I have pulled the engine in my 64 RS to tend to some oil leaks. The engine has done about 54k miles. I have leaks (very mild wetness) on all three cylinders (worst on No3, lighter on 1&2) on one bank (catalyst side) along with a leaky oil tube on the same bank.I am assuming this might be due to it being the hotter side and therefore more likely. Further investigation will be done as I continue stripping the engine down.
So to my question. The other bank is completely leak free, not a drip or sign of leaks anywhere. Assuming I find no appreciable guide wear etc and given I can pull the engine again at a later date........is it at all sensible to consider just repairing the one bank. Clearly the heads on that bank will require machining to reface them but is this likely to cause a serious imbalance if i elect to reface just the single bank . It just seems like a lot of extra work to strip the other bank for no real reason. Clearly if i find guide/stem wear then it will be more worth while.
Your thoughts please.

 

Hi Laurence, I would leave the 'good' side alone, if it ain't broke then don't fix it. You could take it apart & then end up with a leak or other problem. Also in my opinion the work to strip & rebuild one bank is high compared to the work to drop the engine a second time in the future if you did later have a problem on the good bank.

Pete

 

I had the same leak as you described. Turned out the o-rings at the base of the cylinders were so brittle they crumbled during removal. #3 was the worst and that was the source of my leak. I think you're spot on with the added heat on that side. I rebuilt my engine myself and did a complete rebuild. Total price was $3500 including machine work. If you are paying someone for the repairs, it might be better to only do one half but I seriously can't imagine not doing the whole thing. The picture shows the bits of the o-ring and evidence of oil coming from #3.