ShoelessJoe

I overfilled the engine a few weeks ago (on brainfart) and ever since I removed it the engine has been leaking about a 1/8th of a quart a day. Coincidence? I don't know. I looked under the car yesterday and the oil seems to be coming from the passenger side engine mount. I also found loose rubber in the connection of that engine mount.

Is it possible the oil is coming from the rear main seal? I'm afraid I'm going to pull oil pan to discover that the oil had worked its way down from the rear main seal.

If it is the oil pan and since the passenger side engine mount seems dead should I replace both mounts (80k)? Do I have to pull the cross member to remove these mounts? I've looked in the archives and seen that some people have removed the oil pan without removing the cross member.

Good prices/location to purchase? I'm a broke college student and 200 dollars for one engine mount seems a bit pricey.

adam c

iTrader: (2)

The passenger side engine mount is steel, and is not prone to failure. The drivers side mount is aluminum, and is prone to failure. Replacement drivers mounts are now steel.

If you let your oil level stay at 1/2 way down the dipstick, does it still leak? If not, you may be able to get by for a while without repairing the leak.

You have the wrong car for a broke college student . Good luck finding the problem.

Edit: Check the seal at the bottom of the oil filler neck. It may be leaking too.

ShoelessJoe

The rubber seems damaged on the passanger side, possibly from engine removals?
I'm not sure what the current level is but its still leaking badly
Ya, no kidding. I can't have fun with it anymore.. been in school since 2002. I can only afford to do enough maintainance to keep it on the road half of the year.
Could a leak there get oil all the way to the passanger side of the car? At first i thought it was coming from the turbos but everything is dry at that height. Would the passanger side engine mount damage cause the leak since its connected to that side of the pan?

Rocking Rotary

iTrader: (14)

Best bet is to trace the leak so you know were it is coming from. A bottle of die and a light will help with that.

If you asked me though it sounds like a oil pan gasket.

adam c

iTrader: (2)

Leaking oil goes everywhere. Many times it is difficult to see where it comes from. You really need to clean it up, and then run the car on a rack.

misterstyx69

iTrader: (142)

clean all the oil off from under the car..(pressure wash or whatever)..then let it dry ..then after it is dry ..get a big piece of cardboard and run over it..the wheels will be your guide as to what side the oil leak is on and it should narrow down where to look..also the cardboard will soak up the mess that you are makin..leakin oil on asphalt is not good ..it destroys it..so if it is your driveway..you'll be savin some money to ( due to damage caused by the oil)..good luck ..

ShoelessJoe

It leaks.. no running required. I'll push it out of the garage tomorrow and clean it up

ShoelessJoe

bump

ShoelessJoe

I didn't have time to clean up all the oil but it seems pretty obvious that the leak is coming from the passenger side engine mount. I can see the path of oil coming down the mount and down to the large (17mm?) bolt head that attaches the mount to the pan.

The car hasn't been run in a week and it continues to drip from that bolt head a couple times a minute. It then puddles in the crossmember and leaks out the "speed holes."

I checked the oil level and it is about one "x" above low.

Would there still be any oil anywhere near the rear main seal at this point?
or would most of it be in the pan?
Would a bad bushing on the passenger side mount cause this leak?

adam c

iTrader: (2)

It's been a while since I have been under there, but..........

If the oil level in the oil pan is low, there shouldn't be oil leaking from the oil pan, above the level of the top of the pan (car not running). If the oil leak continues after the car has been shut off for a while, the leak must be higher than the oil pan. Perhaps your rear main seal is bad. Someone please correct me if I have missed something.

Xeros

What the hell is up with the oil leaks lately on this forum?

ShoelessJoe

That makes sense about the pan not leaking if the level is that low. It had been jacked up high on the passenger side but was still leaking from the pass. engine mount region. Wouldn't there be oil in the transfer case if it was the rear main? No signs of oil coming from around it.

I don't know what the deal is with mine, I've owned it since '01 with no leaks except for a drop or two coming off the turbos occasionally.

ShoelessJoe

...

ShoelessJoe

strangest thing today.. after leaking all that oil on the ground... i would say at least one quart, maybe two the engine dipstick still says the engine is full? After I overfilled it.. a month ago now, I removed all of the old oil and did an oil change. I drove it a few times and it leaked and the dip stick seemed to agree with the amount of oil on the ground.

The oil doesn't smell like fuel at all, where could all this oil have been hiding? or could it be from something else thats leaking into the pan and outside the engine?

Still clueless. The engine seemed a little down on power but was not smoking or stumbling. It says its making oil pressure but the needle falls to zero sometimes when the engine is warmed up. I'm almost certain that is from the gauge being crappy though.