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Just had my L67 engine rebuilt and put back in my 2000 SSEI. I filled the engine with 5W-30 engine oil and coolant, now I’m losing a full radiators worth of coolant in about an hour. Refilling the radiator gets me a slow steady drip of water out from my oil pan drain bolt. I’m lost. Timing cover and lower intake manifold gaskets are new. My coolant elbows are metal ones and not leaking. Where else could I be loosing coolant into my crankcase? Any bolts or bolt holes I should be checking? I did use pipe thread sealant on my timing cover bolts. Any help would be appreciated and thanks in advance.

Well, found the leak. Timing cover and LIM gaskets were good. My rear main cover gasket was leaking. Seems the guy who rebuilt my engine didn’t scrap off all of the old gasket material when he put on the new gasket. Engine is back in and running, no leaks.





You can see the milkshake and indent on the new gasket being pressed over the old one.



Old gasket material still on rear main surface.

Thanks for the follow-up. I was scratching my head, but had nothing useful to offer...

Erinyes wrote:Thanks for the follow-up. I was scratching my head, but had nothing useful to offer...

I’m just glad it wasn’t a cracked block. I’ll gladly take out the engine to change a $10 gasket over getting a short block fit $2000+

The same guy who "rebuilt" the engine didn't scrap gasket material off the block before installing a new gasket? I wouldn't count on that rebuilt for any amount of time...

harofreak00 wrote:The same guy who "rebuilt" the engine didn't scrap gasket material off the block before installing a new gasket? I wouldn't count on that rebuilt for any amount of time...

Bruh. I hear you, and now I have a backfiring issue that I didn’t have before. Guess that means I’m gonna have to make another thread...

After seeing the gasket fiasco I would make sure the spark plug wires are not crossed.
I would start there first.

Sucks you had to pull it but at least you found it.