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Mystery oil leak

T

thatguy

New member
I have been having an oil leak for a little while now, like a drop or 2 everytime i park my car. It got worse a few weeks ago and I knew I needed to get my rear valve cover gasket replaced. So I did that and now I am back to my 1 or 2 drops. It drips from the right side of the subframe around the front tire, like where the lines are. I cant seem to find where this leak is coming from and everything is all gunked up from my previous oil leaks so its very hard to tell. I check my oil just about everyday just to make sure im within safe conditions. My question is where should I be checking? Are there any known places for it to leak in that area? I know it isnt the oil pan as I have checked that also. I know I should degrease the engine and clean everything but I cant bring myself to hosing my engine down.
 


oil pressure sensor, its next to the oil filter. it leaks from where the wires plug into it. 10 dollars to replace it.
 
May even be a loose oil filter. When you say right side..you mean the car's right and not your right when standing in front of the car. correct?
 
Tell me you also replaced the bolt grommets when you did the valve covers. Beyond that, get a few cans of engine cleaner and spray all that junk off and then look for the leak. Finding a leak on top of years of built up junk is next to impossible and time comsuming. Clean, run, look for fresh oil and roberts your fathers brother.
 
I had my work do the gasket replacement. They are a GM dealer. However I do not know if those bolt gromets were replaced. It is on the right side, as in passenger side. I have been told my a tech it could be the oil sending unit or pressure sensor. Which I believe I did see a drop of oil on it almost like it could be leaking. The lines I am talking about are what I believe are either oil or transmission lines
 


thatguy said:
I had my work do the gasket replacement. They are a GM dealer. However I do not know if those bolt gromets were replaced. It is on the right side, as in passenger side. I have been told my a tech it could be the oil sending unit or pressure sensor. Which I believe I did see a drop of oil on it almost like it could be leaking. The lines I am talking about are what I believe are either oil or transmission lines
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those lines are for the power steering.

with your car running turn the wheels all the way to the left, (leave it running) get a flash light and look in from behind the pass side front wheel to the oil filter, if that sensor is leaking you will see it leak, anything from a drip drip drip, to pouring out like maple syrup.

these things blow out all the time, i went through 3 of them in 6 months, so i just put a brass plug in the hole and called it a day.(cost 50 cents) till i get a oil pressure gauge.

that would be your other option, remove stock sensor and put in a oil pressure gauge.
 
You guys are awesome. I will check that, I was told that is what it could be and now that I have more people telling me the same thing I am going to persue that lead. I actually have an oil pressure gauge in my car but nothing is hooked up. Thats how I bought the car. Plus its mechanical and i dont really want an oil line going inside the passenger compartment. My aeroforce has an oil pressure setting but doesnt work, maybe because of that sensor leaking.
 
so you have a mechanical oil pressure gauge hooked up? but its not working? id check that line, it may have burnt on a hot pipe or rubbed through.

the aeroforce don't see oil pressure im sure because you don't have a stock pressure sensor installed i bet.

if you wanted to you could hook both up with a T fitting.
 


A stock W body pressure sensor is a switch not a sensor. You can tell by it only having two wire hook up. Bonneville etc had three and an in cluster pressure gauge.
 
^^ Yep, idiot light sensor on the oil neck. A shame isn't it? Pisses me off.
GM surely didn't want anyone to know when their pressure was going South. By the time the light comes on it's to late.
Happened to me twice...I know better now.
 
Coming from a Bonneville with the gauge, I can tell you. Having a gauge does nothing. Say pressure starts nosediving...only thing you can do is look for a safe spot to wait for AAA. Honestly, you aren't going to change the bearings, you aren't going to rebuild for less than a used long block. So what value does a gauge really give you?
 
No spun rod bearings. I ended up with three.

I have found that (my opinion and people disagree) that these blocks are a breeze if you rebuild them before anything catostrophic happens. You spin a bearing and the torture ensues; align hone, rod resizing, cylinder bore etc. You just can't take a chance.

I've done two high mileage (no catastrophic event) rebuilds WITHOUT align hone or rod resizing. I mic'ed the rods as well as I could and they were somewhere less than 0.0005" out of round. As far as the mains alignment; plastigauged with standard bearings and all were right about 0.0015". The motors were done at 180k and the last one at 140K. Both were junk yard motors, most recent being from Morad.

The first one now has 18k on it and the second just recently has 1,300. Both are running strong. Both have oil pressure gauges. We'll see how it goes.

Bill I luv ya, but you struck a nerve. LOL
 
Just talking from my experience. I had one motor literally last 10 miles from the time of install and another only 200 miles. Literally by the time oil pressure started to drop..they were history.

I like that you've been able to do what you did and had it work well. Most guys don't understand mic'ing or plastiguaging. (yeah, that includes me)
 


back in the day my friends and i would rebuild sbc engines all the time, we always sent the crank out to be checked, cut and polished or just polished if needed, new bearings, and using plastigauge on every bearing. its just so much fun to open and close every bolt to every cap 3 times lol but with doing so at least your not guess its all with in spec's, now you know its with in the specs.
 
There are many degrees of improper rebuilds, especially with the fiesty little 3800.

I wish I had 1/10th your knowledge of the WB platform. Maybe another 5 or so years of kicking around on this forum will get me there...but then you'll also know that much more. Did I say I luv ya? I hate ya!

Peace. Did you ever get your pry bar back?

These last three posts are very tangential. Sorry OP. I feel better now.
 
scottydoggs said:
back in the day my friends and i would rebuild sbc engines all the time, we always sent the crank out to be checked, cut and polished or just polished if needed, new bearings, and using plastigauge on every bearing. its just so much fun to open and close every bolt to every cap 3 times lol but with doing so at least your not guess its all with in spec's, now you know its with in the specs.
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Yea, most of us started out on the good 'ole SBC. Boy, did I toast some camshafts. I was a complete 'tard.

Roller lifters FTW...makes it so damn easy.

There we go tangential again.
 
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