Shop Discount Exhaust Manifolds

i decided to crank over the engine with the plug wire off. there dosent seem to be any change other than a loud click noise. i used a mechanic stethoscope to isolate the noise.

Are you an idiot? Using a mechanic's stethoscope to check plug wires and coils...LMAO

You do understand that 40kV to the head doesn't feel very good, right?

i seen it was connected to the dist. so i didnt touch it directly with the steth. its a pretty loud tick. i put it the intake and valve cover then leaned over and used my ear. so its the dist coil then awesome. i came to this forum to seek help i can take insults and all where i deserve them but im looking for help with my leak. is there anyway or reason why oil would leak out of the head right there?

Using your ear against it is even worse. You do realize that the voltage from a good coil can jump up to 2 inches or more. The spark is looking for ground and your ear or stethoscope would make an excellent path to it. I've never been dumb enough to get smacked in the ear by an ignition system, but I can imagine it would hurt like hell.

Another thing is never ever run a coil open circuited. The secondary voltage has no where to go, so it is going to look for ground. It probably popped a hole through the case because you ran it without the plug wire installed and that is the clicking noise your hearing. Always provide a path for the secondary voltage to get to ground when pulling plug wires.

Your dealing with high voltage, so you need to take some precautions that you're obviously ignorant about.

I'm glad that your insulted, because maybe you'll remember what was typed here.

thank for your education on dist coils. i will remember thats for sure. i did not know that running it with an open plug wire would hurt it.

It's alright....atleast you didn't learn the hard way.

Open circuiting a coil is like putting a fat guy on a treadmill going full speed. The spark is going to find the easiest way to ground even if that means burning a hole through the coil housing.

If you really want to see if the plug wires or coil is leaking spark externally, wait till night time. Take a 12 volt test light with you and connect it to the battery negative. With the engine running run the test light around the coil, wires, boots. You'll see sparks jumping to your test light probe if you have a leak. If you hear snapping from the coil, the coil is faulty.

You may see an aura or glow around plug wires when it is dark, but that is completely normal.

i went ahead and replaced the coil and all the plug wires and tested each wire with a timing light they all seem to work.
the strange leak is whats really eating at me.

could it be leaking from the head and being pushed into the manifold and the pressure from the exhaust fumes push it out between the manifold and head?

its not a flowing or dripping leak. its a very gradual slow slow seep. and i have looked and looked and looked again at the valve cover seal. after driving it i run a new white rag with my finger around the valve seal and cant pick up any new oil but its still down by the manifold. there is no line that runs down from the cover to the manifold.
in the first pic i posted you can see the oil around the exhaust i believe it crept up through the dirt that is there.

It doesn't look wet to me. are you sure it's not just exhaust soot?

im positive its wet. when i bought the truck there was no stain there.after putting 20 miles on it or so i noticed the dark spot. it was only about a 1/4 inch or so around the manifold. thought to my self..was that there before. i took a mental note. then after driving it more a noticed the spot grew . now it was about 1/2 inch around the manifold. after realizing its growing slowy but surly to what it looks like now.
wich looks a lot like a cover leak. that is why i have thoroughly checked this before i go replacing the cover gasket.
oh yeah and im slowly loosing oil. but idk where its going sence there no drips in the street

I don't know what to tell you. If that cylinder is firing and working normally the temperature can reach 2500 degrees and oil will turn to ash at that temp.

Looks like valve cover gasket to me. You would hear an exhaust leak if it was somehow magically leaking oil from between the manifold and cylinder head.

when im driving down the road i can hear what sounds like an exhaust leak. but it dose not make this noise when at idle. i can gas it at idle and it makes the exhaust leak noise for about half a sec then goes away with high rps but only at idle it goes away. with the engine under load i hear the putting noise of an exhaust leak. its very hard to pinpoit when im doing this myself. i was going to change the flange gasket where the manifold meets the pipe and see if that would get rid of the noise but i dont think that it will.it dosent sound like its coming from under where the flange gasket is but sounds like its coming from the hood

If you're so convinced that it is the exhaust gasket, then just change the damn gasket and be done with it. Why debate it here?

im not convinced its anything? im here for help and to learn something. from what i can tell replacing the manifold gasket wont fix why oil is coming out. it will just channel it into the exhaust. im not looking for a band aid im looking to fix it right. i know i shouldent be losing oil at the rate that i am.
im not trying to debate. you keep saying valve cover i keep assuring you its not but you say valve cover again. i have checked the valve cover over and over a week before i even posted on here. than checked it six or seven more times cause you kept saying valve cover and me thinking ..well maybe i missed something.

OK, we have reached a stalemate and this question no longer serves any purpose so I am going to close it now.

With the engine running, take a rag in your hand and put it over the exhaust pipe. This puts back pressure in the exhaust system. Have someone listen for leaks.

ok found the source of the putt noise. its the manifold on the other side of the engine. at the rear its missing a bolt that holds it on . so its only half on. great trick man i never wouold have thought of that. thats an easy fix too .

the plugs i pulled looked like they were getting too hot. i have read other forums and articles that say it could be leaking from behind the bolt that holds the manifold in place.
i havent checked this yet. or a cracked head?

Again, that oil is not coming out of the exhaust. The stain you see came from the valve cover. Oil doesn't run uphill.

i am 100% sure the oil is not coming from anywhere on the vale cover. i have cleaned all around where the valve cover meets the head and cleaned around the exhaust manifold where the oils is. let it idle for 30mins drove it about five miles on the highway and no oil is coming out from the valve cover. i even used a mirror and lights to inspect the very rear of the cover to be sure it wasn't running from the rear to the front and dripping down. but there was new oil around the exhaust manifold.
i cant make sense of this....

To add to what Nick pointed out, it will cause some real driveability issue by introducing oxygen into the exhaust and really confusing the 0/2 sensor.

Also, please don't post duplicate questions

Thanks for your reply. I am sorry I posted it twice. This is the first time I have used this forum media. Your additional information 0/2 explains a lot more about my problems. The sensor is just below the manifold. I will not drive it again until I replace the manifold. Thanks again for your reply.........Braxton

check with specialty part suppliers google 'year one' "classic industries"

a thought - use online - GM parts - GM depot - and search the catalog see if you can get the OEM part number then google search that number...