Breaking in New Engine, Leaks...crankcase pressure? Options

[BeatNavy]

The last week or so I've been breaking in a new engine I built last winter and finally manage to install a couple of weeks ago. I'm pretty happy with how it pulls, and after a LOT of fiddling with the MPS and timing I think I've got it where it will start right up, idle cold (barely), idle nicely when warm, and run with nice cool head temps. I do seem to have a slight bit of ping/detonation under load around 2800 to 3000 RPM, so I guess I need to play with timing a bit more.

I am much less happy with the oil leaks. I know building a leak-free Type IV is a challenge, and given this is my first effort, I didn't expect perfection. But right now it's leaking pretty badly in a couple of places: out of the transmission weep hole (probably RMS, I guess), somewhere around oil filter console and/or pressure relief valve, and, surprisingly, what seems to be sort of spraying out and around oil filler neck.

Here I need help from the World; I see a combination of three possible causes for this many leaks (when I otherwise took my time and tried to follow guidelines, using Jake's recommended sealants):

1. My own inexperience
2. Too much crankcase pressure from rings not seating yet
3. Too much crankcase pressure from no head venting.

Here are some details on build:

2056 with 9950 Cam using D-Jet
Brand new AA Heads built by HAM, and Len sealed up the vents
96mm KB Pistons with Hastings Rings
8.6 CR

A couple of notes: I didn't gap the rings per Jake's philosophy that crankcase pressure is what causes oil leaks, and the rings come properly gapped. Also, Len (and Jake) don't like head venting for oil flow (so my heads had vent plugged). If I understand him correctly, Len told me the stock PCV vale should provide enough crankcase pressure relief on a street car. RMS is the Sabo brand (the "good" one).

Any thoughts on 1, 2 or 3 above? I'm willing to pull the engine and reseal, but I wanted to see if 2 or 3 are possibilities that I need to address. Is the stock PCV valve (which I am sure is not clogged) enough pressure relief?

Thanks for any help.

[Superhawk996]

Great suggestion Len! Simplicity. I love it!

[BeatNavy]

Great suggestion Len! Simplicity. I love it!

So do I! Good stuff, Len, thanks. Just to be clear (and because I'm stupid), I should leave the top of the water bottle off but cover it all with a rag to keep oil from spraying around, correct?

The flywheel was resurfaced, and I used a fine sand paper, like emory paper, to polish the surface where the RMS runs.

On the oil filler, I definitely have the gasket. I ended up putting Dirko on it to try to seal it in place, thinking that may be the issue. I don't actually SEE oil spraying, but it collects all over the top of the engine and on the flanges of the oil filler. I changed oil filler caps thinking maybe I had one that wasn't sealing.

Heads are threaded.

[HAM Inc]

Great suggestion Len! Simplicity. I love it!

So do I! Good stuff, Len, thanks. Just to be clear (and because I'm stupid), I should leave the top of the water bottle off but cover it all with a rag to keep oil from spraying around, correct?

The flywheel was resurfaced, and I used a fine sand paper, like emory paper, to polish the surface where the RMS runs.

On the oil filler, I definitely have the gasket. I ended up putting Dirko on it to try to seal it in place, thinking that may be the issue. I don't actually SEE oil spraying, but it collects all over the top of the engine and on the flanges of the oil filler. I changed oil filler caps thinking maybe I had one that wasn't sealing.

Heads are threaded.

Yes. The rag is to filter oil vapor exiting the crankcase and filter air moving into the crankcase. Crankcase pressures pulse from negative to positive with every crank revolution.

It doesn't have to be the cut off bottom of a water bottle. I just used that example to illustrate the concept. You can make the thing out of anything that you can drill a hole in and get taped and sealed tight to the filler neck. If you had a junk oil filler cap you could drill a hole in it. That would be the easy button.