I hit a snag in the build on Saturday. I finally secured the fan shroud to the radiator so I decided to add the coolant. While I was cleaning up, I noticed coolant dripping from the back of the engine where it meets the transmission. I removed the inspection window covers and used an endoscope to look inside. It looked like coolant was leaking from the engine studs. My first thought was I screwed up a coolant seal when I rebuilt the engine 1.5 years ago. The engine had to come out so I removed all the peripherals and called it a day. I spent the rest of the night reviewing the FSM and engine stud installation instructions to find out where I went wrong. The engine studs run between the inner and outer coolant seals so this likely isn't a seal problem. The engine stud instructions clearly say to use silicone sealant around the threads and I think this is something I overlooked.
By early Sunday afternoon I had the engine out of the car and the clutch and flywheel removed. I removed all 16 of the nuts from the engine studs and there was no sign of sealant on the threads. I think I mixed up the FSM and engine stud instructions because I found sealant under the OEM seal washers but the FSM says to apply engine oil. I pulled and cleaned all the washers and nuts, coated the washers in 10W30, coated the studs with Permatex Black, and reinstalled everything. Hopefully this is was a minor set back but I won't know for sure until I test the seals later today.
By early Sunday afternoon I had the engine out of the car and the clutch and flywheel removed. I removed all 16 of the nuts from the engine studs and there was no sign of sealant on the threads. I think I mixed up the FSM and engine stud instructions because I found sealant under the OEM seal washers but the FSM says to apply engine oil. I pulled and cleaned all the washers and nuts, coated the washers in 10W30, coated the studs with Permatex Black, and reinstalled everything. Hopefully this is was a minor set back but I won't know for sure until I test the seals later today.