[yanniz]

The strangest thing (to me anyway.) There is no lick when the car is not in gear. I had it turned on, sitting in the yard for a couple of hours, and there was no oik anywhere. When I drive the car, it leaks. It looks like it is comming from the passenger side of the motor. At first it looked like the oil was coming from the base of the oil dip stick. It is not coming out of the heads, everything is dry around there.
Help?

 

[ken2]

Try the oil pressure sending unit, it is one of the most common leak sources.

 

[mike reeh]

id take it to one of those self-serve car wash places with the high pressure... blast the engine compartment and under bythe oil pan and stuff and then just drive it a little and see where its leaking..

mine was leaking from where the cork gasket meets the rubber end gaskets on the oil pan.. seems like it would be pretty common...


Mike

 

[Wes Colby]

Yanniz, most engine oil leaks are amplified by increased oil pressure and that will not happen until you put a load on the engine - while driving the car. I would also check your distributor hold down clamp - is it tight and is your distributor leaking oil at its' gasket? Also check the rear intake manifold rail gasket that seals the block to the rear of the intake manifold. Those two leaks drove me nutso for a couple of weeks until I found them. It turns out that I also had a faulty PCV system that was building too much crankcase pressure. The excess crankcase pressure chose the weakest links to leak at. Hope you find it soon!

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'70 Malibu - 383 'Dental Gas' Inhaling Stroker! Gold Member #39
Chevellz Alwayz!

 

[Gene McGill]

I would check the pcv system as Wes suggested. Not only is it important for the pcv valve to be hooked up and working, you must also have another opening somewhere ( usually the other valve cover ) for fresh, filtered, unrestricted air to get in. If you don't, chances are you are going to get oil shooting out of the end of your dipstick tube....been there.

 

[Joe Harrison]

On the fuel pump side of the engine at the front of the block you will find two holes to the right of the timing cover. One of these holes go's into the block and is for installing a long bolt and holding the fuel pump push rod up and out of the way. If this bolt is missing (it is short only 1/4 inch long, you don't want it hitting the pump push rod)oil will leak out the front of the engine. It is hard to see it but when the engine is at idle you will not see a leak, but revit to about 2,500 RPM and you will see a steady mist of oilcoming out the hole. The fan blows it back as does the forward movement of the car. I am not saying this is your problem but I would be looking here first. Like I said there are two holes and only one go's into the crank case the other does not. the one that does lines up with the fuel pump push rod. You can have a fuel pump block off plate and be running an electric fuel pump and still have this leak if the bolt is not installed. So either way check it out.

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Gold Member #164
sites.netscape.net/1969ss/homepage

 

[72CHEVELLE]

In addition everything else to look at, I'd also check the valve cover gasket. That seems to be the most commonly overlooked area on the engine when there is a persistant oil leak. Also, do you have a push-on breather? Oil will push up into the sponge inside the breather and cause it to leak a small amount around it. My $0.02. Good luck!!

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Jeremy J. Bennett
72 Chevelle
Team Chevelle #298

 

[rick]

yanniz
Wes had a good recommendation. Try a new PCV valve and make sure you have a breather on the valve cover on the other side. Excess crankcase pressure was blowing my sons dipstick out of the tube and oil was coating the motor (an OLD motor). He put a breather and new PCV and the problem went away. Is your dipstick tight in the tube after you drive the car?

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Rick Schaefer
72 El Camino
TPI 350/700r4
Aces #00140
TEAM CHEVELLE #00038
NCOA #16197

 

[DG]

I have a similiar leak too.

And I think I might it might be PCV related also. I noticed that the PCV and the oil filler cap (I think non-breather style) is on the drivers side cover, and there is nothing on the passenger side cover.

The covers are Elderbrock aluminum finned covers I think from the 70's.

Don't want to punch a new hole thru the passenger side, and not need to

, ya know?

Thoughts????

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DG
Springfield, Ohio
70 Chevelle Malibu

www.wright.edu/~adams.6/chevy.htm

TEAM Chevelle Member #0086

 

[Pat Kelley]

Try hooking up the PCV valve from the rear hole. Change the filler cap for a breather and put it in the front hole.. Pull the breather to add oil. Not the best solution since the fresh air source is on the same side but you don't need to put a hole in the other VC.

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Pat Kelley
66 & 67 El Caminos

 

[DG]

Hey Pat Kelley,
Would you believe I think it may be hooked up like you describe. I wondered why the PCV is hooked up in the rear, and the filler cap (may be a breather) is in the front. Problem is the Elderbrock script is upside down. I assumed the previous owner put the VC on that way by mistake.

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DG
Springfield, Ohio
70 Chevelle Malibu

www.wright.edu/~adams.6/chevy.htm

TEAM Chevelle Member #0086

 

[Philip]

DG, I'm not sure about the aftermarket covers but the factory ones if put on "upside down" will rub on the rockers. I had an oil leak on my 350 when I got it and it was coming from 8 holes in each cover where the rockers were rubbing. Of course this was done by the same fool who pryed off the head before realizing that there were a row of bolts under the exhaust manifold.

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Philip Valentine
Team Chevelle Member #42 GOLD
[email protected]

 

[Gene McGill]

DG: If your cap it "flat", it's probably not a breather cap; they're usually almost as tall as the are wide, and have some kind of filtering media in them, like a large pore spounge.

 

[yanniz]

Thanks everyone. I really appreciate your help. Joe, you were right. The holes by the timing cover were not plugged. I plugged them both. Also, the PCV valve is on the passenger side, but the grommet looks kind of "funky". The car has Moroso big block covers, and it looks like the hole is too big for the valve. The previous owner imrovised and has a wierd set up with the grommet, but it seems fine. On the other side, the hole is covered with something that looks like a miniature air filter (I apologige for my ignorance.) I am assuming that this is the breather that you are talking about.
Unfortunatelly, I have been having some problems with my alternator set up (also previous owner "wonderful" creation) and one of the bolts broke off in the block. To make a long story short, I have been hassling with the alternator for a couple of days now. I but new bracket this morning, the old one was sticking out too much (with spacers between the bracket and the block.) I still have not been able to get the broken bolt out so maybe tonight will be my lucky night.
Sorry for the long message, but it has been very frustrating for me the last few days.
Once again thanks for all your help so far and I will report back later on both "issues."