Car repair question....The end of the saga

Need some advice from any of you guys that work on your own cars.
My fishing car is the automotive equivilent of the Exxon Valdez lately. I've got a pretty good oil leak going.
Problem is I can't seem to find out where it's leaking from. Could it be the pan or the oil sender unit? The plug is tight and I can't see any holes around the pan. It leaks after the car is shut off also.
So what do you guys think?

[ 10-01-2003, 05:42 PM: Message edited by: Stew ]

Clean off the entire engine and then run it for a bit. Now look for your leak.

[CATCH AND EAT]

Shane, what kind of rig is it? Could be coming from a lot of places. Big leaks can come from oil filter gaskets, rear main seals and so on. Help us out a little here with year make and model.

[TheTexan]

Clean engine with high pressure, add UV dye to oil, drive for a day or two , and then check for leak with a black light in a darkened garage. You should be able to spot the source fairly easily. You should be able to find the dye at any parts store. Good Luck!

[Stratocaster]

Clean engine with high pressure,

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">Just keep that nozzle away from electrical components. Having it steam cleaned is far better.

[Steelhead Hound]

Must be a Dodge...ahahaha :grin:

Olds wagon....front WD w/231 v6

[ampersat]

out of curiosity, has this been a developing issue or did it just come on? if it's a developing issue, seals and gaskets come to mind. expensive seals and gaskets (not the seals and gaskets themselves, the labor to have them done). if you just had the oil changed, it's the oil filter gasket.

run it up on ramps and block the back wheels. slide under there with a roll or two of paper towels and wipe everything you can reach. check it every few hours and the general location should reveal itself. if it's been slow coming on, i'd say oil pan gasket.

[1pump]

How old is it? The older Buick 231's used rope seals for the rear main and the timing cover. Leaky, leaky, leaky. If yours is FWD, however, it probably has the neoprene seals.
If you have aluminum heads the head gaskets can be a problem, but they usually leak water before they leak oil.

[WheresMyBobber]

Yeah, do what Keta said.

The vast majority of oil leaks come from: 1) the valve cover gaskets, 2)the front or rear seals, or 3) the oil pan gasket itself. My guess is that it is not actually leaking when it's shut off, but instead it's residual oil that already leaked and is just now making it's way down the motor to your driveway. (if it is actually leaking when it is shut off, you most likely have a hole in your oil pan which would be easy to spot)

Always start with the easiest, which is the valve cover gasket(s), then move on down into the harder to check spots. If you find a leaking valve cover or pan gasket, you can try to tighten the bolts to slow down the leak, but most times when they start leaking like that you need to replace them. If it's coming from an engine (crank) seal, you will need to replace the seal.

Good luck!

It's been dripping for some time now. I got under the car and the leak is coming from the housing the oil filter attaches to. Don't know how big a job it's going to be but this is my fishing car and I need it :depressed: The labor costs are a killer though aren't they?

[ampersat]

just for grins, either change the oil and filter or take it to jiffy lube and have them do it. when the filter is off, clean up the area and see what you can see where the oil filter gasket seats. i'm still betting it's the oil filter that is doing the leaking, not the engine.

[1pump]

I don't remember how yours is set up, but some engines use a gasket between the oil filter adapter and the block. And if the adapter is aluminum, it's going to leak eventually.

Originally posted by ampersat:
just for grins, either change the oil and filter or take it to jiffy lube and have them do it. when the filter is off, clean up the area and see what you can see where the oil filter gasket seats. i'm still betting it's the oil filter that is doing the leaking, not the engine.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">That's where it's leaking but the filter is tight. I'm wondering if there is some kind of debris around the gasket area. Can't afford a new vehicle so I'm gonna have to figure out what's the cheapest way to get this done.

[ampersat]

i had this happen to me once with an 85 honda civic (sometimes i miss the little urban assault vehicle). problem turned out to be that the gasket from the previous oil filter stayed on when the old filter came off. the second filter didn't seat well at all. surprised the dickens out of me; i had never had that happen before.

if you don't find debris on the gasket face, check from cracks. if you find anything out of place, clean it up with some emery paper. if it's really bad, you may have to get a new filter adapter from the dealer. if it all looks clean, follow 1pump's advice - pull the filter adapter and put a new gasket in there. if you can't find one off the shelf, just buy some gasket material and cut one yourself using an xacto knife or a really sharp, thin bladed pocket knife.

The upper and lower send untis were leaking. All fixed
Thanks to all for their input