Help with 1G oil leak!

[Boostin18]

I have an oil leak that to me is very strange. It is around where the oil filter is and is not the oil pan since i just replaced that about 2,000 miles ago. There is always oil on the filter, all around it, to the left of the filter that whole housing has oil on it, next to the belts but down by that housing has oil on it, but not on the belts or anything like that. I have taken some pictures to try and help show what i am talking about. I would appreciate any help! It is a 90 GSX, with a little over 62,000 original miles, last compression was at 161 across the board. I know the filter is tight because every time i am down there i make sure and it has never been loose. There is also what looks to be like leaking oil from the oil return line at the spot where it enters the oil pan, but it was torqued down to spec with new gasket and permatex, anyone know why that would be happening. I will try and post the pictures here. Thanx for all the help!

 

[Boostin18]

It wont let me upload the files, it says it contains no data? So i dont know what to do!

 

[ROOKIE1]

I would say number 3 possibly 2 .

 

[SlowSpyder]

clean up the area then run the car to find out where the leak is coming from.

 

[Boostin18]

Are those parts hard to replace? Is there anything i should know before i replace these parts, also is it basically straight forward? I do have pictures, but for some reason they wont post on this site but i can email if anyone wants. Thank you for your help!

 

[ROOKIE1]

Very simple . I have a 90 tsi and I had a James Bond smoke screen from mine . Turned out to be the sending unit that is shaped like a bell (3) . Only happened when I drove , higher pressure . Underside of car was covered in oil . It would not leak when at idle , aside from what had already sprayed out .

 

[Boostin18]

I don't get smoking when i am driving at all, i get it a very tiny bit in the morning for like 20 seconds and it is very slight and faint, then goes away. The underside of my car is not covered, but it also could be the start of a bigger leak, if you know what i mean. I have pictures, but i wish it would let me post them.

 

[harjms]

i also have oil from around there....anyone help me...

Its the oil cooler or whatever they call it...(its the place where the filter screws on....) i wipe it all the time and it always manages to be back....

TIA
James

 

[xcelr8n]

replace the sender unit that fixed me right up....

 

[Boostin18]

For the number 2 and 3 on the above picture it is about $80 for both parts plus tax, does that sound right? If it sounds fine i want to get them tonight, because i am going out of town on friday and i am taking my car.

 

[Boostin18]

Well i have the car up on jack stands right now to take a closer look at this leak that i have. When i wiped everything down, inluding the filter, and the housing that the filer srews into. Now the filter has oil all over it, the housing that is screws into for about 1/4 of an inch from the end of the filter into the housing it is dry as a bone. The front of the oil pan for about 3/4 of the way has oil on the lip. I replaced the oil pan gasket about 2,000 miles ago, so it can't be that. Then i took a look at the sending unit and that its self was dry but the part that screwed in wasn't dry and everything around it had oil on it. i ran the car for about 5-10 minutes and nothing was leaking, but when i dryed everything off i noticed that between oil pan and the "silent shaft" plastic cover there was oil, so i dried that off and noticed that the gasket had oil on it to, dried it off also. then ran the car for about 5-10 minutes and everything that i dried off was still dry and everything seemed fine. I then took off the plastic shild between the wheel and the belts and on top of that plastic shield behind the alternator belt the left side, closest to the alternator, the alternator, and everything below it was all oily, but only the right side of the alternator and the right side of the shild had oil on it. The oil did not reach the belts so it was oily, then dry and then the belts. Then i continued to look up, and then the pipe that goes from the block to the lower radiator flex house had oil on it, the 90 degree bend from the block to the flex had oil on it, but only that bend the rest after a little after the bend was dry. There was drip of fresh oil just sitting where the 90 degree bend is. Now where could this oil be coming from, imean this has to be it, it is obvious that this oil leak is what is causing the oil by the filter and things like that, and my oil gauge seems to be working fine. Anyone have any idea? thanx for the help and sorry about the blabbling!

 

[realhp=turbo]

Do you have power streering? I have this nice little leak aswell. Turns out that the only thing that leaks, is power steering fluid. Its been coming from the upper hose that crosses over the top of the motor mount. It leaks from the connection where the metal line turns to rubber. Check that. Also, The whole oil filter housung could be loose. Try tightening the bolts where it mounts to the block. When you pull the oil pressure switch and sender unit, wrap the threads in teflon tape. The oil return line is a notorius leak spot. I think it leaks cause of the little flexi part in the line. My solution for that would be RTV sealant, everywhere. Also Ive seen in here some people get these really cool return lines that are steel braided and they are a larger diameter. I think I saw one guy say that he got his for like $50 bucks.
mike

 

[Boostin18]

Well i just got in from checking out these other suggestions. I took the cover off the cam gears and ran the car for 30 seconds and nothing, it was dry as a bone and everything looked in tact, i assume that is what you wanted me to do right? On another note can someone put that cover back on wrong to where it will rub the timing belt or ruin something? I do have power steering, so I also took a long look at the power steering lines and they all were dry and in tact nothing looked out of ordinary with them. I will use RTV when i pull them, thanx for the suggestions! Any help will be appreciated!

