Just picked up my 68 Mustang about 3 weeks ago to discover that I have a small oil leak and was wondering if maybe someone had the same type of setup and had come across the same problem. I just retired from the Marine Corps and never really had a lot of time while I was active duty to toy around with a "project". SO, not only am I a rookie to all this but I guess I could be called a newbie rookie. Here's the problem:

302 with an MSD distributor. The oil seems to be seeping out right around where the distributor touches the block. Only seems to leak under a load but not when idling or just running up the rpm's. I've changed the rubber ring on the distributor to no avail. I'm about 99% positive that this is where the leak is coming from. Any ideas?

 

Look closely at the intake here. The seal/sealant under the front of it can leak and run into the distributor recess.

 

I took it over to a friends house that does restores and has all of the equipment one could ask for. We put it on the lift, got all of the excess cleaned off, ran the motor and looked around the intake and even he said that it looks like it's leaking right around the "notch" where the distributor and block come together.

I'll take another closer look at the intake though and appreciate the direction to look in that area. I just want this little leak fixed before it turns into a bigger problem.

 

I went back and took a closer look and thinking it's very possible that the intake could be the culprit. Guess it may be a long weekend coming up. Thanks for the advice!

 

Kelly, Thanks for the insight. Took it over to my friends with new intake gaskets and much to our surprise, parts of the front gasket, right behind the distributor, hadn't even been touched by the intake!

Thanks again for the insight!

 

The best way to seal the front and back of the intake is to use a fat bead of RTV. Don't use the cork especially since you are having problems with it.

 

We used the cork and put RTV in the corners. I'm guessing that when the original owner put everything together he either:

1) Had the distributor already in and was too lazy to take it out or;

2) Maybe when he tightened the bolts down, didn't tighten them down properly, considering 8 of the 10 bolts we took out were too short and didn't have any lock washers or;

3) he basically was just in a rush to get it put together and cut corners.

Considering some of the things I'm now finding, I'm suspecting that he just cut corners in a few areas and this was one of them.