glistening liquid and I was able to clean it up. Who knows...maybe oil from my attempt at adjusting the valves with engine running... Was very messy...

I drove about 20 miles into town today after I cleaned the area and didn't see anything after apart from a suspicious darkening around the gallery plug..2nd pic...but I'm not convinced I cleaned well enough. But it does look suspicious in it's location...

So I gave the area another cleaning and will take a look tomorrow. I tried getting an allen wrench on that gallery plug and it seems real tight but it was just a little hand tool and there wasn't really good access. I'll need some bit and socket from home to mess with that if needed. I do think I saw what looks like possible thread sealant or something on that gallery plug..but idk...

Will see what it looks like tomorrow after a drive..

pcv is pretty new...few months and rattles very easily...

Thanks on the MEK...I've had it around for years because it's scary stuff. Figured it would be a good time to get some gone.. You can feel the coolness through your gloves for sure. I'm not terribly impressed with it in general but it does pretty good for some things.
edit///guess I should have said I didn't use gloves to set the intake...

 

[scott2093]

I drove around town yesterday maybe 30 or 40 miles and couldn't see any leaks when I got back. Maybe I just missed some cleaning initially.

I still see slight glistening liquid on the top of the rtv so not sure I'm out of the woods. Heading back home tomorrow sometime so the long interstate trip should be a good test.
Fingers crossed.

 

[scott2093]

It's definitely leaking. Very small but something is up. Coolant and oil levels are fine .. Guess the 2.5hr interstate driving created the right conditions as opposed to driving around town..boo..
Not sure how to rule out the plug just to be certain? I do see sealant on the threads..Looks orange if I had to guess...

So I either really goofed up the rtv since it's a low pressure area as mentioned before.,or that plug is suspect because, there was no leaking while tooling around town for a couple of hours but higher speed interstate driving created more pressure ???

Man I was in the turning lane to get on the interstate and I heard a weird ticking. There was a semi behind me slowing down so I wasn't sure if it was him so I pulled out of the turning lane and went to a gas station a couple hundred yards up. . It was my truck...Long story short, drive belt decided to start shedding it's ribs... Old Bando Ebay belt I had sitting around for too long. Think it lasted 2 months... Thank God for Autozone same day home delivery .Just had to call Sunoco home for a bit...$50 for a 1year Duralast?jeez...

I was literally getting on the interstate.. So glad I've been paranoid about noises lately....It was not very loud because it had just started..