A/C Fixed......Now Oil Leak!!!!

MercXr7-5speed

SCCoA Member
BIG THANKS to mike 38sc. The a/c drain plug was definitly clogged up. Took about 15 minutes to unclog but that was it. Now on to something new. It seems that while my car was sitting for two days, I developed a HUGE oil leak. If the car sits at idle, it doesn't leak or at least not enough to smell and see. If I rev it up, oil pours out somewhere on the passenger side. I moved the intake tube out of my way and took a good look down there while it was running. Doesn't look to be coming from the valve cover. I did notice that the oil fill spout was able to be pulled right off the valve cover. Tightened that down but still didn't cure it. I really hope that this is something stupid. Anybody else ever run into a similar situation or know what could be causing this? My buddy is going to pull up his ALL DATA oil schmatics and see if he can get any ideas but that could take him days to do. Any and all help is greatly appriciated.

Joe

Ps This is the one with 169k on it.
 
Check to make sure the crankshaft pulley is not wobbling while the engine is running. The harmonic balancer has a flange that fits into the front cover and has a seal around it.

If the balancer has worn and is loose, that seal may have become damaged letting oil from the front cover of the engine escape.
 
I didn't even think of that. I should have! I have replaced three balancers on the one with 121k before finally learning I had to buy a new one. Each time I had to buy a new crank seal too. Car is on jack stands now. I'll go pull the belt and see if the balancer has play. Thanks.

Joe
 
Ok. Took the belt of and it is definitly not coming from the balancer area. Cover is dry and the balancer is very tight, no play. I crawled a little further under the car and it looks like it is coming from behind the steeking rack? the steering rack looks like it bolts in two places under the middle of the engine compartment. Almost right next the the bolt on the passenger side it where the oil is pouring out from above. It looks like the pan itself goes up over the top of the rack hidden behind some metal brace of some sort. If it is my pan, is there and easier way to see it to know? Is there something else over there that maybe my culprit? I hope it isn't the pan. It doesn't look to easy to remove.

Joe

EDIT: Looked at the oil level sensor too. Thats not it either.
 
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Power Steering?

Have you checked the motor mounts? When the OEM mounts fail, the engine sits down in frame. This can cause the P/S line and or the oil pan to rub through to the point where things start leaking. I would lean toward the P/S line since the leak appears to be RPM related.
 
Yes I have checked the motor mounts. The drivers side is ripped but not totally shot the passenger side looks to be in good shape. The p/s fluid is good and topped off. This is definitly oil. If it is the pan, is there a way to get a good look at it without removing the whole engine or disassembling a lot of it like the haynes manuel says? Thanks

Joe
 
You said it only leaks while the engine is running. That implies something over the level of the oil when it is still, and possibly from an area that is under oil pressure.

Have you verified that the oil filter is firmly attached and that it isn't leaking from around there?

You may have to get this up on jack stands and start it to isolate the problem.

also, if the mount is ripped, then it is destroyed. They are fluid filled (unless you had replaced it with a solid model) and once they rip, all the fluid runs out and they collapse.
 
Well, I have found the problem..... :( I jacked up the car, put it on stands, and jacked the engine up from the tranny. When I looked under the subframe where the oil pan goes above, I found a small crack about 1/8 of an inch long and a hole about 1/4 inch in diameter. Very sad day over here. I really don't have the time or money to fix it and right now it is the only car in one piece. The 89 w/121k is stripped down inside for parts and the 99 grand am is now my fiances. Should of kept that 92 saturn we had as a backup. I guess I really can't patch it up huh? what to do............

Joe
 
I'm not usually a bubble gum and coat hanger repair tech, but this is a try anything situation. The real fix is either pull the engine or the subframe and replace the pan or have the hole heliarced. However, as a temporary repair I think I would get the front of the car as high as possible then clean the hole and area around it real good. Get absolutely any oil or dirt off (use laquer thinner or acetone). Use JB Weld to repair the hole. You'd be surprised at how tough that stuff is and it's worth a shot to get it on the road. JB Weld takes a long time to dry and I would let it dry for about a day. Good luck, John
 
Yep,

Get ahold of some JB Weld and patch it up. If you get the surface nice and clean and roughed up, it will last a very long time.
 
Great minds think alike... I was out at K-mart and though it might work. Grabbed some, cleaned it up real good and plugged it. Still up in the air drying. We'll see what happens monday. Thanks all for your help.

Joe
 
Well, all seems well now. Started her up this morning, and the leak looks like it may be cured. We didn't use jb weld but some stuff we found called Cold Weld. Said it needed 15 hours to set and could hold up to 3000psi. Maybe a little overkill, but overkill is a way of life! Thanks to all for all help and suggestions.

Joe
 
The only issue with something like that, and most repairs is that they don't hold the metal well with temperature changes and flex. The oil pan will change in temp due to the hot oil. And it might flex a bit depending on the size of the crack. so hopefully the patch will stay stuck. Just make sure you keep some oil with you in case it would fail.
 
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