Oil Leak question

[mferris]

I tightened up the oilpan bolts yesterday on my SV/1725 (amazing how those apparently work lose and can cause leaks).

However, I now notice that I have a pretty good (i.e. visible drops every few minutes after driving) leak coming out of the lowest part of the bellhousing. I have changed both oils (using 15W-40 Rotella) in the engine and transmission so I'm not sure if this is coming from an overfilled transmission or if the main seal (?) at the rear of the engine is leaking.

Thoughts?

-M

 

[jumpinjan]

Its hard to determine which parts are NOT leaking back there. Also include the camshaft plug in the rear of the block.
Jan

 

[65beam]

leak

you can rule out the rear main seal since alpines do not have one. it could be leaking from the oil pan since they have a cork seal that wraps around the rear main cap or as jan said it could be leaking around the plug at the back of the cam. it may also be the front seal on the trans. alpines leaked oil when new. worry when it quits leaking.

 

[hartmandm]

Was it leaking the same way before you tightened the oil pan bolts? If not, then start there.

You can fill the engine with Brad Penn Grade 1 oil. It is a green color, so it is easy to tell when the engine oil is leaking. They have a 15W-40 grade. I've bought it from Amazon and Summit Racing.

Mike

 

[mferris]

Thanks - this leak was there prior to me doing anything - but I could not tell b/c the oilpan and cam cover were leaking, covering the side of the engine and I though this leak was merely oil blowing back and dripping off the bottom of the bellhousing.

Now that the engine (and oil pan) itself look perfectly clean (which I doubt will last), the drip from the bellhousing is all that is left, and leaves a good 10" stain within 10 minutes of parking anywhere - limiting my driving.

The drip is coming from inside the bellhousing and exiting where the cover plate attaches to the bell housing (not sure what it is called - but the thin plate which protects the bottom half of the clutch from road debris). There is no oil on the outside (facing front) of that cover plate - so wherever the leak is - it's originating inside the bellhousing.

Correct on the "they leak when new" - I'm well lubricated, but so is every road in my area right now......


I'll just start removing things I guess.

 

[mferris]

opening this one back up - since now my driveway is getting oil spots merely from me quickly pulling into my garage and it's starting to show a trail of drips up my driveway after 5 of these jonts or so. so I'd like to figure this one out.

I haven't pulled the transmission/flywheel yet (tool challenged at the moment) - but I did an experiment.

I started the engine and ran it in the garage for 15 minutes, revving it at times to simulate the typical driving that I do (up to 4K, idle for a few minutes, then 3K for a while, etc).

The leak never started, including after I stopped the engine.

So I presume that this is merely from sloshing the oil around while driving? it is definitely coming from *inside* the bell housing - and from the engine (almost definite) not transmission.

Does this narrow it down to the cam plug or oil pan seal. I guess it doesn't matter - I need to get the transmission off the engine to look.

 

[George Coleman]

Mike, look at the tappet cover! I chased this leak thing in the past and it was the tappet cover bolts and gasket.