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We’ve owned this car for 6 years and right now she’s got about 235,xxx miles on it. Haven’t had to have any major engine work done to it yet. I have noticed some oil on the oil pan, but haven’t been under to check it out.(drain plug is snug) There are signs of fluid(whatever it is has burned black)underneath the dizzy cap area and I think that’s the top of the transmission. I also saw some fluid spots by the header. There is very minimal fresh oil around the valve cover which could mean that we didn’t tighten it down enough when we checked the valves. The valve cover gasket looked fine.
Do we have a potential head gasket leak or could it be something else? I don’t think it’s the rear main seal and I don’t think the piston rings would leave that sort of evidence. The back of the car is basically black from the exhaust so I know it’s something oil related.
Thank you!
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The best way to isolate a leak is to clean the area thoroughly then take it for a spirited test drive and revisit any suspect area’s.
You can also use a UV dye in the oil.
Most oil leaks start from the top.
Keep us posted.
I drove home on my lunch break and popped the hood when I got there. There’s some fresh oil over by the dizzy cap so I’m guessing it’s that O ring behind there. We may be working with multiple leaks so we’ll keep you posted. I talked my husband into taking to the shop just so a technician can look at it and rule out somethings. I’ll let you know what he finds out.
The technician didn’t have time to look at the car, but told us to check the oil pump seal. I will check that, but it doesn’t explain why there would be oil over by the dizzy.
I also looked at this http://www.freeasestudyguides.com/exhaust-color.html
we have the white/grey smoke on initial startup(also happens with the other cars) and warming of the car. It was 39 degrees this morning so not sure how much of it was cold air. WE have a black tailpipe and black dust all over the back of the car.
I guess we have many things going on at once, but I will clean the engine and get up under there this weekend.Got the engine all nice and shiny the other day. I can say that we probably need a new valve cover gasket just because there is a minute amount of oil escaping and we are missing a bolt.
When i looked under the car, I didn’t see much, but there is oil buildup on the bottom timing belt cover. It wouldn’t surprise me if one of the seals is done in there. I am not looking forward to getting in there just because of the way it is put together. I’ll keep you posted as to what we find.It sounds like you have multiple leaks. The ‘o’ ring on the distributor is a VERY common leak. Oil pan gasket leaks are also popular and often mistaken for a crank seal leal. Also given the miles and your description at start up I’d say you’re also burning oil. You can verify this by looking at the spark plugs. If you see a brown crust on them you’re burning oil. None of this will stop you from getting where you’re going. Don’t waste your time rebuilding the engine. Instead fix the easy oil leaks and keep the oil topped off.
Is there anyway to stop the burning or is that just normal for the age of the car? My husband drives it to work 90 miles round trip everyday. Honestly, he is more worried about the car than I am. I need to look back under there this weekend because I haven’t looked again since I cleaned the engine.
Thanks everybody!
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