 

[ROOKIE1]

Just a guess , but have read that sometimes the dipstick tube pops out . Dont know about your engine , but on my tsi it is in front next to alternator .

 

[Boostin18]

Yeah my dipstick is all good and when i looked around today the oil return line is all good and checks out, the things that puzzles me is there is oil drips on that 90 degree elbow i talked about before, what could be causing that, that is what is causing this leak i believe but i am again alsways open to suggestions and appreciate everyone's help and i am sure everyone knows how annoying a leak is when you can't find it!

 

[Boostin18]

Nope, to tell you the truth i don't know how to remove the lower timing case, i never had to do it. Is it easy and do i have to mess with the timing at all? What is behind the altenator and power steering pump, around that elbow that could be leaking, it has to be something in that neighborhood causing that oil to get there! thanx again for the help!

 

[DROOPY209]

Back when my DSM used to run, i was driving from South Sacramento to Fremont (240miles round trip) everyday. i was going through 1 quart of mobil-1 fully synthetic every 700 miles. its not coming out from my tailpipe, its not coing through the turbo seals. theres a oil leak tester kit that they sell somewhere.....it consists of a dye you add into the engine oil. then you steam clean the heck out of your engine compartment. you turn on your car for about 1hour just idling. then you put on these cool glasses and plug in a cool light bulb(its included in the kit) and shut off your garage lights, so its nice and dark besides the included light bulb the kit comes with. with those glasses, you will be able to see exactly where your oil is coming out from. does anyone know about this as well?
a performance hot rod shop near me does it for about 80 dollars.
have you checked all around your valve cover gastket?

 

[Boostin18]

The valve cover is all good to! Wow that kit would come in handy right now! I use the same oil as you to. Did this kit solve your problem, have you ro anyone you know had the same problem as i do? Thanx for the input!

 

[DROOPY209]

actually, i have never been able to do that to my car because i got hit in a car accident and my car is just chilling in my garage. theres a hot rod parts shop near me and they refereed me to the hot rod shop that does the procedure.
my car was also leaking oil out of the drivers side valve cover, the far left corner facing the radiator. i have always used the same oil and i like it. the only prob, is the leaking. my next step is to change the oil pan gasket, replace the turbo oil return line with a stainless steel line, and replace the gasket, and take out the oil filter housing part off of the block and put a new gasket there and plenty of rtv silicone.
on my car, it isnt the cam seals as i have checked those. its much more complicated (or hidden) then that. im just gunna take it one step at a time, until i change every gasket that comes in contact with oil.

A couple people here on dsmtuners add in a bottle of lucas oil stabilizer in to their oil at every oil change and it helps out with the leaks. im going to give that a try once my car runs.

 

[Boostin18]

Well i am going to go the same route that you are, I am going to go ahead and start removing the power steering pump, altenator and take a nice hard look at everything! Is there anything i should know about removing the altenator, All help on that would be appreciated since i have never removed it. I don't want to screw anything up with the belts or anything so i want to do it right. All help is welcome on the problem i have descibed earlier!

 

[DROOPY209]

disconnect the ground wire on your battery. take out the left fan on your car. 2 bolts on the top 1 on the bottom. you're goin to need a 12mm wrench and loosen up the litle bolt on the left of the alternator. then loosen the bolt facing the front of the car. then loosen the bolt holding the alternator to the block with a 14mm socket. once you do all that. unplug the harness from the alternator and remove the nut holding the wire to the alternator. the alternator should come out of the front of the car. putting everything back together is easy.

 

[redX90]

Did you ever find the leak? I have the same leak on my 90 GSX but haven't really done much with it yet..

 

[crankbender]

Did you ever find the leak? I have the same leak on my 90 GSX but haven't really done much with it yet..

Guys make sure you check your front seals. I know that the front seals leak like a siv on my engine. And you won't find the leak till you rev it up a bit and keep it there.

 

[BUCK]

There is also what looks to be like leaking oil from the oil return line at the spot where it enters the oil pan, but it was torqued down to spec with new gasket and permatex, anyone know why that would be happening. I will try and post the pictures here. Thanx for all the help!

You have to use the special 10mm Bolts with Crush Washers for the Turbo Return Line to Oil Pan Bolts - Those Bolt Holes in the Oil Pan are thru holes. An Oil leak there will run all the way over to your OFH & drip off the Oil Pan Flange under the Crank Pulley - been there - done that.

 

[1gntracer]

Sometimes when the oil filter is being changed the rubber seal on the filter sticks and doesn't come off with the filter. The when you put the new filter on it has 2 of the seals in there and it causes a nasty leak at the filter. I have seen shops do this to cars all the time. You might want to pull of your filter and check it out.