our stang leaks oil pretty good from several places, but the most obvious leak is somewhere around the distributor because there are puddles under the distributor by the water pump. the guy we got it from said it just needed the distributor gasket from a '65 stang 289 and it would stop, but with as much as he seemed to know about the thing I have a feeling that's not it(he couldn't figure out why it deiseled when it was him that raised the idle so it sounded smoother because of the cam...)
so, is there soem other seal on the distributor other than just that gasket? like an O ring or something?
I also think he was using 5w30 in the thing too, so that wasn't helping with it leaking, with fresh 10w30 it doesn't leak as much as it did before I changed the oil(read as the dipstick level didn't go down nearly as fast)
Check the timing cover, as it is also prone to leak and puddles in the two "valleys" ln either side. Is your distributor stock? If it's an aftermarket like Mallory/Accels etc..then there's an O-Ring around the base IIRC. You can put a "thin" gasket on the base where the dist. seats and that may also contain the oil better. Also check to make sure the oil isn't really leaking from the the front intake manifold seal. The one that runs across and underneath the front of the manifold. Those were all the usual places my 289 leaked. Good Luck!!!
Posts: 317
Joined: 7/25/2003 From: United States Status: offline
I would reseal the intake they are prone for leaking from the front and rear seals. They are either cork or rubber and afte time start to slip out of place and leak.
the engine has only about 2000 miles on it since a rebuild, and last I looked the intake manifold seal looked pretty good, but I'll take a look and check.
it is an aftermarket distributor, don't remember which, it was converted from points type ignition, with a large box shaped mallory coil and an MSD box I think, been about 8 weeks since I've looked under the hood(school), I'll look around over thanksgiving and report back. man it'll feel nice to drive that after driving my 4 cylinder truck for so long :)
Posts: 317
Joined: 7/25/2003 From: United States Status: offline
I would suspect the front seal on the intake was not installed correctly being it has only 2000 miles on it. Use a mirror and check on the intake corners and along the front the seal may have slipped back into the motor slightly these are common problems with the ford intake.
Posts: 317
Joined: 7/25/2003 From: United States Status: offline
It is the block design the gaskets tend to slip inward or out ward and they will leak at the corners if you do not apply a fair amount of sealent where the cork meets the other gasket. It is real easy to have the gasket move when puting the intake into place the cork gaskets are the worst for this problem. Use a mirror and flash light and take a good look at that cork gasket. wipe off all the fresh oil and get the engine hot and then check.
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Joined: 11/11/2003 From: United States Status: offline
I would agree with many others that the intake valley seal is what is leaking. I have found this to be a problem spot for rebuilding the sm. blocks. If you have a cork gasket under the intake valley, I would bet a pretty dollar that it has slipped and has started to leak.
To remedy this problem, I never use any of the valley gaskets anymore. I just lay a good bead of Silicone RTV sealant down on the engine block valley mating surface and prime the intake manifold lightly with some sealant too. When the manifold is bolted down, the RTV will squeeze out slightly and give you a very secure seal once it has cured. Leave the engine sit for at least 4 hours to allow the sealant to set up fairly good. Allowing it to cure overnight is the best before starting up the engine. I've used this method for years and have never had a lick of problems since.
Try an intake on a FE they weigh a ton you definitely want to do it right the first time. You would think someone would have come up with a better design in the last 45 years.
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Joined: 11/30/2003 From: United States Status: offline
The rtv fix is the best. I have built engines for fifteen years and for fourteen of them I have not had any leaks. RTV is your friend when used properly, if you let it skin over before you put the intake on it can squirt a small bead into the lifter valley, so get your gaskets ready then apply a bead about twice as thick as the gap you are trying to fill and set the intake on fairly quick. Make shure you don't lay your tube of rtv in the lifter valley it makes a big mess when the lifters play tennis with it!!!
ok, I have it here with me now and took a look. it looks as though the seal is there and ok, I can see part of a rubber seal on the bend by the distributor, but it could have worked it's way inside farther twards the drivers side head, can't really tell, all I can see is some blue RTV. I suppose the seal could have worked it's way in under the thermostat housing or something, but I'm not too sure.
when I looked I also noticed/remembered that there is oil on top of the intake manifold too, but I suppose that could just be from the turbulence from the fan pushing the oil back onto it since unless the oil's coming from the top of the distributor it couldn't have really got up there easily.
another quick question, the temperature gage doesn't seem to work, can I test the gage by grounding the wire off of the temp sensor? or is that not how it works?
oh, and would having a bunch of disconnected vacuum hoses be a bad thing? most of the hoses for the heating controlls are disconnected/rotted away, and we don't have the valve that goes to the heater core so the vacuum hoses for that are just hanging open.
Posts: 303
Joined: 11/17/2003 From: Connecticut,United States Status: offline
O.K.-I concur with everyone else on the manifold leak. The distributor has an O-ring around the base that seals it to inside of the block, usually oil won't pass by it. It sounds like someone did a poor job of sealing the top half of the motor(intake gaskets,valve cover gaskets). As for temp sensor, I would just try to buy a new one(they're about 6-7 bucks) and if that doesn't work then test the guage itself. Replace the vacuum hoses and get a heater valve(provided you need it). If you don't need the heater(in Oregon I would suspect you do) then just cap-off the lines that are just hanging(of course this may affect engine performance).
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289 oil leak - 
