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Main seal Posted by Ari [Email]  (#2847) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Ari) on Wed, 1 Dec 2004 05:25:20
In Reply to: Oil leak on pass side of engine poss sources, 97 aero auto, Tue, 30 Nov 2004 20:02:08 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
If I had to pick one place, it would be the main seal behind the main pulley (harmonic balancer). It would produce a leak pretty far outboard (closer to the tire). The good news is that it isn't that hard to replace.
This doesn't preclude the possibility of a leak from the head, valve cover, or any number of other places. But go for the common, easy to find and fix ones first.
The difficult part with oil leaks is that oil flows. Where the leak starts is usually pretty different from where it ends up falling on the ground.
Since you've got a '97, you're in luck. You should have the 'open' harmonic balancer (main pulley design). Cut the wheels all the way to the left, and with a good flashlight, peer in through the hole in the wheel well liner where the driveshaft comes through. The main pulley is the lowest pulley, and should be of the 'open' design - a hub and rim with spokes, so you can see through. The shaft driving the pulley is the crankshaft, and it comes through the engine block via a seal. Do you see signs of leakage there? Start and run the engine for a while, then shut it down and see if you see oil weeping from the area. The other place that comes to mind is the oil pump O-ring. That main seal is actually mounted in the oil pump - the pump is bolted to the engine, and the crankshaft comes right through the middle of it. There is an O-ring to seal between the back of the oil pump and the front of the timing chain cover.
If you see oil right at the bottom of the engine block, under the main seal, chances are the leak is at the main seal/oil pump O-ring. Clean the area up and see if it wets again. Replacement is pretty straightforward - remove the inner liner, remove the serpentine belt (probably time for new belt and pulleys anyway), remove the main pulley, and swap out the main seal. Replacing the oil pump o-ring adds about 20 minutes to the job because of the number of bolts to remove.
The other, very common place to leak is the oil level switch in the oil pan. At the front of the pan you'll see a switch coming out of the oil pan, with wires on it. That switch has an O-ring to seal it to the pan, and like all things in this world, the o-ring dies. If you're leaking from the switch, just drain the oil, pull out the switch (three bolts?) and replace the o-ring. You can buy one from the dealer for about $4, or bring the old one to most any autoparts store and they'll match it against their Big Box O' O-Rings, and it'll cost about $1.
And lastly, check the oil filter. I've seen oil filters lose their seal. Usually happens when first installed, due to a defective seal. But it wouldn't hurt to give the filter a little hand-tightening.
Oil leaks can be very hard to find - start out with lots of paper towels, and clean up the suspect areas, and see if the oil returns. And remember that the oil you see at one point may have traveled quite a way.
posted by 192.249....
, Wed, 1 Dec 2004 05:25:20 <-- Viewing This Message, Wed, 1 Dec 2004 07:15:25, Wed, 1 Dec 2004 09:01:43, Thu, 2 Dec 2004 06:16:23
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