5.8 zf tranny qestion?

[4x4man514]

hey guys. i know ive asked about this before but i cant seem to find the thread .

it seems i have antifreeze coming out the back of my motor. i believe from the bell housing somewhere. all i can think of is freeze plugs. though i camt for the life of me see why. its a new motor. well it was bult 10 yrs ago but i have yet to crank it.

this motor was a bear to get in. i never thought everything would be so tight. and it took me a long time to get to this point.

anyways do yall think iy would be easier to remave the tranny to get to the freeze plugs? or the motor. im not looking forward to either.

thanks!

 

[Timmy390]

One half dozen the other. I've done it both ways.

My W goes in and out with ease. Same with the M5ODR2. I had the trans in and out several times. I use a cheap HF transmission jack and built a box the D20 sits in. D20 comes out first then the trans.

Make sure it's not the intake and coolant is running down the back of the block.

Tim

 

[nvrstuk]

What Timmy said. Be 100% sure it's not intake issues.

Have you started it?

My engine now takes forever to remove but who enjoys removing tranny's, t-cases, drivelines, etc from underneath???

6 of one and 1/2 doz of the other...

Remember tho, if it is the rear freezeplugs it would be easier to fix the issue when it's up and out of the engine compartment.

 

[lars]

Adding to the chorus... While the source of your leak could well be a freeze plug, the first thing I'd check is the back of the intake manifold. Easy to get a leak from an intake manifold gasket at front and/or back. Have been successful at creating leaks there myself, by poor gasket choice, failure to seal them properly, lack of bolt torque, etc. Pretty common.

 

[4x4man514]

Thanks! I'll be sure and double check that intake. Its just so hard to see back there. Its a slow drip so I just can't find the source. I can only see the drips accumulating on the bottom of the bell housing. There is a puddle under the front too. I can see the drips on the bottom of my wristed axle but can't tell where they are coming from. Plus one more on the drivers side coming from somewhere around the motor mount ???? I cant even see the drips accumulating on that one . This is all so frustrating!

 

[Timmy390]

Thanks! I'll be sure and double check that intake. Its just so hard to see back there. Its a slow drip so I just can't find the source. I can only see the drips accumulating on the bottom of the bell housing. There is a puddle under the front too. I can see the drips on the bottom of my wristed axle but can't tell where they are coming from. Plus one more on the drivers side coming from somewhere around the motor mount ???? I cant even see the drips accumulating on that one . This is all so frustrating!

Does the engine run? if so, add UV dye to the cooling system. I did this and tracked down a leak or three. The photo shows the last leak I had. Cracked head. Leak was in the front but I had water running down and along the oil pan lip to the rear and then on the bottom of the bell housing....

https://www.autozone.com/test-scan-...d-coolant-leak-detector-uv-dye-1oz/667633_0_0

Tim

 

[nvrstuk]

Mirror, light and dry rags. Soak up every trace of the leak, wipe every bit of the engine and stand there with your light till you see the source.

 

[4x4man514]

Unfortunately it does not run yet. All brand new so everything is really clean. All this does give me food for thought though. I wonder how bad it will leak when it does run. Jeesh. Maybe it is coming from a weird place. I cant see why the freeze plugs would leak on a new motor. Its the kind of leak that never drips but after a few days you can see a puddle

 

[Timmy390]

Hummmm. How about putting pressure on the system with a radiator pressure tester? Make it leak more maybe and make it easier to find?

Tim

 

[nvrstuk]

But it's EASY to spot a leak from the intake gasket especially compared to the rear block freeze plugs.

You DO NOT want to start the engine if it's leaking now- no you don't.

Well, if it's dripping now with gravity only making it leak, then at 14#'s radiator cap pressure it's going to gush or like Timmy suggested, just go to Oreillys and borrow and rad system pressure checker.


Wipe all surfaces dry, completely dry. To speed up the process, pressurize the system with the tester, then just watch and see where the leak starts. Really is relatively easy to see normal external leaks- especially intake gasket leaks since it's so easy to see around them- not to inside the lifter galley area but to the rear towards the bellhousing or the front.

IF it's leaking at both ends of the water ports on the intake then you need to dry fit it (should always test fit ) but in case you didn't maybe the gasket isn't sealing properly around the water jackets on the intake gasket to the head. This can cause hydrolock also so be careful when troubleshooting. Don't try cranking the engine over with the starter. Water from those areas (if that's the issue) can enter the intake or exh valve and hydrolock the engine. Then it gets ugly fast. Seen it happen only once but it was a 351 and they were Felpro gaskets that had been in use for yrs and yes, the intake was torqued down properly as we checked as closely as possible during teardown as we didn't know it was gasket failure yet so I was checking intake bolt torque.

Weird stuff can happen.

 

[4x4man514]

Thanks alot for all the info guys. I hadn't thought about a pressure check. Ill have to check that all closer next time I get out there.