Any chance the oil is coming out of one of the holes in the end of the heads? In the pictures the passenger side lower hole looks black whereas the rest appear to show some brightness. Doesn't seem like it would have anything to do with higher rpm, going up hill but a small leak in that area will have oil all over the place given the amount of air movement in the area.
Thanks for the suggestion... much appreciated. Those holes are accessory mount points and dead end.
Originally Posted by RLB
There appears to be another bolt hole below the bolt that’s holding the alternator bracket. Does it have or need a short bolt similar to the two bolts on the opposite side of engine? Also, if you are sure the timing cover seal was leaking, I read that on older bbc engines , guys were drilling dowl holes in cover out slightly. Then install timing cover with bolts loose, install balancer, then tighten timing cover bolts. Helps make certain seal is evenly centered on balancer. Also , in conjunction with that, some were installing a ready or speedy sleeve on balancer to slightly increase tension on lip of seal. One last thing, are you certain of the capacity of your oil pan? That it’s not being over filled. Some of those 396 pans were only 4 qt capacity. Good luck with it, you’ll find the solution eventually.
Thanks for the suggestions...they are appreciated. Driver side bolt is a dead end hole. Dampener is new and has no groves worn into it, shouldn't need a sleeve. Oil pan is aftermarket and I will be underfilling after the gaskets replaced.
It was running great end of last year and the beginning of this year. One trip up to 6k rpm and it started being a pain. Unfortunately it doesn't want to comply.
