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YOUR RESEARCHHuge oil leak
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Check on the car all is good still
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed · Original poster
Turned on the motor let it idle for a few minutes all is good no leaks then went to go run a couple of quick errands checked on the car all is good still.
Leading evidence: 'Check on the car all is good still' (no explicit attributable resolution; this is a reported action or suggestion). Across 1 matching discussions, The most frequently discussed action is 'Check oil pressure sensor area' (1 discussions). For that action, 0 discussions report a resolution and 0 report an unsuccessful attempt. No action has an explicit, attributable resolution report under the current rules. These are forum reports and suggestions, not a confirmed diagnosis.
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed · Original poster
Checked on top of that bone dry, then checked the sides (coil tubes) bone dry.
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed · Original poster
Checked on top of that bone dry, then checked the sides (coil tubes) bone dry.
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed · Original poster
Turned on the motor let it idle for a few minutes all is good no leaks then went to go run a couple of quick errands checked on the car all is good still.
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Got home parked the car in the garage as I got out right away smelled burnt oil. Went around the back saw a trail of oil coming up the drive way, looked under the car there is a pool of oil starting form on the passengers side just in front of the headers and under the sway bar. Checked the oil level got lucky there was still some oil left in the motor. No other symptoms noted from driving the car throughout the day. Gonna wait til the engine cools down before I start sticking my hands in there. Just by where the oil is do you guys have any ideas what it could be ?
Check the oil pressure sensor area. It is on top side of the motor on the passenger side towards front of the car. Your leak looks like it is under the sensor.
Just got back from the garage it's not the oil sensor. It looks like the valve cover gasket because the leak does not go above it in the pics you can see only the upper control arm is covered in oil and when looking at the valve cover it looks like half the gasket is sticking out
I would normally say spark plug tube o rings as they normally leak oil onto the valve covers then down onto the exhaust manifolds but your oil leak seems on the extreme side.
It's a 99 with 81,500 on the clock, I had no leaks or weeping before then just all of a sudden this happened so it is very possible. Is there a plug on the motor just above the ground cable? Where are the site for the plugs on the passenger side?
Frank beats me to it. The two green cam plugs on the left side of figure 1 here
http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarti...erTech-162.htm
shows the driver's side. You'll find these plugs on the diagonal opposite side of the passenger engine head. Close to your leak.
Could be a number of things. I sort of lean towards camshaft cover.
Leaks from this area can be rather severe.
But before you put a wrench to the engine you need to be sure.
That bad of a leak it should be pretty obvious where from. The oil will wash away the grime and this is your clue.
You'll have to have the car on a lift so you can get right under the engine and use a bright flash light and even a mirror on a swivel stick to peek behind things.
You look for where the leak is coming from, but you also eliminate where the leak is not coming from.
Alright fellas just got back from the garage lifted the car up again and got under it. It's definitely the top green cam plug, its missing! Checked on top of that bone dry, then checked the sides (coil tubes) bone dry. I'm relieved and pissed off at the same time if that makes any sense. Relieved that its a cheap easy fix and pissed off that such a small thing was about to run the motor dry. Is there any special tools needed for the install of the plug or does it just pop back in?
You have not just lost the green cam plug, more than likely. You have probably also lost the expansion plug at the end of the camshaft. Make sure to check that.
Hey Jake,
Nice to see you on here offering your expertise. Everyone should listen! Jake is the best in the business.
OP, I hope that your repair is simple for your
Do you have a picture or part number for it? I'm trying to see what it looks like so I know if it is still there. If it is missing is it easy to replace? Thanks
Has someone recently done a cam cover re seal on the engine?
If the plug is missing there will be a 5/16" diameter opening into the core of the cam, it will be hollow all the way through the length of the camshaft. If the plug is there, you will know it...
This plug is part of the camshaft and has no part #, but we can repair the cam if this occurs, and ensure that it never fails again.
Thanks, I found a pic earlier through searching and went back to take a look and its still in there. I already ordered the cam plug, but find it kind of weird that it came out?
[QUOTE=Pcargo;11403484]Just got back from the garage it's not the oil sensor. It looks like the valve cover gasket because the leak does not go above it in the pics you can see only the upper control arm is covered in oil and
when looking at the valve cover it looks like half the gasket is sticking out
Things will probably be fine after mounting a new plug.
If you lose the plug again someone may have re-sealed that side and used too much sealant. A thicker layer of sealer can make the hole too big for a proper interference fit. If that is true it also can make the cam bearing clearances a little loose.
I gotta say I've been (and still am) on the fence re: Jake, but the comment that was offered up by him in regard to this post was a definite plus column one for me. Plenty of people willing to help and help the OP figure out that the green cam plug was missing but the extra (and I assume important) bit to check on the camshaft itself was a very nice bit of info to share here. This is what adds A) value to this site and B) gets people to potentially use Jake when needed as opposed to some of his other posts which generally get some people excited, some scared and some very turned off. I honestly have no idea how big of a deal this particular situation is or had the potential to be but felt the knowledge shared was good. Keep it coming and it will be repaid in spades.
