Fox T-Bird/Cougar Forums

I wouldn't be surprised if you found the intake leaking at the rear end seal.  I've see some older 3.8L cars (of all types) leaking from the rear of the intake, in a couple of cases I attributed it to increased backpressure caused by cats becoming obstructed.  Be ready for this rabbit hole to go deep.

Those older cats are pellet-bed style, they failed all the time.  The problem with "plugged cats" as most people think of them, is that people only think about obstructed catalysts in their terminal phase where they don't flow at all.  It doesn't happen all at once, and up until they completely block, the pressure has to go somewhere. In a lot of cases, pressure backs up until it becomes excessive blow-by.  So then the excess pressure is in the crank case, the PCV can't vent it all into the intake, so it finds its way out and once the seals or gaskets are compromised, oil comes out, too.  Not saying this is your problem, but keep it in mind.  Even if it is the root cause, you'll still need to find and repair the leak.

That's a 4.2 with a manual. Just about as bad.

Does the 4.2 eat head gaskets as fast as the 3.8?

Pictured is a Jasper reman. Head gasket failure, preceeding head failure, allowing coolant contamination of the oil, ending in extreme bottom end wear. She was knocking like a bill collector.

This pict with stabilizer bar covered in oil, suggest front main seal leaking... Balancer slings it off while engine is running...

(https://s18.postimg.org/xo5kcmm89/pos38.jpg)

Thanks.  Everything is wet!  The front cover is soaked with oil so i cant be sure if these lower items are the source. The active dripping occurs in the bck of fhe engine on passenger side of the rear face of block.  My best guess is that head gaskets are doing it and oil runs down side of block.

If i pull this motor, whats best plan?  Are newer version of this motor useable in his car?  If not, is a newer short block useable with the old style heads and intake?  How hard is it to put a 5.0 in wth retrofitting and misc parts?  Would it bolt to my 3 speed?

A head gasket almost never leaks oil, I'd keep looking...

A 3.8L headgasket almost never leaks oil.  Lots of puppies cars (especially Subaru) have external oil leaks from the HG, oh, and the big Neon recall Chrysler had.

I dont argue this, but I am not sure what else could be seeping down the back of the motor.  The intake seal in the back is slightly wet, but not the cause of active dripping.  Curiousity is getting the best of me, and I think I am going to pull the motor so I can see definitively where this was from, and also be able to replace all from the top down.

When I had a similar problem  several years ago, it turned out I had screwed up the valve cover gasket replacement on the passenger side.
Since I had just replaced it I was sure that couldn't be the problem.

To start with, you'd be in the market for a transmission that would bolt up to a 5.0.

You'll need fox accessories and a fox timing cover, and a few other things, but again, I stayed EFI.

Atengnr, check out CoolCats.net. Good info on the site for swaps, upgrades etc., on our cars.

Does it make sense to swap to a carbed 302?  Or not enough of a gain?

Is there anything simple that can be dobe to get a syronger running 3.8?  A cam?  Better intake?  Etc

  Don't start unless you've got the grit to finish.

THanks alot!  What about a pre-83 fox chassis 5.0 (I forget the ugly vehicles that were made in late 70s early 80s that fall in this category) as a source??  These would be carbbed, and I presume the accessories would fit?

Thanks.