Calmchaos

OK well... This car never stays happy... Im pretty damn close to just taking a shotgun to it.
I went out today to put my hood and bumper back on; then my and my dad went for a quick drive, and it seemed OK.

We got back and parked it and we could smell oil burning off the exhaust again.
After about an hour of just looking. The oil seems to be dripping off the 2 balance shafts.
The one on the bottom is leaking down the front corner of the engine, and down the PS hose. There is also oil on top of the balance shaft housing.
On the top right balance shaft there a little puddle of oil between the block and the balance housing.

We tried to tighten the oil filter. And we tried the filter with and without the metal ring that goes around the boss. Do I need that on an updated cooler housing or no?

Then we thought that we could zero in on the leak if the engine were running, so we let it run and kept looking for the leak... and it seemed to be coming from the balance shafts. So I turned the car off. And then BAM!! the coolant overflow tank just popped the lid and shot my expensive coolant all over the damn place!

At that point I went back to look at the gauges and the temp was just about in the red. The light wasnt on yet but it was still WAY too damn hot.

So now I have 3 problems... A leak at the bottom, a leak at the top, and some massive problem with my temp. The oil pressure stayed good, so I dont think it over heated due to lack of oil.

My dad and I are at a total loss now. The only thing we can think of is that I used the wrong sealant on the balance housings, I used 574 instead of 638.

Please help... I almost feel like throwing up right now.

Thanks!!!
Please ask if you need any more info of any kind.

Imo000

Is your thermostat working? That would explain the overheating.

Did you use enough sealant between the housing and the block? Automotive silicone sealants are more or less interchangeable but if you don’t use enough of it, it will leak.

Did you rebuild the engine, and is this the first time you got it running?

Calmchaos

Im not SURE if the thermo is working. It is brand new, along with the pump.How do I check that?
Would that also explain why the pressure blew off my filler cap?

Im also not sure if I used enough. I guess ill have to try again. I hope I can get those shaft housing off without taking the engine back out.

This is after a rebuild and the 1st time I got it running.

Calmchaos

Ill try ANYTHING if anyone else has any ideas. I just need this car DONE!

xsboost90

is your cam tower leaking down onto your balance shaft?

butters

More sealant is better!

Just stay calm, check everything that could be suspect, and don't overlook any details. It's ALWAYS rough putting a car back together man, it rarely goes 100% right, especially if you have not done much stuff like it in the past!

Good luck!

PS: I don't recall if the 944 has a mechanical or electric cooling fan, but are you sure your fan was working?

500

Loctite 574 is fine FWIW.

When an engine is warm, and the thermostat open, you should be able to feel the flow of coolant rushing through the upper rad hose if you give it a squeeze (careful, it is hot!)

Take a breather and keep the spirits up. You WILL get this solved.

Calmchaos

im 99% sure its not. We checked that and went around w/ a wrench to make sure the bolts are tight.
I was looking on clarks and it said this about the check valve blocking the oil passage...

"About the only time I've seen this happen is when the check valve for the oil supply to the cylinder head sticks closed. When this happens, it will be accompanied by loud tapping noise from the hydraulic lifters. If the oil passage into the camshaft housing itself becomes blocked you'll typically see an oil leak at the cam assembly to cylinder head gasket."

The only thing about that is that its reguarding high oil pressure which I dont have. Its between 3-4 bar at idle. And 4+ when moving.

The lifters do seem a LITTLE loud... but no worse than b4 I rebuilt...

Yabo

i used 574 loctite and it sealed perfect. don't think that's your issue unless you didn't use enough. did you use an inch/lb torque wrench to torque the bolts like you should have?

Calmchaos

Oh, and the fans do work. They are electrical, and i replaced them with a new one that turns on at 75 instead of 85. They have turned on/off properly.

Calmchaos

I used a ftlb wrench... not an inch lb... are they that sensitive?
Should I invest in an in/lb wrench.

Legoland951

Did you replace the balance shaft front and rear seals? Its real easy to confuse the seals since they are just a little different. Also, did you replace the O-ring seal in the front along with the front seal for the lower shaft? Lastly, was the fan kicking in when the car overheated during idle? It could be your thermostatic fan switch.

1 FtLb = 12 InLb. The stupid standard (SAE) english system is much more complex compared to metric. Torque is force times length so you have to convert from one to the other.

Calmchaos

yeah I replaced the seals correctly. I checked a few times because I did realize they were different. Ill probably end up taking the belt covers off to check these seals. Im starting to think I need a better torque wrench and more sealant...
I really hope its the BS housing.
Is there any way the head could leak oil???

And the fan was on when it overheated.

Keep the suggestions coming, I really do appreciate it.

75ohm

Walk away for a day man... sleep on it. You may need to vent the coolant system. The o-rings are different for the balance shafts... check that tomorrow...

Eyal 951

Did you porperly bleed the cooling system?