Nasty oil leak. Can't pinpoint

[DSM4me44]

I have a nasty oil leak that will leave a nice size pool underneath my car each morning.

The oil seems to be dripping of the center frame piece and the bottom of the drive shaft cloasest to the center frame piece (Facing the front of the car, it would be on the left side of the return pipe).

A couple possibilities are a oil pan gasket or worse, rear engine seal?

The only thing i know for sure so far is that it isn't the turbo oil return line.

Please let me know what this is, Thanks@

BEN

 

[DSM90AWD]

Have you tried degreasing the whole underside and runnign the car at idle for 10+ minutes to see if can narrow down the source? Most chain auto stores also carry a UV Dye kit for ~20 which has helped me several times in finding leaks

 

[DSM4me44]

How does that kit work?

Update: I just got my car back from the second shop. The first shop sealed up the oil return pipe and that looks good. The second shop replaced the oil pan gasket and that looks great as well. None of which has fixed the leak. I degreased the engine and still can't see. It appears to me to be above the drivetrain somewhere because it is leaking down onto the drivetrain and running down above the back of the pan. Things its not: turbo oil return line, oil pan gasket, rear engine seal (the guy at the second shop said he checked for that and it looked good)

 

[andymoraitis]

If it's coming off the transmission, I would take a long shot and look at the valve cover gasket, especially around the back. It could be leaking without being readly seen.

Keep us posted,

Andy

 

[DSM90AWD]

If it is the valve cover gasket you should be able to see a pool of oil on top of the intake manifold below the fuel injectors

 

[1997GST]

my vote is the UV kit. You pour like an ounce of UV Dye into your motor. let it idle for a bit (do this in the evening time) then get the UV light and look for the spot, I bought a kit for doing a/c leak fixes and it has paid for itself already.

 

[DSM4me44]

I bought some of the UV dye but i still couldn't tell where its coming from. I believe it must be almost impossible to see without the removal of engine components. Valve cover gasket i did check and that is in good shape. Whats the possibility of a bad head gasket?

 

[brute]

Well, just think about gravity. Look for the UV and trace it to the highest point. From there, it'll leak down. Also, when you're driving, there's air coming from the front. This can cause drops to blow back. Did you look at your banjo bolts on the turbo center section?

 

[DSM4me44]

Once i run the car and let it sit there, i can see oil runing down the pan towards the return pipe and of course dripping all off the drivetrain as well.

 

[brute]

Is this the same place it was coming out before the oil pan gasket was replaced?

 

[DSM4me44]

I believed it was the oil pan and so did one of the shops. It must not have been obviously, i dunno.

 

[ixsaves13]

I had a leak where it was leaving a pool of oil near where you have described and to my surprise, I found out later that it was leaking from my CAS. Check there to see if it drips while a friend presses the gas. I ended up just using some RTV and sealing it that way. Just make sure the CAS is in phase when you reinstall it.

Hope this helps...

 

[DSM90AWD]

^^ Good addition!

Also if you've plugged up your VC breather and or PCV (or if the PCV is stuck shut) excess pressure will build in the crank case and will make it's way out thru the VC gasket, plug seals, CAS, oil cap, cam seals, turbo seals...etc pushing oil with it.

One of my many found oil leaks turned out to be one of the exhaust manifold studs that was seated in the oil return galley of the head which was not originally installed with thread sealant. May want to take a white cloth and swipe underneath the manifold to see if any new oil is found

 

[mitsu420at]

Have you tried degreasing the whole underside and runnign the car at idle for 10+ minutes to see if can narrow down the source? Most chain auto stores also carry a UV Dye kit for ~20 which has helped me several times in finding leaks

beat me to it. good suggestion

 

[chuckg]

I had oil blasting out of my pcv valve and running down below my tranny.. might check that as well.

 

[DSM4me44]

Looks like the rear engine seal is what the shop is telling me now, so it goes in tuesday, pray that this time it gets fixed