Oil leak... actions taken but no solution yet.

[quattro527]

I have a pretty bad oil leak that is coming from the back of the engine (above the rear motor mount). When the car starts up and warms up in idle, I don't seem to get any leaks at all. But the second the car warms on and I decide to get on it (especially when it hits boost), I'd get a trail of oil that manages to drip and fall right onto the downpipe and immediately burns (pulls of smoke from underneath the car when stopped).

This all started when I replaced the head, timing belt (and all the other goodies that go w/ the job), and turbo (big 16G). I just picked up this car a few weeks back, and the timing belt decided to snap on me on the 5th day, breaking valves and everything else. The leaks just began today, and was fine a few days ago.

So far, I've done the following:

1. Replaced all oil seals during timing belt job: front main crank seal, oil pump seal, balance shaft seal, and cam seals.

2. Tightened and replaced oil feed/return lines (with new gaskets) after finding some leaks at the flanges.

3. Replaced valve cover gaskets.

4. Replaced CAS o-ring.

Neither of these helped so far.

One of my other assumptions is perhaps the head bolts maybe came loose, for I reused the original bolts, causing oil to seep through?

So my main question is, where else could oil possible be leaking through? I will checked the oil pan (though it wasnt leaking before, nor did I hit anything). The area where I see all the oil (between firewall and back of engine) does not seem to have any spots where oil could even run though or have a chance to leak. The main problem is that since the leaks only start as the car is under high load, most of the oil is typically blown to the back into this area. When trying to get underneath the car after a hard run, the radiator fan would sometimes also kick in and spread the oil through the entire undercarriage of the car.

Please advise.

Thanks

Jeff

 

[AL92]

Make sure the bolt to check the balance shafts is in there tight on back of engine.
Also you can have leaks sometimes in other places and still it will blow it around making it hard to tell. Common leak spots are turbo oil return,oil pan ,cracked valve cover and then you have the front case stuff or rear seal. Rear seal is big pain of course to change have to drop trans. Front case stuff is easier depending on whats leaking.

I am fighting my own leaks right now. Just did oil pan and seem to have a leak still that is hard to find although can see it dripping but not very well. Its dripping onto my drivers axle joint and being slung everywhere ,very annoying and messy.

I also have leak at my turbo return line and small leak at my oil filter housing on a plug that can't access well have to pull off oil filter housing and seal it up proper.

The problem sometimes is you think you have found the leak and its something else.

There is that dye stuff ultraviolet.I may try some of that soon if can't figure this leaking out.

It sucks as most leaks seem to get on the downpipe and smoke and stink. A few drops on the ground wouldn't bother me much on a dsm. And most cars leak a bit here and there. I think they put way too many gaskets and seals in these engines. My v8 american cars are much simpler and less prone to leaking than my dsms.

 

[lovemylaser]

I swapped heads after a timing belt meltdown, and 2 weeks later i developed an oil leak like you described...oil practically everywhere...turned out to be the exaust manifold stud going into the head through the oil drainback hole....just a thought.