Massive oil leak.....advice? (long)

[wazzu70]

I just picked up my car this weekend and I drove it from Seattle to Pullman without any problems. Since it is a new car to me I stopped a few times to check my fluid levels and all that good stuff. No issues whatsoever. Today outside our schools F1 shop I parked the car on a steep hill (mountain to Midwesterners and east coasters) and after a few hours (like 7ish) I noticed a bunch of fluid under my car. I thought it was a PS leak, but the color and viscosity of the fluid led me to believe that it was oil. The windshield has one of those little oil change reminders and shows I am about 1500 from an oil change, however the oil is pretty transparent still so I am assuming it is a synthetic fluid. After further inspection I noticed the oil was coming from between the bell housing and the block (this is after wiping everything down so it wasn’t a trickle from another location). My current theory is that since the motor has 200,000 on it the rear main seal is probably shot and with the synthetic and the really big grade I was parked on it constantly was trickling out into the bell housing and out the inspection hole. Does this seem like a viable theory, or am I loony? Im not exactly sure how much oil I lost, however it was enough to have about a 1' wide stripe run from the bell housing to the rear of the car, and have the stamped plate under the trans be full to the brim of oil. Another thing I thought was interesting was that at the head of the stream of oil it appeared as if something under pressure gave out, as there seemed to me a light mist/spatter area. I checked the slave cylinder and everything there seems to be fine.

Any ideas? Im really new to these motors so Im just curious if this is possibly a common problem with higher mileage motors, or if someone out there has experienced a similar problem with either these cars or another that could be of help in determining the problem. TIA

Also sorry for the long posting, but I hate when people ask for help with problems and aren’t very descriptive.

[Jon325i]

High mileage engine + synthetic oil = mess in driveway.

The fact that you left the car parked on an incline for hours only amplified the effects. If you want to prevent this from happening again, consider this.....

1. switch to conventional oil.....it does the job

2. if conventional oil still continues to leak (whether parked on flat surface or incline), change the rear main seal

And if you have to resort to the latter, you might as well consider addressing other wear-n-tear items....

clutch
guibo (flex disc)
rear seal of tranny case
tranny mount bushings

Other "upgrades" to consider while in there....

short shift kit
lightened flywheel

Jon

[wazzu70]

Thanks. I would never consider running synthetic in an engine with this high of mileage, it was purchased this way. I wasnt sure if it would cause the effects it did though, or if something else could have happened. I am planning on draining the oil tomorrow and replacing it with a regular oil, possibly a 10w-40 since Im aware some of the seals are leaky. I just need a temp "fix" until I take the car home in May where I will be performing a lot of maintenance on the car. If leaking persists with the 10w-40 I will definately reaplce the rear seal, as well as other major seals and anything else that looks to be in need of replacement. Thanks for the advice Jon, its appreciated.

[AdamF 88iS]

I'd check oil pan gasket before rear main. Pull that plate off the rear of the oil pan and see if you can tell where it's coming down from. I'll be it has a cork gasket that is popping out.

[NC325iC]

what kind of oil would you recommend.
at the moment im runnin castrol syntec.

[Jon325i]

what kind of oil would you recommend.
at the moment im runnin castrol syntec.

That depends on a few things. Take into consideration: where you live and the climate, the mileage on your car and lastly, what do you use your car for?

As you have learned by now, full synthetic isn't a good idea on a high mileage engine due to the potential leaks (how well the car has been maintained during all those miles will determine this). As for climates, most places seem to do fine with 10W40 or 20W50. Do you auto-x or track your car? The weights I mentioned should be ok, but you may want to change the oil more frequently (i.e. every 2000-2500 miles vs. 3000 miles).

Jon

[Julien]

Thanks. I would never consider running synthetic in an engine with this high of mileage, it was purchased this way. I wasnt sure if it would cause the effects it did though, or if something else could have happened. I am planning on draining the oil tomorrow and replacing it with a regular oil, possibly a 10w-40 since Im aware some of the seals are leaky. I just need a temp "fix" until I take the car home in May where I will be performing a lot of maintenance on the car. If leaking persists with the 10w-40 I will definately reaplce the rear seal, as well as other major seals and anything else that looks to be in need of replacement. Thanks for the advice Jon, its appreciated.

I would... preserve what you have and just change the appropriate seals.. i'm running mobil1 15w50 on an m20 with over 200k, no issues. I'm almost positive it's your oil pan gasket, they are prone to leak on m20s.. and think of it, when sitting flat, it won't leak, but on an incline it will ;-)

Julien

[wazzu70]

Again thanks for all the help guys. I did check around the oil pan as I know that tends to leak on most motors before the rear main. It didnt appear to be leaking but Im going to go out in a few and recheck everything. I did take that plate under the trans off to get a better look and it still appeared to be coming from the bellhousing area. That is about the lowest opint on the assembly though so like mentioned ill doublecheck to make sure it isnt leaking from another place and just dripping off that point.

[Switch]

wazzu, did you ever figure out what gasket it was... i am having the EXACT same problem... i have 2 leaks, one is dropping off the oil plug, i figure either needs new washer, or, oil pan gask,,,

but i have a new one as of.. 3 days ago... big oil leak under bell housing, only really leaks when car is turned off......

my car too has 191k on it

[wazzu70]

Im actually working on it right now. As stated there wasnt much left of the pan gasket......anywhere. there was virtually nothing left in the back at all on not much up front either. Also the gasket is "paper" and not cork. Wierd? Im sure this will solve my problem and is most likely yours as well. FYI changing the gasket is turning out to be mroe of a PITA than I expected. The PO rounded off ALL the torx screws on the inspection cover so I had to grind them off which really sucked. Tomorrow Im dropping the K-member to get an inch or so more of clearance to clear the oil pump. If you dont have a good set of tools and some basic knowhow I would just pay to get it done.

[EverWiser]

You can loosen the motor mounts and raise the engine instead of dropping the K-member...Just a thought.

[Switch]

cool, well good luck, heh, i found what my problem was, rocker shaft plugs, i replaced them, and bam, leaks stops,, i was like oh thank god... (for me not having to screw with oil pan, i KNOW it;s a pain) but* i also found another leak i;ve had ever since i had the car, i have a hair line crak on the back, (seriiously looks like a piece of hair) leaking oil.. slowly but surly, i guess jdweld will hold it for a while until i can get another one...

anyway goodluck tomorrow

[nando]

Also the gasket is "paper" and not cork. Wierd?

be glad. cork gaskets are 100% garbage.

[wazzu70]

considering how crappy of condition the paper gasket was in I guess Ill try the cork one and see if I have better luck. Unfourtanetly I got the pan gasket replaced but Im still having issues, looks like Im pulling the transmission tomorrow and replacing the rear seal. Ick.

[e30Matt]

cool, well good luck, heh, i found what my problem was, rocker shaft plugs, i replaced them, and bam, leaks stops,, i was like oh thank god... (for me not having to screw with oil pan, i KNOW it;s a pain) but* i also found another leak i;ve had ever since i had the car, i have a hair line crak on the back, (seriiously looks like a piece of hair) leaking oil.. slowly but surly, i guess jdweld will hold it for a while until i can get another one...

anyway goodluck tomorrow

Hmm... I've got the EXACT same leaks as you, VERY small drips from the bottom of the bellhousing and the drain plug. I think I forgot to replace the rocker shaft seals as well. Oh well, I'm changing the oil next weekend, I'll live with it until then.