Need Help Finding Oil Leak
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 345
Likes: 0
From: Baton Rouge, LA USA
Need Help Finding Oil Leak
Got home from a cruise last week and noticed certain parts of my engine had a ligt mist coat of oil on them, including the underside of the hood, and most parts on the passenger side of the block. Seems to be coming from the bottom of the engine and being sprayed upward maybe by the fan blades. Haven't put the car up on stands to take a look yet. Could this be caused by a bad crank seal at the timing cover?
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 30,995
Likes: 99
From: Ontario
Re: Need Help Finding Oil Leak (John's Shark)
Oil leaks can be very difficult to pin-point. My suggestion is to put the GM dye shown below in the crankcase, clean-up the current mess, drive for 50-100 miles and then use an ultra-violet (UV) light to see the source of the leak. That process can be repeated several times if necessary as the dye does not degrade. The dye costs about $4.00. I believe you can rent a UV light from auto supply stores.
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 36,112
Likes: 8
From: Hotlanta GA
Cruise-In 8 & 10 Veteran
St. Jude Donor '08, '15
Re: Need Help Finding Oil Leak (paul79)
Paul probably has the easiest way to do it. Another option would be to use oil eater, simple green or another degreaser and give your engine bay a nice detail job. It's time consuming but accomplishes a couple other things in the process.
Good Luck
:cheers:
Good Luck
:cheers:
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 345
Likes: 0
From: Baton Rouge, LA USA
Re: Need Help Finding Oil Leak (theanswriz42)
I failed to mention that I just spent 3 months detailing the entire topside of my engine bay! Boy, was I upset when I discovered the leak (not the source). Any other suggestions on how a bottom side oil leak ends up on top of the engine?
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 30,995
Likes: 99
From: Ontario
Re: Need Help Finding Oil Leak (John's Shark)
My guess - and just a guess - is that the C3 is a bottom feeder. That is, most air flows from under the front chin, up through the rad and across the top of the engine. That is why spoilers are so critical to proper cooling. Behind the rad, there is a bottom-to-top suction effect that would draw air, and oil as in your case, front the bottom/front area of the engine to the top.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 2,476
Likes: 756
From: Laporte, IN
Re: Need Help Finding Oil Leak (John's Shark)
Does your corvette have a/c could be a bad a/c compressor seal. A very bad seal leak can discharge a lot of oil. Also check fuel pump have seen them leak also.
[Modified by PJO, 5:40 PM 5/20/2002]
[Modified by PJO, 5:40 PM 5/20/2002]
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 795
Likes: 0
From: Madison MS
Re: Need Help Finding Oil Leak (PJO)
Here's my guess based on past experience. The bolt on the lower right hand side of the engine that plugs the fuel pump pushrod access hole. You said you have detailed the top of the engine. Did you remove stuff from the front of the engine in the process? If you did, did you replace this bolt? If not, that is definately your leak.
Also, to answer your question, a front seal shouldn't cause this misting. I had a leaking front seal for years and the oil just ran down the oil pan and sprayed the underside of the car. Never sucked to the top.
I have seen several threads in the past regarding this type of misting and it was almost always the fuel pump shaft access hole.
Worth a look.
Good luck.
dl
Also, to answer your question, a front seal shouldn't cause this misting. I had a leaking front seal for years and the oil just ran down the oil pan and sprayed the underside of the car. Never sucked to the top.
I have seen several threads in the past regarding this type of misting and it was almost always the fuel pump shaft access hole.
Worth a look.
Good luck.
dl
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 2,298
Likes: 1
From: Sodertalje/Sweden
Re: Need Help Finding Oil Leak (dladd74roadster)
I have a oil leak in the front of the engine and i`ve narrowed it down to a bad pan seal.Those aftermarket chromed pans really suck..They have a tendency to warp... :smash: :smash: :smash:
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Cruising
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
From: Littleton, CO U.S.A
Re: Need Help Finding Oil Leak (John's Shark)
I experienced the same situation with the 350 in my '73. It turned out that I had a leak where the front of the intake manifold meets the engine block. Oil would leak out the front and run down the interface between the block and the passenger-side cylinder head, drip, and then be sprayed upward and backward by air from the fan and from the underside of the car. It would only leak when I'd drive it, never with the hood up. It drove me crazy because it looked like oil was leaking from the underside of the engine, so that's where I focused all my attention looking for the leak. Problem was finally solved by pulling the intake, thoroughly cleaning old gasket material and RTV, and reinstalling intake with new gaskets and a 1/4 inch bead of RTV on front and rear where intake meets the block.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 345
Likes: 0
From: Baton Rouge, LA USA
Re: Need Help Finding Oil Leak (Beele73)
Beele 73,
Thanks for the suggestion, but I don't think that is it. I just finished reinstalling the intake and I believe everything is tight and leak free. Just to be sure, I will check again. Thanks.
Thanks for the suggestion, but I don't think that is it. I just finished reinstalling the intake and I believe everything is tight and leak free. Just to be sure, I will check again. Thanks.