Oil Leak, what gasket/seals to replace???

[thebutcher37]

Hey guys/gals...

Im experiencing an oil leak that goes down the front of the engine, seems to be the front crankcase.... and you can see it build up around the front of my lower oil pan... then it blows back to my transmission bell housing and all under my trans and ends up even on my catalytic converter... smells like doo doo!

To top it off I am experiencing some clutch slippage.... so yeah its that bad...


What Seals, and or gaskets will I need to buy to help fix this, I heard something about the oil filter gasket?

anyway I recently was about to take on the m20 single flywheel conversion but had to halt it, because i dont want to be putting in a new clutch and having that ish slip on me, so I eagerly want to fix this!

I plan on replacing the transmission input seal, the rear main seal/gasket, also.... but when i had my transmission off a few weeks ago, it only seemed like it was only oil splashed around from it just leaking into the trans from where i stated before...

Please any help is appreciated... and if there are any DIY floating around point them in my direction!

[Gerta318is]

I dunno ... but it sounds like a front crank seal too ... it could also be related to the either the oil filter housing or a leaky power steering connection.  I have had a similar experience recently.  Have you cleaned the area to try to pinpoint it's location?

I'd start in the how-to forum:  http://www.m42club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32

Brandon Purcell has an excellent write up for the crank seal:  http://www.esatclear.ie/~bpurcell/318ismaintenance.html.

Post back with what you find out ... I hope that helped!

Gerta

[DesktopDave]

Might be the rear timing cover gasket, or the timing cover profile gasket too.  It's a big paper seal, covers the whole front block face.

I wouldn't think that the oil from the front seal is getting to the cat...it's possible but unlikely.  At least I HOPE it's not that bad...that'd have to be quarts of oil at a time!  If you have a leak off the rear of the cyl head cover, that could do it.  A slipping clutch might also be caused by oil from a bad leak off the rear main seal.

[KenC]

Upper and lower timing case cover gaskets, front AND rear crank seals, oil filter housing and O-ring. That should plug it all up.

[DesktopDave]

Ken, you did that job last year, didn't you?  If so, is it still holding up?

[YetiX]

I replaced my crank seal, timing case gaskets, oil filter housing gasket, dipstick o-ring and lower oil pan gasket.  No leaking for a few months now.

Of course then I didn't fully tighten the oill pan drain bolt yesterday and . . . :mad:  I wish I could find a torque setting for that damn bolt. My hand torque sensor is too afraid of stripping the pan. :eek:

[thebutcher37]

Thanks guys, that was some quick responses.... I will be checking out the info and suggestions that was posted.

Just to answer some questions, i already have the rear crank seal and gasket as well as transmission input seal but i honestly don't think thats what it is.... One reason is because i recently changed the rear seal and transmission input and they both seem to have been fine, and another reason is it seems like its more wet towards the front of the engine but i will do those last, after the front seal and or timing cover gasket Then i'll see if there is buildup on my bell housing..

I did a lil cleaning up but its hard to get behind the belts without a pressure washer, and like i said before my conclusions come from what looks like blow back... After some cleaning, and a drive you can see thick drops of oil near the front of my lower oil pan then tiny build up and wetness under the upper oil pan leading to the subframe and then it builds up again on the bell housing..  There is definitely a lot of gunk on the front of the engine, and I also forgot to mention my Power steering is leaking from the reservoir, I think...

but again thanks for the info ill be back to post up what Im starting on first.

[thebutcher37]

SO i thought I'd update  this thread cause i never follow through when i ask for help...

PROBLEM WAS: Leaky upper oil pan and Rear Main Seal.

I havent had time nor the know-how on what to do to fix my problem...
 SO i took it to:
 Castro's Smog & Repair
12600 Sherman Way Unit C, North Hollywood, CA 91605
818-765-3606 (Ask for Chris)

I highly recommend this place... great work, price, help.

Im glad I took the car there because i would have been throwing money at the problem and would have spent more than i thought i would have had to and not even get the problem fixed...

My car was out of service for the weekend...

and Chris@ Castro's ended up changing out my upper pan gasket and rear main seal... thats where all the oil was coming from....

sometimes its better to have someone who knows what there looking at, he noticed problems that weren't even on my radar...

now Im back on the road with my m20 flywheel.

But that doesn't mean she's done....  Gotta leaky rack, choppy idle, and Im hankering for a LSD....