where am i leaking oil from?! i am so depressed

zeusmoto · Jun 29, 2004

k guys got my oil changed at jiffy lube today, full synthetic. they said when i came in i was 1 1/2 low, i couldnt believe it, i guess my rear main seal is leaking, he also said that somewhere above the oil filter, maybe the valve covers, maybe even a blown head gasket.. i dont want to leak oil. i have no money to keep pouring it into my car, i am so depressed, its like one thing after another with my car, i love it but dammit. where do you think i am leaking from and how much do you think i am leaking, and is it safe to be driving around. also mind you i have a supercharger on a stock block. maybe that has something to do with it, but man i am depressed. i have been saving money for a system in my car, and i wont even have that if i need to repair this crap. he also said i might be leaking from my oil pan(gasket?) well i had a quote on replacing my rear main seal, maybe 400-450, but while the pan is off anyway they might as well replace that gasket, i would do it myself but i dont have the time, resources, or the place to do it.

Rick 91GT · Jun 29, 2004

Most likely its the valve cover gasket if it is leaking up top, best thing to do is clean the motor very well, go drive it around the block and see if you can see where the leak is coming from.

I wouldn't be too worried about the Jiffy Lube guy who basically told you it could be anything... Most headgaskets never leak oil, don't worry about it. If the head gasket was blown you'd know it.

jrichker · Jun 29, 2004

A garden sprayer and 2 gallons of mineral spirits from Home Depot can be your best friend long about now...

Just don't use it to torch the car...

Spray everything down and make sure to wipe up or blow off the solvent puddles with compressed air. From underneath the car, spray everything some more. Get spray can(s) of non-flammable brake parts cleaner and remove the bolts from the bottom of the steel plate between the block and bellhousing. Pry it back and spray it down good, put the bolts back. If you have a scattershield, you probably can't get away with doing this, the plate is too thick. Drive the car for short periods of time and then look for leaks. Remove the bolts from the steel bellhousing plate, pry it back and see if there is oil inside. No oil inside, no rear main seal leak.

The non-flammable brake parts cleaner is great stuff & not expensive. If you don't have a garden sprayer & don't want to buy one, it will work very well. I often use it to wash down small areas prior to working on them.

HISSIN50 · Jun 29, 2004

if he said above the oil filter specifically, it could be the oil pressure sender. somewhat common to leak. also, you could be burning some oil, so dont necessarily think you are leaking a quart and a half between changes (if that was how long it had been since you checked the level).

i agree in full with the above responses - you got two of the most knowledgable and favorite guys in here to respond. clean it up and look for new trails.....

good luck.

zeusmoto · Jun 30, 2004

thank you fellas. i am leaking about the size of a softball though, never have before, is 400 a good quote on replacing the rear main? and the oil pan gasket?

Ourobos · Jun 30, 2004

Can you see oil coming out near the valve cover gaskets? Or the oil pressure sending unit? I would look at those first.. If not, get under the car, and see if you can see oil coming out from the back side of the oil pan, or splashed around in that area. That would be the seal or the oil pan. Start cheap and work your way up.

zeusmoto · Jun 30, 2004

i can see it come out from under the car, back of the oil pan, near the rear main.. so it could be both but does 400 sound reasonable?

HISSIN50 · Jun 30, 2004

leaky valve covers can trickle down the block and come out to appear that the rear main is at fault. as suggested, dont guess or worry for now. clean it up real good and drive it once and look for the trail. could be a simple top end gasket. Rick and J.R. are whizzes at this stuff (if he were leaking that much out of the rear main, ya think his clutch would be slippin, etc?).

for now, though, i think your cart has gotten ahead of the horse. good luck, Zeus.

Rick 91GT · Jun 30, 2004

zeusmoto said:
i can see it come out from under the car, back of the oil pan, near the rear main.. so it could be both but does 400 sound reasonable?

$400 to fo both the oil pan and rear seal is a good deal. The rear seal means removal of the tranny, bell, flywheel, flexplate. To properly to the oil pan the motor needs to be lifted off the K-member so you can gain access to the pan, clean all the mating surfaces and install a new gasket (I like the thick Fel-Pro re-enforced gaskets, $30 at Advanced Auto, blue or gray). Just make sure who ever chages the gaskets diagnoses where it is coming from so you don't jump the gun and spend all that money when it may be the $10-$40 valve cover gaskets, or the oil sender that just needs to have some liquid teflon applied to the threads and re-installed.

If it is the alve covers that is an easy job that can take under 1hour depending on your abilities and we can talk you through it

Best thing to do is clean it first and try to find out where it is coming from, the mineral spirits or non-flammable brake clean will work great, I have used both and use mineral spirits in my parts cleaner currently.

Mavrick · Jun 30, 2004

You sure the jiffy lube guy didn't just read your incorrect dipstick?

zeusmoto · Jun 30, 2004

i am not sure i know that this winter i replaced both valve cover gaskets, so that might not be and option and what about the oil pressure sending unit? would it leak a lot or just a little and where on the block is this? also i have an auto so i dont have to worry about the whole clutch slippage and stuff, but i dont know guys, it just really sucks sometimes

88stangmangt · Jun 30, 2004

i had a car come into the jiffy lube i work at yesterday and i was working lower bay. he told me it was leaking some where went downstairs to check it out oil everywhere he blew his oil pan gasket and had about 50 cents of oil in the pan. all i got to say is he should have changed his pcv valve sooner. i was tempted to tell him to come over and i would do it cause it would have taken maybe 40 mins.

triplewhitefox · Jun 30, 2004

I just had my rear main seal done a couple of months ago and the cost was in the $400-500 range. Before it was diagnosed as the rear seal, though, they checked the screen/filter underneath the PCV valve. Apparently, it is quite common for it to clog and the oil leak that results can make it appear like you have a rear seal problem. Unfortunately for me, it was not the $5 fix.

zeusmoto · Jun 30, 2004

well how does the pcv make it seem like the rear main? i dont know about that and never have heard about it either, educate me

triplewhitefox · Jun 30, 2004

zeusmoto said:
well how does the pcv make it seem like the rear main? i dont know about that and never have heard about it either, educate me

Try this newsgroup posting for a first hand experience with the problem:
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&safe=off&selm=7eo7k5%24tv%241%40nnrp1.dejanews.com

zeusmoto · Jun 30, 2004

thank you i will definetly check that out, would it become all clogged all of a sudden? and leak all of a sudden? i really hope that that is what is wrong. that would be very awesome definetly look into it, thanks again

HISSIN50 · Jul 1, 2004

TWF, i did not check the link, so ill give the quick version (real quick). if crankcase pressure cannot vent, it has to find an exit somewhere, and that somewhere is any seal if can get past.

sorry i missed you ran a slushbox, Zeus (no contamination on your clutch. LOL).

zeusmoto · Jul 1, 2004

yeah i got that from the article but the most important question now is could a pcv clog up that fast? and do i just yank out the tube, and replace the screen or is it more in depth than that?

HISSIN50 · Jul 1, 2004

pull out the tube and valve (mine always is a bit vulcanized, so they come out together). then pull the grommet, then the screen. clean/renew and replace. hard part is seeing what you are doin.

blowby can clog the screen up pretty fast.....

good luck.

zeusmoto · Jul 2, 2004

i have no screen after the grommet????

where am i leaking oil from?! i am so depressed

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