Rear of engine and trans covered in oil

[BGMachine]

Hey all,

So I've been doing some general maintenance on the 80 in preparation for a trip from here in Cincinnati to Breckenridge, CO. The engine has leaked oil for a while now but it's been getting worse. I notice oil on the front of the engine and determined that it's the oil pump cover (it's not the worst leak so I'm not as concerned about it). The big problem is the whole back of the engine and the transmission are covered in oil. I originally found that there was oil leaking from the back of the valve cover. So I replaced that expecting the oil to stop leaking. No dice. I was thinking that maybe it's the pan gasket or one of the plugs on the back of the engine. The other thought was that all the oil that had leaked from the valve cover hadn't finished dripping off the engine yet. I'm not sure and I was wondering if anyone else had dealt with this much oil? I might take it to a car wash today to try to clean it up a bit and try to better trace the leak. Here are some pics to give you guys an idea. Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[SammyT96LX450]

I'm on a similar mission as you are. I replaced the valve cover main pulley seal along with the oil pump cover seal. I'm going to steam clean the engine to track down the rest. I know the ps pump has a small leak as well. That is as far as I got.

 

[Lexland]

It's what I call a multi leak: valve covers, oil level sender, distributor o ring, rear main seal, oil pump seal/cover, front main seal, side cover?
I'm probably missing couple of hoses.
I managed to replace some of them on my 95 with 170k, but she still gets wet when I do her fast
You're not alone most of us here have some kind of a leak, search all those they've been covered with pics and write ups!
Btw, most of them you could do it yourself except for the rear main, you'll need a buddy or about $$1500
Start slowly cleaning and replace those one at a time, you'll be good to go!!

 

[mdandashly]

Hard to tell from photos but looks like rear main seal

 

[Whileemptyheadsdream]

I did the same as most are saying here, valve/C, dizzy-o, oil pump cover, front main ,power steering lines. I had oil under my rig all the way to spare tire. No drips in 4 months, I was sure I would have to do rear main as well, however the front main , oil pump gasket and valve cover were the worst. Also use the JIS bitt for the oil pump flat heads. You will still need to be careful but the JIS phillips bitt fits better. www.rjrcooltools.com/vessel.cfm

 

[Golgo13]

The seals are all two decades old... They'll leak, just need new gaskets, fipg and patience.
My truck leaks like that, but there is enough dust/grime to keep it from actually dripping. My plan is to replace the easy ones first and then work my way from the top down. On my 3FE the oilpan and transmission pan are easy to get to. The pushrod cover is just difficult to reach because my beer child gets in the way... I know there are plenty of others, but 1 step at a time...

 

[Pippylongsausage]

my beer child gets in the way...

Lol. stealing this

 

[BGMachine]

is there a seal that would make it look like the exhaust manifold is leaking oil from the rear? I know that can't happen but it looks that way.

 

[94SRUNNER]

It is possible the oil is from the rear main and getting spread around.

How much oil are you loosing per oil change cycle?

 

[Dave 2000]

As mentioned some of the seals in these engines are way past their best but, depending on time/funds you can use a tine of seal reconditioner, might give you another year or two?

regards

Dave

 

[doublebuck]

My 3FE looks the same way, have push rod cover and oil pan gasket, just waiting for the rain to stop. I always have 7 qts of 15w40 in the back when I go on the trail in case it starts dripping bad. I loose about 1 qt every 5k oil change, so its not bad yet.

 

[BGMachine]

I would lose a qt every 1000 miles but it's seeming to get worse

 

[94SRUNNER]

I'm still thinking the rear main is you culprit, but the oil under that manifold is strange. But a good cleaning of the oil that is there would help pin point the location. If you take it to the car was as you mentioned earlier, I would take a bottle of Dawn and a long reach bristle brush to help clean the oil and other grime off.

 

[94SRUNNER]

Have you replaced any other seals other than the oil pump cover seal?

 

[BGMachine]

I just did the valve cover seal and distributor seal.
i haven't done the oil pump cover and front main yet. I'm waiting until I can work in a friend's shop for that one.

 

[94SRUNNER]

I just did the valve cover seal and distributor seal.
i haven't done the oil pump cover and front main yet. I'm waiting until I can work in a friend's shop for that one.

Gotcha! I clearly misread that in the posts above.

 

[PZLCruiser]

There are also 6 spark plug tube oil seal on the valve cover. Did you change those too? Mine were like glass and leaking oil.

 

[BGMachine]

yeah, I replaced the tubes seals while I had the valve cover off. they all shattered.

 

[Timpanogos Slim]

Rear main seal is possible.

But on a 1fz-fe the rear arch of the main oil pan is a much more frequent source.

There is a DIY thread or two on the subject. It's one annoying afternoon under the truck and a tube of FIPG. And some acetone or brakekleen to prep the surfaces.

I haven't done it, but i have read all about it because i have the same problem.

Since Tetsuo is far too proper to spot on the parking slab, for now i figure it is just a rust protectant coating that is self-renewing.

 

[LS1FJ40]

That's what mine looks like. I live in Iowa. My entire under carriage is coated with oil. Probably the only rust free 22 year old vehicle in the state!