Sorry to hear of you continuing problem. Since my post above I just did another friends 455 engine because of oil leaks. I wasn't happy on the limited distance when the crank was pushed up so I removed the rod caps and tapped the pistons down (up?) until they were touching the heads. Then the crank came out with no problem. It helps to have a second set of hands when re-installing the crank. Basically two of the rods will have to be lifted up and connected to the crank before it will drop back in.
The instructions say to not apply any sealant on the ends of the rope seal, but doing so wouldn't make things leak. I've taken quite a few main caps off where the seal ends were glued together and it didn't seem to hurt anything. Just best not to do it.
If the crank isn't in the way, you can properly seat the seal in the groove and then roll it in with a socket. After it has been fully pushed down into the groove as far as it can go, then you can trim the ends. Very easy with a graphite rope seal, somewhat of a pain with the stock rope seal. Seal shoud protrude slightly from the block and cap (about .020" or so), and be pushed to its center so no strands can get between the cap and the block. Trapping strands will keep the cap from seating and not only cause leaking, but slightly opens up bearing clearance at the rear. This will not only cause a slight loss of oil pressure, but also really increase the volume of oil squirting out towards the rear seal. Normally the slinger on the crank handles the oil flow nicely, but all that oil being in the area won't help the integrity of the seal.
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Mick Batson
1967 original owner Tyro Blue/black top 4-speed HO GTO with all the original parts stored safely away -- 1965 2+2 survivor AC auto -- 1965 Catalina Safari Wagon in progress.
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