Horrible Oil Leak

[rivet0r]

Let me start off by refering you to my thread I started when this all happened :

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=138491

Now a quick run-down.. I installed a catchcan, and to make it short I plugged the other end. So I pretty much just made a plug for the vent off the crankcase. Stupid? Yea, I wasn't thinking very clearly apparently. I put it back to stock, the crankcase vent back into the intake.

The smoke (which hasn't come back) made me take a look under the hood, and I found oil spewing out of the oil cap. Obviously I blamed the dumbass "catchcan" that was more like a plug. I figured since the pressure had no where else to go, it came out of the oil cap.

Now here is the real situation. It apparently did more damage than just a little smoke. My intake system, meaning everything, uicp, licp, tb elbow, bov, intake, etc, has puddles of oil in it, even after I put the vent back into the intake. Now what could the "plug" that i called a catchcan, have done to cause all this damn oil? Completely odd considering the catchcan was supposed to eliminate that, and I don't see any other way that the oil could get into my intake system.

Even more importantly, now that I told you most of the story, is the horrible oil leak. I'm not talking about a drop in one spot, if I drive the car and park it and come back in an hour, there are 7-8 drops on the ground. If it's left long enough (which isn't very long, probably the hour will do it) it drips so much it actually makes a puddle. I then took off the top timing belt cover, and there was oil splashed up on the inside of the cover, and there was oil puddled on the INSIDE of the exhaust sprocket, on the timing belt, etc.

So I took some brake parts cleaner and cleaned it off underneath, and the side of the head/block as best as I could get to. I thought maybe it was either the valve cover gasket or a cam seal. After I started it up and watched it for maybe 20-25 damn minutes, hoping to see it start spewing out as I revved it, nothing came out of where I would have liked to see it come out. I obviously can't see much of the timing belt side considering the timing cover does it's job too well. I noticed the oil collects on top of the oil pressure gauge "bell" looking thing, oil pan, the damn driverside control arm, so it's obviously dripping from above it, oil filter, from what I can see of the lower timing belt cover from underneath, etc.

What seals could it have possibly blown? I don't even know where to begin and look. I'm looking for some experienced insight that could lead me to possibly figuring this out, seeing as how this is my daily driver and I would like to fix it ASAP. Where should I begin? How many seals could have blown that would leak oil?

Now I can't for the life of me figure out what this catchcan could have done? Apparently it blew a seal, but isn't the crankcase pressure vent just for the pressure in the head? Or is it even down to the block? What seals could I have blown?

Sorry for the long post, but I desperately need some experienced help.

-rivet0r

 

[turboholic]

http://www.roadraceengineering.com/instructions/catchcaninstructions.htm
http://www.roadraceengineering.com/instructions/greddycatchcan.htm

-I don't know what type of catch can you have, the 1st one is not street legal in Ca, not sure about the 2nd one.

-Try removing all the accesory belts and the lower timing belt cover, clean up the side, then run the motor(not drive), check for leak, pay close attention at the temp gauge since the water pump is no longer running at this time.

 

[rivet0r]

The catchcan is no longer an issue, as I removed it and it's back in stock form. My concern is what seals I may have blown and what I should look for? I can't where it's coming from, it's not from the valve cover gasket or cam seals for sure. I was under the impression that the vent is for the crankcase pressure relief, and I wouldn't think it would be able to blow any seals below the head on the tbelt side.

 

[turboholic]

-The pressure might have push the lip on one of the seal out, blown might be too strong, just remove the lower timing belt cover and run the motor to see if you can locate it.

 

[Defiant]

Sounds like the front crank seal.

It's a crankCASE breather because it vents the crankcase, which gets pumped up by ring blowby. All the more so on a forced-induction engine. Yes, the head's open to the crankcase, that's how oil gets back to the sump.

An intake getting loaded with oil even though the crankcase vent is no longer hooked up could indicate a blown turbo seal.

 

[rivet0r]

Sounds like the front crank seal.

It's a crankCASE breather because it vents the crankcase, which gets pumped up by ring blowby. All the more so on a forced-induction engine. Yes, the head's open to the crankcase, that's how oil gets back to the sump.

An intake getting loaded with oil even though the crankcase vent is no longer hooked up could indicate a blown turbo seal.

I'll definitely have to get under the car today and remove the lower timing belt cover. As for a possible turbo seal, I don't understand how it could have blown, it's still boosting great, no smoke, etc. But there are litterally puddles of oil in my intake system, and I have no idea why.

As for the lower t-belt cover, how do I remove it? I know there is a hole in it that I think the motor mount goes through?

Thanks for the help,
rivet0r

 

[turboholic]

As for the lower t-belt cover, how do I remove it? I know there is a hole in it that I think the motor mount goes through?

-The motor mount is on top of it, it's tight fit, I find it easier to get it out from the bottom than from the top.

 

[rivet0r]

Just an update. I think I found the oil leak.. hopefully it's not coming from more than one place. I see oil dripping down from around the cam seal, and I spray it off with brake cleaner, and it starts dripping again. Very odd considering this is done on a cold motor that has no oil pressure to push it out of the top.

Tomorrow morning I'm going to pick up a cam seal and replace it, hoping that it fixes this sudden leak.

Now my other concern, the puddled oil inside of my intake system. Anybody have any idea as to what could have caused this? The day before this problem started, I installed a new intake pipe and that's also when I installed that damned catchcan, and there was definitely no oil in the intake system. All the oil puddled up inside came within the time I installed the intake/catchcan to the time this whole thing started, less than a days worth.

Any ideas?

P.S. I was very close to using a pneumatic saw on that damn timing cover.

-rivet0r