Rear oil leak

Dtchy · 10-28-2006, 01:10 PM

Hi guys,

I have 2 oil leaks. one in the fron and one in the rear. the front is most likely the main seal. I'll take care of that later.

But I have no idea where the rear one is leaking. The oil is running down the cylinder bank below the #1 cylinder on the passenger side of the block. It actually looks like it's coming from the headgasket (head is dry, block looks wet), but a headgasket leaking oil sounds odd to me.

My cam housing was resealed a couple of months ago. Could this be a rear main seal?

Any clues?

many944s · 10-28-2006, 02:08 PM

I am a little cornfused....

You said it is leaking toward the rear of the engine, then say that the oil is running down from cyl#1?

Is is leaking at all onto the exhaust?

Is it coming from the front of the engine and running along the length of the motor towards the firewall?

Alot of times this is actually a leak from the cam tower seal, beneath the "pry tab". The easiest way to check this is to feel beneath the tab on the cam tower directly beneath the front bottom tower bolt. It is difficult to see unless you have eyeballs on your fingertips

Having said that, the tower seal can be a nightmare to get sealed properly!

Hope it helps!
-Nick

Dtchy · 10-28-2006, 02:39 PM

Sorry for the confusion.

The oil is running down cyl #1, coming from the top of the engine.
Maybe the reseal wasn't done properly...

Razorback1980 · Razorback1980's Garage

The rear main seal is the one located at the very back of the engine on the bottom where the crankshaft goes through the block to connect to the flywheel. I can only think of two places where it could be leaking...cam tower seal to the head or the cam seal in the front where the cam comes through the cam tower. Many people put the cam tower gasket on dry but I use a sealer because it does leak easily. There are many kinds of sealers and we all have our preferences, but there was a thread on which sealer is best a few weeks ago. I think it was Slam that started it. When putting the cam seal in the cam tower, make sure you get the right seal that has the rotation going in the right direction.

dataroddred944 · 11-30-2006, 04:56 PM

I have the same problem. My leak started just yesterday. It leaks upon the rear of the engine onto the headers and the rear manifold. Although my seems to spray onto the firewall during high rpm. Can you help me as well with some information before I spend alot of money on the head and valve cover gaskets???
thanks,
dataroddred944.
rodney.s.bennett@us.army.mil

Techno Duck · Techno Duck's Garage

Your leak sounds like its the rear cam tower gasket. Easy to change and a cheap part.

Part # 928.105.189.02

Slam · 11-30-2006, 05:09 PM

Quote - The oil is running down cyl #1, coming from the top of the engine.
Maybe the reseal wasn't done properly.

Hallmark of cam tower leak. Did you use a sealant? I've had to do mine twice in the past year. Didn't use sealant first time round and ended up having to do the whole thing again 6 months later. It seems to be holding this time. Pretty much any good anaerobic sealant will work. I know Porsche recommends none at all, and this is an interesting topic of discussion. Also, the cam tower bolts can back out on you (say many here on Pelican - haven't had it happen to me), so a check on them is always in order.

HTH and good luck!