oil leak in a unexpected place?

[xreaction122]

ive been losing bits of oil and i was looking around the engine bay for possible leaks.

and i see oil saturated in the middle of my exhaust manifoldWTF

somewhere between cylinder #2 and #3.

i checked the valve cover but its sealed tight and no sign of leaks at all.



any ideas?

 

[el guapo]

kaput turbo?

 

[xreaction122]

kaput turbo?

dont say that




i hope not..

any other suggestions?

 

[ninesixtwo]

have you had to drill out any exhaust studs?

 

[xreaction122]

have you had to drill out any exhaust studs?

no. but i do have a broken stud stuck in the head but thats all the way on the pass. side. no where near the middle of the cylinder.


any more ideas?? oil aint cheap

 

[webconnect]

Yellow Eclipse!?

Do you have a heat shield?

 

[xreaction122]

Yellow Eclipse!?

Do you have a heat shield?

yellow gsx+all black interior= one of a kind


and no i do not have a heat shield. it looks like its dripping from the top of the head but i see no signs at all.

 

[spooln4fun]

Can you get any sort of pictures to help out any?

 

[xreaction122]

i tried to take one today but couldnt find my camera charger.

ill get one up tmw

 

[blcknspo0ln]

The most center exhaust stud on the bottom row actually acts as a plug to an oil galley in the head. If you are missing this stud or it is not sealing correctly, you could get a leak towards the bottom center of your manifold.

 

[aaronspeed]

I have this problem also. I have asked in the past about any studs entering the oil gallery and no response and the service manuals do no mention this. Are we sure of the center studs entering a oil gallery? If this is so I did not seal the studs with sealant before install and that could be my leak also. Thanks

 

[aaronspeed]

Does anyone else have a answer to the question if the exhaust manifold studs are backing into a oil or water jackets. Thanks

 

[blcknspo0ln]

I have this problem also. I have asked in the past about any studs entering the oil gallery and no response and the service manuals do no mention this. Are we sure of the center studs entering a oil gallery? If this is so I did not seal the studs with sealant before install and that could be my leak also. Thanks

Did you miss the post above you or something?

The most center exhaust stud on the bottom row actually acts as a plug to an oil galley in the head. If you are missing this stud or it is not sealing correctly, you could get a leak towards the bottom center of your manifold.

Does anyone else have a answer to the question if the exhaust manifold studs are backing into a oil or water jackets. Thanks

Don't bump a thread.

 

[xreaction122]

update on the oil leak.

i picked up a set of OEM studs for the exhaust manifold and some sealant.

so i cleaned off the oil traces on the exhaust manifold and drove around for about 10 mins..no good. its still leaking..i had to fill about another 1/2 quart today.
time to get it checked out?

 

[aaronspeed]

No I did not miss the post but the answer seems not to be correct so I was checking for another response. I pulled a head out of my stock and none of the studs enter a oil gallery that I could see. Thinking about it instead of asking would have made more since. That was my mistake. Why would a manufacture have 60psi+ pushing against a exhaust stud.

 

[DsmJapSpyder]

i would say time to take it to a repair shop...

 

[blcknspo0ln]

update on the oil leak.

i picked up a set of OEM studs for the exhaust manifold and some sealant.

so i cleaned off the oil traces on the exhaust manifold and drove around for about 10 mins..no good. its still leaking..i had to fill about another 1/2 quart today.
time to get it checked out?

I think it's time you took a picture for us. There is absolutely nothing that would leak that far up unless it's the valve cover, freak accident with oil feed line, or that stud.

 

[blcknspo0ln]

No I did not miss the post but the answer seems not to be correct so I was checking for another response. I pulled a head out of my stock and none of the studs enter a oil gallery that I could see. Thinking about it instead of asking would have made more since. That was my mistake. Why would a manufacture have 60psi+ pushing against a exhaust stud.

Those threads and stud can definitely withstand the amount of pressure going through it.

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[xreaction122]

here ya go.

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if you look closely,there's oil above the exhaust manifold gasket also

 

[xreaction122]

i apologize for bumping the thread but any comments on the update?(picture)

it feels like im losing more and more oil everyday

 

[TurboT91]

Have you checked your PCV valve lately? I know you said the valve cover gasket is good and completely sealed, but maybe you are building crank case pressure while driving and that is causing oil to leak past the valve cover seal. Were there any nicks in the valve cover/head mating surfaces when you installed the gasket? If so, did you use a little RTV?

 

[xreaction122]

Have you checked your PCV valve lately? I know you said the valve cover gasket is good and completely sealed, but maybe you are building crank case pressure while driving and that is causing oil to leak past the valve cover seal. Were there any nicks in the valve cover/head mating surfaces when you installed the gasket? If so, did you use a little RTV?

huh. no i didnt think of that ill make sure to check the pcv valve today and yes. i did use RTV when i put my valve cover back on after painting. the gasket was good. i got a new one when i was putting the VC back on.

ill update the post tonight after i check with my car

 

[VETTE_50_TH]

Those threads and stud can definitely withstand the amount of pressure going through it.

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When i replaced my head studs, i dont remember being able to see into the water jacket at all. Is that only on a 2G head or something?

James

 

[blcknspo0ln]

When i replaced my head studs, i dont remember being able to see into the water jacket at all. Is that only on a 2G head or something?

James

That's a 1G head

OP, I think youre at the point where you need to get UV dye and test it yourself. It could be a cracked head or possibly something even more random.

 

[xreaction122]

That's a 1G head

OP, I think youre at the point where you need to get UV dye and test it yourself. It could be a cracked head or possibly something even more random.

already getting ready for a nice weekend project haha

taking off the exhaust manifold to further inspect the head and possibly if i have enough will, take the head out today.

theres going to be a new head going in before december so im not too worried about the leak. its just getting really annoying.

thanks to everyone for the input