oil in rear compartment
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Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 51
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From: Louisville ky
oil in rear compartment
I wipe it up it comes back. I noticed a small crack on the inner wall of the rear passenger compartment and some type of oil or fluid seems to be creeping through. I am having trouble figuring out what could be causing that and what components are directly under it. It is the passenger compartment where the jack is stored. The rear differential is under this and I suspect the culprit(gulp). I don't know if any brake lines run in this area. Hopefully I can get it on jacks or take inner compartment to pieces to see whats going on in the next couple of days. It sure looks greasy in the rear area underneath. I will try to identify the fluid better next time I see it too. Any ideas?
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 24,125
Likes: 15
From: Columbia Missouri
Engine or transmission oil can easily blow back and under the carriage of the car, soaking everything. It would not surprise me if you have an oil leak and when you drive it saturates the storage compartment, where it seeps in through the crack.
Drifting
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 1,911
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From: gold coast queensland
if you have an oil leak big enough to get into that compartment through that hole in the bottom then surely it must be on your floor in the garage as well when u park up. i say if you dont then i agree with ron about the jack make a mess.
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 10,560
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From: Wellington, FL
St. Jude Donor '11 thru '25
Before I would do anything, I'd take a look under the car and see if the underneath area near the pax compartment is wet with some type of car fluid. If so, you should easily be able to isolate the source. If it is not wet, I suspect something is going on in the jack compartment. 
Last edited by Jud Chapin; May 15, 2008 at 10:15 AM.
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
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From: Crossville TN
Wipe it with your finger and smell it. If it has a strong, pungent odor, it is probably differential lube. That wouldn't be on your garage floor because it probably doesn't leak if the driveshaft is not turning (at significant RPM). That being the case, the front seal is probably worn out and needs to be replaced. You can do so by dropping the driveshaft from the diffy yoke, removing that yoke, popping out the seal and replacing it, and reinstalling yoke and driveshaft. There are some details that you need to take care of during this procedure, so follow directions of GM Service/Overhaul manual to do it correctly.
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Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 51
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From: Louisville ky
Thanks for all of the advice. There really isn't anything significant on the floor from what I can tell. I am putting new cardboard under it to see what new leaks I might notice (because there is always something leaking that I am fixing). I just cleaned out the compartment and I used to store oil in it. I cleaned it out and when I saw this last night I wiped it up and threw the towel away before I realized the oil shouldn't be there. Definitely isn't coming from the jack. I wonder what could have caused the crack in the compartment?
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