need help diagnosing oil leak..

[jekbrown]

hey gang, Ive had this annoying oil leak for a while.. and since i'm not a guru about such things I thought I'd ask you all.

just to orient you to the pic, its taken from under the drivers side door looking forward towards the oil pan. you can see my front driveshaft there on the left... and the right leaf spring shackle on the right there. Anyway, the cylindrical-shaped doohicky gizmo that is highlighted in red has oil dripping off it all the time. I've looked around under the hood and it doesnt seem to be gushin from anywhere else... just here. take a look...

leaks suck!

sooo...

question 1: what the heck is that doohicky?

question 2: is it likely the leak is from there?

question 3: whats the fix?

any/all help is appreciated, as always. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

j

 

[99firehawk]

The do-hicky=starter i very much doubt that your starter is leaking oil. You didnt say what year it is but if it has a passenger side dipstick id check that first then I would check you valve cover gaskets (they are cheap and real easy to do) I have seen intakes leak from the back but usually they have oil everywhere underneith when that happens.

 

[Can Can]

#1. Looks a heck of a lot like a starter to me.

#2. Check your passenger side valve cover gasket closely. Oil can work it's way down the block and drip off the starter.

 

[jekbrown]

doh. it could be the valve cover gasket... but Im thinking its prolly not. Back in the day (maybe 6 months ago) i thought that was it... so I got new gaskets and installed them as per the instructions... no change, leak was in the exact same spot. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

the only other gasket i have ever put on myself was for my intake... if the back of it wasn't sealed right... could it be leakin from there? really hard to look at that area... so close to the firewall and all.. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

oh, and this is a gm crate engine, 350, purdy sure the years were 81-85 or something. it does have a passanger side dip stick...

j

 

[99firehawk]

Make sure that the dipstick isnt leakin, i instaleld my new gm crate motor about a week and a half ago, it ran great except i had an oil leak. Then I find out that it has drivers and pass side dipstick holes. Well me using a drivers side dipstick left the pass side open and created a pretty decent leak. Check your o-ring on your dipstick tube if you have are using a pass side dipstick. If thats all ok I would say pull the intake and re seal it. When you do intakes on small block chevys dont use the rubber front and rear seals use hi temp rtv, them rubber seals are worthless.

 

[jekbrown]

yeah, i used rtv.. but i had never installed an intake before I did this one. Me thinks its prolly the intake... but I'll really go ever the beast b4 i reseal it... as I remember, its kinda a PITA.

j

 

[TrcksR4ME]

not to be mean, but were you serious about the "cylindrical-shaped doohicky gizmo" /forums/images/graemlins/rotfl.gif /forums/images/graemlins/rotfl.gif

And I think my "cylindrical-shaped doohicky gizmo" also leaks /forums/images/graemlins/rotfl.gif, well something does anywho very similar to yours /forums/images/graemlins/thinking.gif

 

[jekbrown]

my knowledge about my rig is sorta weird. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif If I have worked on it b4... i know what I am doing cause I do research... if I havent worked on a part, I prolly dont know chit about out. For instance, I can do pretty much any sort of maintenence to my D60 front axle except gear swaps... i set up my crossover steering + hydro... i swapped output shafts on my 205, set up my own suspension, etc etc etc. what i havent done is mess with my starter, so I wasnt sure if that was it or not. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif its all good. I figure eventually i will be a guru about pretty much everything on my rig... just takes time. Once I know engines better, can rebuild a tranny and do gear swaps... I'll pretty much be able to do it all.

j

 

[TrcksR4ME]

It's so funny the way it works, I didn't know chit about chit when I started either, still don't /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif In my case I had to replace the starter before I got to axle swaps, I figured thats one of those things everyones experienced, guess you've been lucky. I always thought you were quite knowledgeable though, sounds like you have done a lot of stuff to your truck.

 

[jekbrown]

nope, starter has always worked pretty well. At some point (translation: when i get a damn job!), I'm gonna install a nice gear reduction starter in place of my old stocker. I figure the stock one is gettin a lil long in the tooth and lower amp draw + mo power is always a good thing. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif at any rate, it is pretty weird how the various vehicle tech knowledge builds up over time.

j

 

[BurbinOR]

The color of the leak around your STARTER looks suspiciously like tranny fluid...............reddish. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[POWERMAD]

Oil dye and a UV light works well to locate leaks.
Pour it in run the engine for a bit and shine the light on it, the leak will stand out and you can follow the trail to the source.
The dye I use costs a few dollars and one bottle treats 10 gallons of oil.
Kinda handy when the engine or whatever looks like a chocolate covered donut.

 

[scrappyk5]

i also have the same type of leak. i replaced my valve
covers and i also replaced my oil sending unit in the back
and mine still leaks but alot less. i think its either coming from the intake or the distributor. so those will
be checked next. /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif