Oil leak on front of engine - cause?? (1 Viewer)

[bderks]

I noticed lately that I'm losing between 1 and 2 quarts between every 5000 mile oil change. I've also had some belt squeal, most likely due to oil getting on the pulleys and belts. I removed the bracket above the steering stabilizer and found oil all over the front bottom of the engine, see pics.

What are common points of leaks in this area?

 

[FirstToy]

could be the oil pump seal, the valve cover gasket, the dist gasket or a combo of the 3... just throwing some possibilities out there.
Did you get up higher and look at the front of the engine to see where it's bleeding from? that's a lot of oil to leak!

 

[gray]

Got to wash it off really well and then watch it very carefully to see where the leak is from.

Synthetics tend to seep out more than most conventional oils.

Valvoline MaxLife seeps less than most others in my experience.

G

 

[tashby]

Oil pump cover, front main seal, oil pan seal.

 

[Zane]

Brandon,

I say its your oil pump seal as well. I say the job is a job if you have the right tools. Take a look at my write up on replacing the front oil pump seal and it will walk you through what you need to do. https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=72514 Shoot me a PM if you need help.

Zane

 

[NaterGator]

Hold up;

Start easiest to test and fix first. Reach up under your dizzy (with a cool engine, otherwise you get interesting burns, ask me how I know) and feel around for new wet oil. If it is there wipe it down well, come back in a week and see if it is back. If so you might as well do the cheap dizzy o-ring, it's like $1 locally and takes about 15 minutes to replace if you are careful.

If that doesn't fix it you should check the torque specs on your valve cover bolts. Be careful because they are in inch pounds, not foot pounds. Some of mine were not even hand tight anymore, but I went in and replaced the valve cover gasket, spark plug tube seals, and TB seal all at once. Not uber expensive and pretty easy, but slightly time consuming.

Then you can consider the oil pump seal; there is a great thread on checking it and how to fix it floating around on 'mud... search or check the FAQ. While you are there be sure to replace the front main seal.

Finally there are the oil pan seals; they are a bit tricky and resealing the upper oil pan requires at least lifting the engine a bit; so it is by no means a quick job. I would try to solve everything else first before looking here.

 

[LX_TREME]

 

[dogcatch'n]

X2 on the clean up and check again in a couple of days.
[Be carefull spraying it clean, you will probably get the dizzy wet.]


I am going to bet oil pump seal.
[two seals come with that fix, IIRC.]

 

[KCCruiser]

I've got the same problem, although I think mine might be a pan seal leak as well because I have oil further back in addition to up front. Not losing much in 5000 miles but I don't like looking at oil all over everything down there. I guess I'll clean it all off and check back in a couple days.

Anyone here locally re-sealed their oil pans (#1 and #2)?

Josh

 

[Darwood]

Mine leaks around there as well as at the back near the rear main. It would seem that my oil pan would need to be resealed however I haven't done too much yet to see what is leaking. I keep telling myself that it's all part of the undercarriage protectant system.

 

[ThePookieBear]

Man, lots of Kansas guys. You should all have a wrenching weekend and fix 'em all at once. : )>

 

[scottm]

I replaced the front main seal on my 40th for that leak, replaced the oil seal while I was in there. I was getting the same leak on my other '97, but it stopped when I switched from Mobil 1 to Rotella T synthetic.

 

[Mars]

This seems to be a fairly common leak. I have the same deal. I've just been putting up with it. Clean it well and be sure of where its coming from, and check Zane's writeup, its a good one. Definitely a do-able job if you have the tools.

That being said, I've driven 20k on my truck with it leaking from the oil pump and it hasn't increased/decreased. If you are pressed for time/cash you may be able to drive on it for a while if you keep on top of your oil.

 

[snowwolf]

I have a similar leak, but I live in the UK and don't have a clue what a "dizzy" is

 

[Dan2722]

"Dizzy" is your distributor.

There is an O ring on the distributor shaft that can leak.

 

[franku]

hmmm