360 Burning Oil Smell

Probably an occasional drop of oil on the hot exhaust.

 

Thats what I was also thinking.

 

Cam cover gasket replacement.

 

If it is the cam cover gasket, in particular the ones towards the front of the car it is probably about 2K. The need to take out the camshafts apparently.

Also, be very careful the oil is not getting on the timing belt as this could cause major problems

 

I dunno man.....looks pretty straight forward to me.

Cam covers off, gaskets removed and replaced. I dont see how or WHY the cams have to be removed to do that job.
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Check the oil level when it is at full temp (15 miles of driving). High oil level in this tank combined with hitting a bump will cause a slosh that can be picked up by the tank vents and drawn into the combustion chamber via the intakes.

In normal town/city driving I run them half way between min and max on the stick because you will get a good bit more expansion when it is pushed hard and that will bring it up to Max on the stick. Drain it down and see if the problem doesnt go away.

Dave

 

Looks like you're getting ready for a performance upgrade.

 

That is not my pic or my engine sadly.

That is another Fchatter who bought that 360 engine to have as a 'spare' and more so to use it as artwork/converation starter in his lounge room.

 

I mis-spoke. I don't think they need to take the cams out, just the belts, but I think it still think it's about 2K.

I just had this done and the valve cover seals done and it was about 3K total.

I would have thought is was a simple job since you could do the rear cams seals yourself easily.

 

Think my first comment is I'd never realised how much those headers look like bed-pans!

 

Any update Alex?

 

The cam covers unbolt and gaskets can be removed.

Are you sure you are not getting confused with the cam seals?? You have to remove the cam belt and cam gears to replace leaking cam seals. The cam seals sit behind the cam gears at the front of the engine. The cam cover gasket should not involve removal of the cam belt/gears.

 

Alex,

Sorry to hear about the news, but look on the bright side... the engine did not catch fire and timing belt did not fail causing MAJOR engine problems. I was in a similar spot with the cam seals we leaking. My mechanic told me that if I did not fix it it could cause the timing belt to fail and/or engine fire. That was enough to make me get it done ASAP. I was hoping to hold until my 15K service.

These cam seals seem to be very problematic. You would think they would have a better seal that would not need replacing.

So I am assuming that the replacing the cam cover seals was about 2K?

 

Flywheels CAN be machined mate. Mine had to be machined because it had a glazed/burnt surface. Did that when I did my clutch back in December 2005. Anyways....

Yeah, cam seal leaks are bad.

I would ask to see the old seals and cam belts.

That sux!! Thats why they reckon you should drive your cars. Seals, gaskets, rubbers get hard/perish when they sit over time, thats why its important to keep driving the car. Otherwise, it ends up costing you a lot more money down the track.

I am not saying you do not drive your 360. You probably drive it daily for I know, but thats what can happen if you do not drive your cars.

Hhmmmmmmmmm................

I also doubt that "flame" did that crap! I would again ask to see where they repaired any section of wiring brother.

Heat 'cooks' wiring, making it all brittle and hard. Happens to all cars in one way or another. Im just curious if they are just using this phantom "flame" as an excuse to sting you more dollars for work that is not needed man??

Remember, drive these cars.

It is hard to justify alright mate!!

I would still ask to check out ALL parts that these guys are replacing.

 

Thats good to hear mate.

And as long as you happy with it Alex, then thats the main thing brother.

 

Hopefully you got your car back and are enjoying it again.

Remember, people say you have to keep driving these cars and not let them sit.... Tough Job, but someone has to do it

 

The cam seals have not been a problem in 360's. 360 probably makes up a majority of our client list and except for 2 complete overhauls we have never changed a cam seal. That includes cars with six digit mileage. We also have never had damage to the wiring harness from heat. If it is properly routed it should be quite a ways from the manifold. There is just no track record of damage to them.

A fair amount of your story sounds a little Alice in Wonderland like to me. I believe you but I have a hard time with what you are being told.

Valve cover gaskets are a common problem on 360. If the engine is out on the floor with half the parts removed as shown in the picture it is a simple job but on a complete running car it takes several hours to replace them (close to an entire day) and do a nice job and is not easy at that. It is such a PIA job that we generally suggest waiting until other major work is needed.

 

Is there is a difference between the cam cover seal and the cam seal? If so, can you tell if the problem is the cam seal or just the cam cover seal.

My car had 11K miles on it. During the PPI, I saw oil leaking from the front cam covers and they ended up replacing the seals and it was about $3K job between that and the valve covers.

Another 360 that I had inspected also had some leakage from the cam covers as well.

 

The gaskets leak at the front in the area of the seals but we do not see the seals themselves leak. I strongly suspect the shotgun approach is being used for bottom line enhancement.