Oil Leak

1Fast93

Registered User
I was driving down the road the yesterday, and I noticed that my low oil light was on. So, I drove home and let car sit until this morning. I just checked it and I lost about half of what I had about a month ago. Which was FULL.

I looked under the car and everything seems really wet, from the K-member to the front of the trans pan is coated with oil. I'm not able to get under the car and check for the source of the leak, but I believe its the oil pan gasket. During the REBUILD, I ripped the gasket, but i used a bunch of RTV when I put it back on.

Do you think the gasket might be giving out?

How do I go about changing the gasket? What's the easiest way, other than pulling the motor out.

Thanks,
Dave
 
There isn't supposed to be an oil pan gasket...just uses RTV to seal it. In the past major oil leaks have been caused by worn out/collapsed motor mounts allowing the pan to rub against one of the power steering hoses eventually rubbing thru the pan or the hose.

David
 
I would check around the oil filter / oil cooler, then at the front of the oil pan / bottom of the timing chain cover.
 
Is it a pain in the a$$ to fix the gasket around the oil pan?? How would you recommend I go about fixing it?
 
I checked the car out this evening, and it seems to be coming from the front of the oil pan. There are oil spots all over the ground that form a small circle,(the radius of the pan) but I think that is just from the oil spreading while I drive.

Do you guys have any suggestions on how I could fix this, other than removing the timing cover??

I was thinking I would just tighten the two bolts for the oil pan under the timing cover, and when I get my oil changed tomorrow, I'll put in a bottle of stop leak. Do you think that would work?

Thanks,
Dave
 
I was losing massive amounts of oil on my 92. Turns out it was the O Ring between the oil pump and block that had hardened and failed. Dave Dalke found the source of the leak and I replaced the pump at the same time with a Melling 246 for good measure. I tried tightening the oil cooler...even found a new gasket for it but as indicated it was the pump to block seal that had failed. Just something to look for in case your original location was misleading you.
 
Thanks Duffy, for the good advice! I appriciate it. I'll have to take a look at that. I used the original oil pump when I rebuilt the motor, because I was unabel the get the oil cooler off the old one. Is there any way to get it off, and should I reuse the old cooler or get a new one? Is it easy to take off the pump from under the car? It seems easy enough...

Thanks,
Dave
 
When you take the oil filter off there is a nut below it that holds the oil cooler to the oil pump. Don't remember the size but it is pretty big. I would contact Dave Dalke for tips on how to do it with the engine in the car. He did mine. I was concerned it might not be possible without pulling the motor. He found a way and said it wasn't too bad.
 
Why the hell is it coming from there!?

I checked out the car again, and I noticed that there was oil coming from my muffler. I have a magnaflow muffler where the resonator used to be and its held in with clamps, which is where the leak is from. It was also mixed with water, so knew it was coming from inside.

When I rev the motor, there is a small amount of grey smoke that comes out. Is that normal? Or is it the initial burn of oil in the exhaust system.

If there is oil in the exhaust, wouldn't that indicate that I have blow-by from the piston rings? Wouldn't the car smoke a bunch more though?

Sorry for all the questions, but I am really desperate for help and I don't have the finances to take her to the shop. I'm a poor 18 year old college kid that has an SC as a daily driver. :rolleyes:

Thanks everyone,
Dave
 
The size of that nut on the oil cooler is 1-1/16" expensive socket. The oil smoking off your resonator/muffler is probably the transmission tailshaft seal. Mine does that if I'm stopped on an incline. it drips out the tranny and onto the exhaust.
 
It sounds like he is saying that oil is coming OUT of his muffler. That sounds like it could be a head gasket problem. That could be a big problem.
 
If you've got oil coming all the way out the muffler then wouldn't that be so much that he would have fouled a plug by now?
 
Well, I got the oil changed in the car yesterday, and the guy said there was a leak at the front of the oil pan underneath the timing cover. I put a quart of stop-leak in, so we'll how that goes for the next hundered miles or so.

I checked the muffler again and that black fluid does seem to be some kind of oil, but it really doesn't smell like motor oil. I'm starting to think that maybe it's something within the muffler that contains a oil, and it is starting to mix with the moisture that collects inside. I let the car sit for a while (12 hours) started it up and there was a bunch of fluild (water) coming from the tailpipe, none of which contained the mysterious oil.

I'm just going to take car of the leak at the oil pan, and see how long she lasts.

Thanks,
Dave

Feel free to keep commenting, just incase I may have overlooked something.
 
just go run the snot out of it, get it good and warm to burn the moisture out of it...its prolly carbon and moisture mixing and dripping
 
antifreeze has an oily texture. taking your car out with a bad oil leak for the "run of its life" just to burn some juice out your muffler is a worser idea then the stop leak.
 
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