oil leak

[mustanglvr88]

i have a realy bad oil leak i probly go through a quart a month
it messes up my garage floor and gets on my rims
the guy who had the car before me had the head gasket changed it coast $250 i cant aford to spend that much agin
b/c it might not work this time ether and i cant do it myself
what should i do?

 

[HISSIN50]

how does motor oil get on the rims?

i would clean it all up real well and then watch where new leaks come from (be careful of moving motor parts, burning yourself and all that stuff). i would pay attention to valve covers, as they can leak like a sieve.
which wheels are getting oil on them? be very careful as any oil on tires makes them dangerously slick.
good luck.

 

[281pony]

i agree how do you get oil on the rims? is it brake fluid?

it sounds more like a rear main seal possibly. that is a pretty common place to get oil leaks from. if it was your head gasket, i think you would notice more problems. like water mixing with the oil, high temps, irratic idle, ect. also like hissin mentioned, it might be your valve cover gaskets, but then you would most likely notice smoke coming off the headers all the time.

some more info and pinpointing where its leaking from exactly will help alot.

 

[HISSIN50]

it might be your valve cover gaskets, but then you would most likely notice smoke coming off the headers all the time.

the rear of the valve covers likes to leak because of all the heat back there, which can be misdiagnosed as a rear main seal. you are right - if leaking on the sides of the valve covers, that would be a no brainer.

where did he go?

 

[281pony]

i dont understand oil on the wheels.

never seen a valve cover leak on the back, i had mine leaking once. it was on the header side since its angled down that way. not ruling that out, but a seal seemed the most obvious to me since mine had a bad rear main

wheels and valve covers dont go together either way though haha.

 

[xplo89gt]

2 leaks I had - now fixed, were from the timing cover ( I tried my best to tightened towards correct specs listed in Chiltons) turns out that wasnt enough.

And the other was the lower intake. First time, didn't put enough RTV on the front and rear. So the front dripped down and pooled where the timing cover was, and the rear dripped down the back of the block.

If it is indeed the valve covers, and you dont have the ford steel stamped gaskets, they are a must! Great gaskets, reusable (unlike cork) and they just dont leak.

 

[mustanglvr88]

the oil is on the front rims and its not like wet oil its kind of a dirty grime .
it also sprays all over my engine bay so when i park in my garage their are like 5 different spots
i will check those things you mentiond

 

[mustanglvr88]

the oil is on the front rims and its not like wet oil its kind of a dirty grime .
it also sprays all over my engine bay so when i park in my garage their are like 5 different spots on the floor where it drips
i will check those things you mentiond

 

[crunchie12268]

Sounds like it could be a front seal, like where the timing chain meets up against the oil pan. Take it to the car wash and blast all that stuff away from under the car.... try an figure out were it is coming from.

 

[mustanglvr88]

thanks guys i will try those those things and let you know