I have some oil leaks in some usual places such as the tappet cover, vacuum pump, and maybe the front cover and /or the front main seal. The other day I noticed some oil coming around from the rear of the engine. I thought it was from the valve cover but upon further inspection it appears that it is coming from between the head and the block. I looked at it with a mirror and can see the joint between the two has a wet oily line. the oil is migrating down and onto the block. About 4 months ago I blew my radiator climbing the mountain and briefly overheated the engine(my fault), could this be a by product of the incident and I almost blew my head gasket or could there be a simpler explanation? No coolant in the oil and no oil in the coolant.

Maybe the heat hardened the gaskets and seals. :think:Ed

Might want to check a little closer. From what I can find on quickserve there isn't any oil around the headgasket at the rear of the head. It is possible that the oil is leaking out the tappet side of the head gasket and running back. Haven't personally had the head off of one to look at the gasket, but thats how it looks.Just checked out the oil flow diagram and the closest oil galley to the rear of the head gasket is in front of #6 cylinder.

Maybe the heat hardened the gaskets and seals. :think:Ed

Maybe the heat hardened the gaskets and seals. :think:Ed

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Maybe the heat hardened the gaskets and seals. :think:Ed

I highly doubt the heat had any effect on the oil sealing of the head gasket. Could be the front cover leaking and traveling back the top of the block. That would be more likely than the head gasket leaking oil at the rear.

Oil has a tendency to migrate and things that appear to be leaking sometimes aren't and vice versa. If you've been leaking for a while, can you degrease the engine and start with a clean block? Then you know for sure....

Take a bottle that you can use as a "puffer" and put any light powder such as flour, corn starch, powdered sugar, etc. and trace the oil leak. Should highlight the source for you pretty well.

The oil could just be migrating back there from the tappet cover I guess. The wind could whip it around there. There is to much stuff in the way to tell. The oil in the back is minimal. From what i can see it has only stained the rear of the block and actually there is not enough for to run off, yet. There is a thin line of wet oil right across the rear at the cylinder head/block joint. I am going to do my tappet cover gasket and vacuum pump reseal pretty soon and and will have that side of the motor stripped pretty clean. I should be able to get a good look at it then. I guess the line being wet is what bothers me the most, it makes it look like it is leaking(more a weep than a leak) from the head. I will keep an eye on it for now until i can go in for the rest of the leak repairs. Keeping my fingers crossed it aint the head gasket.

I would say degrease and check again. I kind of doubt the head gasket is the cause but would say the tappet cover is more likely. Hot oil does weird things as it travels on a hot block blowing in the breeze.

I have the same exact oil leak as you described. I ordered a tappet gasket today and gonna replace every gasket i can find on the drivers side of the engine. I have even read there is a gasket where the vp44 back bracket mounts to the block. But, i have never seen it in the 40+ vp44s i have done. Im also gonna add some dye to my oil before i start so i can do some looking while im tearing everything off to get to the cover.

I will be interested in what you see, it will be a little while before i get into mine. Is there not a gasket behind the oe lift pump bracket? That is in a perfect place to let oil leak around the block in that area. My 02 does not have the bracket on the VP that I remember. I think remember reading the later model 2nd gens did not have them.

There is a gasket behind the lift pump. My truck never leaked a drop from the old tappet cover but has leaked nonstop since I put on this 12v cover and new gasket.

Now that's comforting, Ryan. Seems I have read where a lot of folks have that problem. Anyone know of a cure? I would hate to have to do it twice.

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Now that's comforting, Ryan. Seems I have read where a lot of folks have that problem. Anyone know of a cure? I would hate to have to do it twice.

If mine doesn't stop I will get one of these, should have done it in the first place. http://www.shop.eatsoot.com/product.sc?productId=10&categoryId=6

That is nice but i dont think it is in the budget for now. Trying to put some $$ back for a comp since the banks took a dump. Looks like it would solve the problem though,

Every vp44 I have ever done has the bracket. They might have forgotten to put it on if your vp was replaced

Earlier you said that in 40 vp installs you had never seen one. I guess you meant the gasket on the bracket and not the bracket itself. My first one went at 75k and it was replaced under warranty. i replace that one at 217k and dont remember a bracket. That was 3 years ago and my memory aint what it used to be. Might very well be there.

How much oil have you had to add to the engine.

two or three quarts in the last 7500 miles. Its up a some here lately. Leave my mark every where I park.

I should of used better grammar and said I have never seen a vp without a support bracket that runs from the vp down to the block. I have never seen a gasket behind the bracket where it mounts to the block but when I was doing research on the tappet cover I kept coming across people saying there is one. So when I do the tappet cover I'm going to do a how to and take pictures.