oil leak

[kamotors]

so my car has always had a leak here but it has slowly gotten worse. not bad enough to need to add oil between oil changes. the oil level on the dipstick actually doesn't even change very much. i was just wondering what its leaking from. i wiped it down and it doesn't seen to be coming from above.it's engine oil not transmission oil. in the pic thats the front sway bar off to the bottom left. whats that little plastic square thingy behind the leak called?

[kamotors]

the square thingy is the PROTECTION GRID For ADDITIONAL FAN

[kamotors]

is this an overflow? I do have a little too much oil

[jlevie]

The leak could be at the rear main seal, but it looks to me like there's oil forward of the bell housing. Which implies a leak further towards the front of the engine. The best way to find the leak(s) will be to throughly clean the engine (from the top and bottom) and then watch for the first sign of oil.

[kamotors]

thanks i cleaned the area in the pic at it seems to be coming from the crack

[rccardude909]

Thats where the transmission connects to the block right? pretty sure its oil pan gasket mine leaked in the same spot.

[Sean]

I have a problem with oil collecting there as well. From tracing the oil gunk on my engine (it's really clean considering it's only got 25k on a fresh rebuild) - it seems to be coming from the front of my headgasket - coming down the front of my motor, and working its way back to the lowest point on the motor.

[kamotors]

1 year bump, well my car still leaks here and the leak was pretty steady and I wasn't having to add any oil between changes but as of about 2 weeks a go its gotten pretty bad, I have to add oil almost every two weeks(the car sits a lot). The leak is burning onto the exhaust and smelling bad, is their any way for me to tell whether its coming from the rear main seal or back of the oil pan? I was full about 3 days ago and today the engine oil light came on saying I was 1 quart low(the car was driven 200miles in the last 2 days).

[Mike]

try your rocker shaft seals, and valve cover gasket

[kamotors]

okay, i just came back form crawling under the car, no oil can be seen dripping from above, with the car off it leaks 1 drop every 3 minutes(from the crack where the transmission and engine meet), but heres the bad part with the car running it is a steady drip of 1 drop about every 20seconds. With the car running its clearly coming out of the grate down their not the crack where the engine/tranny meets. If I pull off that grate will I be able to fix anything from their? As I drive the oil blows all the way back to the cat section and burns.

[jlevie]

If you are certain that the oil is from within the bell housing and not running down the side of the engine, the cause will be a bad rear main seal. Which means pulling the transmission to fix it.

[Sean]

Park on a steep hill and see if oil is dripping underneath the bellhousing. If the rear main is bad, it MAY leak when parked with the front of the car facing uphill.

[kamotors]

with the car on, it seems to leak whether the front of the car is uphill or downhill, but with the car off it leaks less with the front facing downhill.

[E30FreaK89]

Does you rack leakdo you know? The color of the drip comiong from the bell housing sort of looks like it from your rack.

[kamotors]

no steering rack does not leak.