Reply to "Excessive oil consumption"

There is no coolant in a Cleveland intake manifold. A Windsor intake would have coolant running through it.

The Edelbrock does have a exhaust heat cross over cast into it.

I personally don't like the original "turkey tray" gasket. It requires the use of silicone sealant around the ports.

The paper gaskets are a better way to install the manifold with just silicone at the front and rear of the manifold.

Usually if you are going to have an oil leak on the intake manifold it is going to be in the front or rear and at the corners.

I have found oil sitting in the pan of the turkey tray on several occasions in doing Cleveland intakes. Rarely a great quantity. Usually about a tablespoonful or so.

It would be unusual that there is an oil leak into the ports from the valley. The manifolds almost can sit without sealant.

It is MUCH more likely that the oil is being siphoned into the manifold through the PCV system.

It is also possible that the valve guides are worn enough to allow the oil consumption.

If the heads are original and have never been rebuilt, the original oil seals (umbrellas)are probably deteriorated and probably non-existent functionally.

So the oil consumption cause by probability is 1) pcv system 2)valve guides/oil seals 3)oil control rings on the pistons 4) intake manifold abnormality,.

Going from highest probability to lowest.

The biggest caution is that if it is the original valve stem seals have deteriorated. They will crumble, get into the oil pan, either block the screen on the oil pump pick up or worse yet, get into the oil pump, jamb the rotors and damage yhem severely, cause the distributor drive pins to bend or brake or completely destroy the oil pump drive itself.

Also IF the heads have never been rebuilt the original valves tend to break on the stems causing the valve to fall into the cylinder and cause destruction of the pistons, the connecting rods and probably cracking the cylinder walls of the block.