Update: Got the cam plug part in yesterday installed it in less than 2 minutes, cleaned up the mess made by the oil and topped off the motor. Turned on the motor let it idle for a few minutes all is good no leaks then went to go run a couple of quick errands checked on the car all is good still. Decided that since car is running good lets test it, got on it at a stop light shortly after started smelling burnt oil again stopped at my local Oriellys to get a couple of quarts of mobil 1 before heading back home (btw they are sale for $6/qt). Noticed that it started leaking again got home and the same thing trail of oil going up the driveway and pool of oil starting to form at the same place as before. I jacked up the car and sure enough the cam plug is missing again. So I keep blowing out cam plugs when I give the car a good amount of throttle, why? I am going to have to agree with fpb111 theory on previous person that worked on it got to liberal with the sealant on the valve covers.
Sealant or some other obstruction has blocked the drain between the cam cover and head just behind this plug. This is causing the oil pressure to be elevated, which dislodges the plug. This is typical after someone reseals cam covers and uses too much sealant, thats why I asked earlier about the cam covers being resealed. This is inline with the fpb111 theory and we see it occur often here.
The cam covers are also the upper cam bearing caps. You need to rig a way to hold the cams in place while you pull the cover. I haven't done one yet. But doing it with the engine in the car will be more difficult. Do a search someone has probably figured a way to make it work.
You could make a tool like Dharn55 did,
http://www.renntech.org/forums/topic...hreaded-plugs/
that would hold them in place. There are also pics of someone's wooden clamps that go over the cam cover bearings to hold them while working on the engine.. Not sure if you need to go that far for a "quick" reseal.
Ok, I'm going to end up doing it myself apparently my pcar mechanic is overwhelmed with work right now told me 2-3 weeks, thats way to long for me not to have my car running. I took a bite of the $*5# sandwich and bought the tool that PP sells to hold the cams in (most expensive part of the list) and also bought new spark plugs,tubes bolts, and cam plugs to do while I'm in there. Depending on hard the job is I'm either going to do it all at once or work on the car a couple of hours a day. It might be the latter since it's been 100+ degrees all week long here.
Everyone keeps saying that this can be done with the engine in place, but has anyone ever done it before? So far I have been ok with doing this I'm at placing the cam holder tool in place and about to take the cam cover off before stopping for the day.
So far what has to be taken off: muffler, muffler bracket, header, air intake box, muffler support bracket (has been the most difficult to reach so far), heat shield for coils, coils, ground cable, cam plugs. The only thing left is placing the holder tool, the cam sensor, secondary oil pump and the rest of the cam cover bolts. I've manage to be able to do this so far by not taking off the rear bumper, muffler heat shields and rear wheels.
Yes this can be done in the car, and I have done it. The issue is you'll fight with everything so because of that I have learned to pull the engine. I can do it faster and better with the engine out, but that's me. I have learned to go for the better result even if it's a more difficult approach.
Your list of things to remove is pretty close..
One suggestion that might help is to lower the engine a bit. Support the engine with a jack (carefully), undo the two motor mount nuts (18mm) and lower the engine. Continue to support it with the jack. I found that working around the engine, lowering it as much as possible make access a little bit better. I also found that removing the rear bumper helps a lot. It is not difficult and takes about ten minutes. You are a brave soul for going in like this on the valve cover(s). Looking forward to hearing how the project goes. Good luck!
So it's just the two mount nuts at the front of the motor that need to be loosened to get the motor down? Anyone have a good DIY instructions to lowering the motor?
Yes it really is that simple (to lower it a bit, not to remove it completely), hard to believe I know. Get something to support the engine under that bracket at the rear and then just loosen the two big nuts that are easily accessible from below. If you want or need, you might as well replace the motor mounts, only a few more bolts from above. As simple as it looks, no tricks to it.
Thanks for the tips guys keep them coming, tonight was a slow night. I ended up lowering the motor (really easy to do), made things way easier. I wasn't able to get the cam holder tool in position until the motor was lowered. After that I just started to loosen up all the cam cover bolts then called it a night. When I finally pull the cover off how easy it to get the old gasket stuff off? How should I go about cleaning it?
Cleaning old gaskets is just takes time. Maybe 30min. each side (cover and the head). There are many ways to do this but whatever you choose, don't use an abresive (sand paper/disk).
Pick off most of the gasket material with fingers. Probably will just peel off. Clean surfaces with mineral spirits on a rag, then a final cleaning with rubbing alcohol. Be careful to keep track of pieces, you don't want any contamination/pieces falling into crevices. Plenty of light should make it easier. Light it up like a stadium! For stubborn material stuck on the mating surfaces, soak for awhile with gasket remover or GooBGone. I would not take a knife or scraper to any mating surfaces. It is too easy to knick the soft aluminum.
You can use a plastic scraper if you had to. In fact they sell plastic razor blades that auto body places use to scrape off decals that seems to work good.
Ok, for those who have done this before. How much gasket maker do I use? Do I just run a bead on the head or on the head and cam cover? I just want to make sure I don't put too much (which is why I am resealling it) or too little to have it leak later on.
Done, took it out for a test drive tonight so far so good. I am happy again, life without a Pcar is really depressing. Sorry I didn't take anymore pics I would of had to stop in the middle of what I was doing and had to wash my hands each time to take a pic.
