440 leaking coolant

[bigter33]

Hey guys my 440 is leaking coolant from the oil pump where it connects to the block. the engine is rebuilt and were just getting the 70 challenger road worthy after a 3 year restoration. (kinda frustrated to say the least). It's a daddy daughter project. No coolant seems to be getting into the oil right now and it only leaks when the car is warmed up. Can this be easily fixed? Any input would be awesome.

 

[VeteranCosmicRocker]

First off, I would check the usual culprits: thermostat gasket housing, the upper hose at the t-stat, water pump, lower hose going into the w/p housing.

 

[Chryco Psycho]

If it is not leaking higher up & running down the only option is a crack in the block low down , there really is no water near the oil pump , I would look closely higher up around the water pump .

 

[moparleo]

Go to any automotive shop and have them pressure check your system with a pressure checker. Any leaks will show up before you get to 16 lbs.

 

[BIGSHCLUNK]

ex man bolt hole?

 

[bigter33]

found it...

found the leak, was the exhaust header bolts. thanks for the help. Always think to keep it simple,and look for the easy fix.
Thanks again for the help. I've been working 3 years to drive this heap. Seems a little fast for the Daughter to drive, oh well it will take some daddy driving school time, Priceless..

 

[Chryco Psycho]

I hoped it was something a bit higher up , Glad you found it .

 

[jay68383]

I have some advice after going through similar heartache this weekend with my 383.

First, I had a lot of trouble getting my headers to stay sealed, probably because they were poorly made, so I went to manifolds on my current build.

This weekend, I was filling the block with antifreeze in hopes of firing it up(no such luck) when it started leaking out of the end of the head. I thought it was a bad freeze plug, but it was a machine shop issue(who new?)

The most rearward valve cover bolt boss had cracked, and the shop installed what looked like a helicoil. Well, he may have drilled right into a water jacket.

My point is, and here is the fix: The machine shop recommended a permatex product called Hylomar medium blue: specifically for this kind of issue. It is formulated for high heat and chemical(read antifreeze) resistance.

We drained the head, and I glopped a bunch into the bolt hole and on the bolt, and waited a couple hours, even though it said it would take 10 minutes. I refilled with antifreeze, and no leaks, although It is not under pressure yet.

Having said all that, when my header bolts leaked, I did not use this stuff, but it is just a resource if you need it.

 

[Adrian Worman]

We use that a lot in the UK, it was developed by Rolls Royce engineers decades ago and it's still unbeatable now.........
That header bolt water leak is a pain in the arse, even worse on ported or heavily modded heads where material has bee removed, the old iron castings seem to crack far too easily