2.8 oil leaks

[top pin]

I am new on here. This is my second post. I have an 85 B2 with the 2.8 engine. I bought it from a neighbot for $500. It is stock with unknown mileage as it was towed a lot. I noticed after getting home the lower block and trans had large amounts sludge accumulation. A very good friend and shop owner told me that the 2.8 just devleops leaks at high mileage and not much you can do about it. He's a great guy and has a very successful shop and I expect he is right. Just wondering what some other experiences are. Is this really a "live with it" deal? Any remedies other than an engine swap? Thanks. I hate oil leaks. My engine does not leak to the point that it makes spots on the drive. I guess it is more a very slight seep that just accumulates over time. Thanks again for any input.

 

[martin]

The 2.8 is a good motor. solid lifter, gear driven cam etc. and if durasparked a very durable piece. It does however have the reputation of leaking from every available orifice when it has a lot of running time on it. Mine has over three hundred thousand kilometers on it and still runs like a charm, leaks from every orifice but runs like a charm. Most motors would have given up the ghost long before. I justify the leaks by calling it a continuous oil change regime.

 

[RobbieD]

On my '84 Ranger, changing the valve cover gaskets stopped a lot of the leakage. While not a complete cure, doing the valve covers was cheap, easy, and helped a lot.

Good score on the B2, and welcome to TRS.