Leaking SC top?

Michael Mattix

SCCoA Member
I was replacing a cam sensor this weekend and was noticing that between the SC and the SC Top that it looked like there was some seepage of some sort coming out. What gives? Has anybody seen this before?

Thanks,
Mike
 
What kind of seepage?

I noticed some fluid inside and at the bottom of my IC and pipes and was wondering what the hell it was.

Possibly from PCV system?
 
I think it was oil. Hard to tell. Maybe I should tighten the bolts down to factory specs and see if that helps. But, thinking about it, only air should be in the top, right?
 
there's been lots of discusion about this. some oil in the IC and supercharger is normal, while we can't agree on the cause, nearly everyone who i've talked to has this. there is a "fix" just search for PCV and you should find it. oil comming out of your SC top is a different story! if it's that loose, i'm surprised your car even idles. look for oil spraying from somwhere else( like a disconnected hose or something) and write back. if your bolts are loose, tighten to 20-25 ft-lbs. hope this helps!
ben m
 
Thanks for the info! I'll do that search. But, as far as the oil coming from anywhere else, I don't think so. But, I could be wrong. The top has the "seepage" uniformly around all sides, so I am assuming that it's coming from there. Other than being really ugly when I open the hood, I don't think it's causing any other problems. Is there a gasket than can be replaced?
 
I didnt use a gasket on my top, i'm not even sure there is one, I just used a little black rtv silicone and tighetened it up, no problems at all.

What Ben is saying is that if your top was loose enough to let the seepage through that it would most likely cause a pretty big vacuum leak and your car would ldle like crap....if at all. The fact that its uniform on all 4 sides its weird too.

It shoudlnt be too hard to yank the top off and put a very thin film of rtv around the edges, you dont want it getting squeezed out...onto the rotors, reassemble and see it the problem resurfaces.
 
there is no "gasket"
use hi-temp "copper" prematex
its designed to withstand the heat

the black or blue stuff might last a little while but in the end the heat will get it
400 F. :eek:
 
Your supercharger doesn't get to 400 degrees! It only gets to maybe 250 at the most. Any RTV will work fine, just don't use a lot and make sure that the surface is clean and dry before applying. A little oil seepage won't cause any magor driveability problems even if it does leak. I'm not saying it is good to have a leak, just that it won't keep the car from running. Chances are the bolts are a little loose and all they need is tightening.
 
i was told (by many diff. people on this board) that it was copper only

also my data on the temp was from an independant study of supercoupe supercharger and stock ic temps the highest being 400 f. on a 103 f. day

does this mean i can use blue stuff on the ic tubes
 
SCOTTE...

Pretty much If XR-7 DAVE says you can use ANY RTV I would not hesitate to do so if I were you...Regardless to that the copper RTV does fall under the ANY category so good on ya...

400 F. is a bit extreme to say the least...

Brad
 
The air temp was 400 deg not the case temperature. If the case temp gets that high, you'll have a lot more to worry about than a little leak.

Aaron
 
I use Permatex orange copper RTV but not because of the 400 degree thing, I just find it cleans up easier when I remove the top next time.

Oil seepage is normal....it's motor oil from the PCV system. You will be shocked when you pull your lower IC tube and 3 or 4 ounces pours out. An in line fuel filter mounted higher than your rocker covers and placed between the PCV valve and inlet plenum will trap most of the oil.

David
 
Thanks!

Thanks David Niebert! Like some other people have suggested, I do not have an erratic idle, it just seems like I have to keep wiping it off (to make it look clean) every oil change. I just posted the question because I wondered if a problem was rearing it's ugly head or not. I guess I will probably try the inline filter thing. I'll let everyone know how it turns out!

Mike
 
Mike,

If it's leaking oil then you should take it apart and reseal it. The whole job will only take about half an hour.

Remove nuts/bolts holding the top on and remove the two nuts holding the upper IC tube flange in place. There is also one bolt under the alternator if it's a stock top. DO NOT MESS WITH THE BIG NUT.

Clean the mating surfaces with a wire brush and carb cleaner if necessary (stuff some rags into the supercharger and IC to keep trash out). Spread a thin layer of RTV on the mating surface for the top (with your finger) and form an 3/16" bead on the outer portion of the IC tube connection. Install the top and tube with RTV still wet and get all bolts in and hand tight before tightning any of them. Snug them all down and wipe away the excess RTV and your done.

The car can be started and driven right away, no need to allow it to dry overnight. Use Permatex brand...not the generic crap.

David
 
Hey Man

Hey Man,
I second the suggestion.
I would go with the Copper RTV that Dave N suggested.
It is easy to clean up, and you can torq and run if you need to.
Laterz,
D Rainer
 
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