I've got oil on the corners of the deck of the block, all four corners. The heads are dry, so it's not coming from the valve covers. The back is dry, so it's not coming from the oil pressure line. I'm sure I sealed the oil galley at the back of the block and I have good (50 PSI @ 2500 RPM) oil pressure to prove it. There's no way I would get 50 PSI if the oil plugs blew out, right?

Tomorrow, I'll pull the plugs and see if they are oiled...but even if they are oiled (like from bad valve seals) how would that oil get past the head gaskets?

I'm also going to run a compression test on all cylinders - what kind of compression numbers should I get from 9.5:1?

Sounds like the front and rear intake gaskets to me. I always put an extra dab of sealer in the corners. Wipe everything clean and check again after a short run. ZF.

Thanks, I did check those areas and they are dry.

Check the bolt on the front of the block, next to the fuel pump.

The oil is above that...on the exposed portion of the deck of the block.

The oil is above that...on the exposed portion of the deck of the block.

Maybe so, but the fan will blow oil all over the place. Saw it happen on a buddy's Nova.

i got the same problem oil leaking at the same place on both sides. the engine is on the test stand and i can clearly see it coming from between the heads and the deck. sofar a little silicon stopped the leak. its the oil drain back holes so there is no pressure....allen

Thanks! So the oil drainback is running down the deck, that makes sense. I guess I have to pull the heads to put silicone down on the deck, right?

no. i didn't pull the heads. just clean it really good and put the silicon in the gap. mine was a very minor leaks.

my guess is either the deck or the heads is not perfectlly flat that cause the leaks. hpe this help...allen

When I look down the oil drainback holes, I see the edge of the deck at the bottom of all four corners. It's about 3/8 inch overlap. I didn't think to check this when I put the heads on, but it appears that the oil has a place to settle at the top corners of the deck. I assume it then seeps down between the head and block.

I figure I should mark the block thru the drainback holes, pull the heads and dremel the block so the oil will run straight into the valley. How much iron can I grind away without compromising the strength?

my guess is either the deck or the heads is not perfectlly flat that cause the leaks. hpe this help...allen

+2 here.

I will check them both, but the block was decked and the heads were new out of the box...for whatever that's worth.

i wouldn't grind anything. it not a design flaw on the head. it got to be the flatness in the head or the deck...allen

I figure that it is oil standing on a small portion of the headgasket and then ever so slightly weeping along it and then out and down.

Probably be real easy to remove a bit of the headgasket in this area so there isn't any flats that the oil can sit on over time to leak..

The part that is in the lifter valley at each corner, not under the heads proper...

pdq67