Recent content by WhatMeOil

Originally Posted By: Oregoonian After doing all the suggestions mentioned above...I would recommend changing oil to Valvoline Maxlife 5w30 (Syn or Blend) Valvoline Maxlife has a good record of swelling seals and stopping minor leaks. Since it's what the previous owner used, I was going to...

Originally Posted By: mechtech2 I doubt any synthetic could cause a leak in 2 days from seal modification. A check of the WHOLE PCV system is in order, as a starting base. Remember that if there are gasket leaks, the PCV system may not draw properly. It may have been as long as 5 days. I had...

Yeah, it's the elevation. NorCal has a very mild winter, they don't get snow on the valley floor (well maybe once every 30 years) but Reno is regular winter. It's worse the higher you go, but I certainly think the synthetic would have worked better for winter. I think I might try the High...

It looks like it's the front seal, or maybe the pan. There is some old built-up crud right in that area that I cleaned off. I'll be checking over the next couple of days. Wont' be fun pulling the balancer, but I can't park in the driveway until I can get it stopped!

Sorry, the temps in winter can get pretty cold - especially if you drive up in the Tahoe area. Certainly gets below freezing quite a bit at night.

Thanks for the reply. Of course you can never be perfectly sure, but I (supposedly) bought the car from the second owner. He was a mechanic by trade and the engine looked fantastic. Car truly looked like a survivor. He got the car back in 1998 and between then and 2002 he replaced all the...

Thanks for the quick replies. I expect I'll be able to change the problem gaskets before winter sets in. If I use the car at all during the cold weather, I would really rather have a lighter weight synthetic. sciphi - Have you actually heard of an engine with a flat tappet cam failing because...

Hello all, I'm new to the board, wish I would have found you before I did this. I recently purchased a 1969 Full size Oldsmobile with about 60k original miles. (It's a 455 4-bbl.) The previous owner lived in a warmer climate and told me he used straight 30 weight regular Valvoline. Over the...