Nasty oil leak

1145 Views 4 Replies 4 Participants Last post by NickTurbo900, Aug 25, 2010

ataririder

Discussion Starter · Aug 24, 2010

I have a nasty oil leak comming from the right side of the engine. I believe it might be comming out of the head. The valve cover gasket is tight and the distubitor plug is fine. It likes to ride all along the side and then onto of the downpipe. I smell the oil buring off when I'm a stand still in traffic. If you guys have any idea anywhere it maybe leaking I'm open. Here is a snapshot right after I turned off the car.

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stub1313

· #2 · Aug 24, 2010

I can't quite see if from that picture really... But I have a small leak from my distributor that is so small that I don't notice a depleted oil level between changes, however I still see small amounts of fresh oil accumulating on those same areas every few days to a week. Is your oil level changing dramatically? How much oil over what time period are you losing?

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DrewP

· #3 · Aug 24, 2010

It's very common for the head gasket at the front corner of cyl. no 4 to leak oil, part of the oil drain back to the sump is there.

Best,
Drew

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ataririder

Discussion Starter · #4 · Aug 25, 2010

the amount of oil loss between changes has to be a few ounces because the level barley drops. Would replacing the head bolts solve the problem because I heard they tend to stretch or do I have to change out the head gasket?

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NickTurbo900

· #5 · Aug 25, 2010

Valve cover gasket may be tight, but is it leaking? They get dry and brittle and weep with age. It's only 20$ and 30 minutes to be sure!

Clean the area above the HG, drive it, still clean?

You probably need a HG though... Or just check the oil level often and live with it. I have for almost 80k on a 97 900SE, with no issues.

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