Oil Leak Somewhere

[josh 0]

i have an odd oil leak, the oil drips onto the subframe and just makes a huge mess down the floor of the car.

 

i first suspected it was the sump, so resealed that, then the O ring on the dizzy has been changed so im at a loss now.

 

the oil collects onto of the gearbox in a pool then drips down onto the back of the sump then everywhere bloomin else when driving along.

 

my next suspicion after having a search is the gasket between the head and the thermostat housing (i think thats what its referred to)

 

any pointers would be a bonus.

 

cheers all

[Miles 331 1 Cars]

Rear oil seal by the sounds of it I'm afriad

[smithy 1]

If it is pooling on the top of trans then I cannot see it being a rear main oil seal.

With the oil pooling where it is then can only be a few reasons one of which already been done with new intuit on dizzy.

Other possibles cam cover gasket, cylinder head gasket or as you say the gasket between head and the stat housing block.

I know you get a pool on box but can you see a trace of oil anywhere on engine that side if you have a really good look with a torch.

When I used to work in a garage we had some powder to assist in tracing leaks,basically get some brake cleaner to remove oil and allow to dry then applied some White powder that would show up the leak once engine has been run.

Talc powder is good for this just squeeze bottle and spray in area of leak.

[josh 0]

forgot to add, ive done the cam cover too

 

oil seems to leak higher up than cylinder head gasket, plus this was done on the engine rebuild just before i bought the car ( around feb this year )

 

ive cleaned off the pool and let the engine run for 10 mins and it did'nt repool until i went for a drive and then the pool was back.

 

i cant see an visible drips but if it was the stat housing block gasket then wouldnt it just stream down the edge of the block onto the gearbox so i wouldnt see a drip as such?

 

cheers for your time

[mickie 3]

could be seeping through the camshaft end cap

[josh 0]

could be seeping through the camshaft end cap

 

which end cap? isnt the dizzy on the end nearest the gearbox?

 

sorry to sound a bit daft, i can't remember off the top of my head

[mickie 3]

im probably wrong but oil can seep through the camshaft end caps on either side of the engine, box side and pulley side..

 

then obviously there is the cam cover gasket, dizzy o ring and thermostat housing gasket. if the cam caps have been took off and the thermostat housing hasnt obviously the gasket will have split and you'll have to add some sealer to fix it up

[josh 0]

im probably wrong but oil can seep through the camshaft end caps on either side of the engine, box side and pulley side..

 

then obviously there is the cam cover gasket, dizzy o ring and thermostat housing gasket. if the cam caps have been took off and the thermostat housing hasnt obviously the gasket will have split and you'll have to add some sealer to fix it up

 

 

ah ok cool. i'll take it to bits again tomorrow and spread liberal amounts of instant gasket around the thermo housing where it meets the block.

[McDude 33]

Could be coming out of the dipstick tube - I've snapped two of these and they spray oil everywhere, but unless you spot the crack in the tube it takes a while to figure out.

[josh 0]

what senders sit in the stat housing? (the one on the left when looking from the front of the engine seems a little flimsy)

 

ive resealed the whole thing and yet the oil leak is still there

 

my next option is as mentioned dipstick tube

 

oh and the leak only comes when the engine is under load, revving it at a standstill doesnt seem to make it drip.

[mickie 3]

cracked block ?

[josh 0]

cracked block ?

 

i definitely hope not

 

i think ive sussed it, the cam cover gasket seems to be seeping and the bolt that holds it down gearbox end doesnt tighten properly, i think the last owner stipped the thread on it.

 

im going to order a gasket set for the thermostat housing and cam cover and go from there.

[Tom Fenton 1,542]

The cam cover bolts thread into the cam caps. It should be possible to very carefully helicoil it back to m6 to allow you to bolt the cover down properly, the bolts do need to be pulled down reasonably tight for the seal not to leak.

[smithy 1]

i definitely hope not

 

i think ive sussed it, the cam cover gasket seems to be seeping and the bolt that holds it down gearbox end doesnt tighten properly, i think the last owner stipped the thread on it.

 

im going to order a gasket set for the thermostat housing and cam cover and go from there.

 

 

If it were me I would either helicoil it with m6 and put an m6 stud with strong locktite straight in to cam cap or tap out to m7 and fit m7 bolt.

Would also put smear of rtv on new gasket to be doubly sure

[josh 0]

managed to sort out the bolt issue, got an m7 bolt in there now and grips it all down

 

replaced the cam cover gasket and the thermostat housing gasket too and its still there!

 

i cant think of anywhere else oil could be coming from and its starting to do my head in

 

any other pointers would be great help

[smithy 1]

managed to sort out the bolt issue, got an m7 bolt in there now and grips it all down

 

replaced the cam cover gasket and the thermostat housing gasket too and its still there!

 

i cant think of anywhere else oil could be coming from and its starting to do my head in

 

any other pointers would be great help

 

 

Have you tried the cleaning and then powder trick to pinpoint exact location of leak?

As you have done all gaskets it could be a crack somewhere?