Oil leaking from exhaust port....???

ColoradoSteve · ColoradoSteve's Garage

I drove the car about 100 miles yesterday, running fine then I smelled smoke and pulled over to find oil spilling out onto the exhaust manifold. The oil is coming out from the number 1 cylinder where the exhaust is attached.I pulled the spark plug and it is clean. I'm glad I caught it before it blew all the oil out. The motor starts and runs fine, oil pressure is normal,temp is normal; is this a blown head gasket? Any ideas?
Thanks,
Steve
'83 944

aj951 · 04-14-2008, 01:57 PM

Are you sure it is not the cam tower gasket leaking right above the exhaust manifold?

Arizona_928 · 09:05 PM

+1 for the cam cover gasket. which could be the cause for all the oil.

and it could be the exhaust manifold "headers" gaskets have gone bad... which would lead to the smoke.... try a compression test/and leak down just to see if it's not the HG......

Slam · 04-14-2008, 03:58 PM

+2 for cam tower gasket. You'd swear it was the exhaust.

ColoradoSteve · ColoradoSteve's Garage

Could be the gasket, I haven't had time to dig into it yet. There is oil being pushed out and it drips onto the exhaust manifold at a pretty good rate so there's no doubt where the smoke is coming from. Thanks for the help.

944Spec_bound · 04-15-2008, 12:30 AM

yep, common problem I hear....Cam tower.
I've been putting off fixing mine, same exact problem.
I don't normally believe in oil additives, but I needed to pass tech insp so I tried a stop leak product, drove it a thousand miles, changed the oil. Didn't stop it but it noticeably reduced the leak. Mine still leaks while parked overnight, stinks for about 10 minutes until it burns it off the header, then goes away.

hpservertech · 04-15-2008, 09:34 AM

Very common. Overall I would say less then 2 hours with the right tools.

Much better then the oil leaking on a hot exhaust and catching fire.

ColoradoSteve · ColoradoSteve's Garage

Everyone was right....it is a gasket ; unfortunately it's the gasket between the camshaft assembly and the cylinder head. This looks like a lot of work, anyone know some shortcuts?

zedsn · 04-15-2008, 04:24 PM

Hi, my camshaft seal has a very slow leak that wants to find its way to the exhaust manifold. Clean the oil on the backside of where your distributor is and inspect after a good drive. That could be your problem.

aj951 · 04-15-2008, 04:54 PM

Unfortunately there are no shortcuts. If it is the cam tower gasket, you will have to remove the cam tower. Clark's Garage http://www.clarks-garage.com/ has a good procedure for removing and replacing the cam tower. There there is plenty quality help here as well.

A.J.

ColoradoSteve · ColoradoSteve's Garage

This was no slow leak; the oil was coming out in a little stream and pouring onto the exhaust manifold, lucky it didn't start a fire. Anyhow, I've started working on it using Clark's manual for a guide. How did we survive before internet?? I'm going to put on a new cam belt while I'm in there and change the oil, too. Thanks all for your advice.

aj951 · 04-16-2008, 06:50 AM

What you are describing " oil coming out in a little stream" is not typical of a cam tower gasket leak, but it's still possible. Did it look like the stream was under significant pressure? What is your oil pressure reading? I have heard of the oil filter gaskets blowing because of high oil pressure, usually caused by a stuck Oil Pressure Relief Valve in the oil cooler housing. The oil filter is near the number 1 cylinder. You may want to check your oil filter gasket before you start removing the cam tower. Just a suggestion.

A.J.

ColoradoSteve · ColoradoSteve's Garage

aj951,
Thanks for the suggestion, I can see a piece of the gasket coming out from under the cam housing so I'm sure that's where the leak is coming from. I've only had this car for about a year and according to carfax it had only 30k miles put on it in the last 10 years. It sat around for a while in someone's yard and the seals dried out and cracked. This also explains the smell of exhaust ( I thought ) when I drove with the windows down. It must have been leaking for a while and then it got much worse. I also noticed when I started taking it apart yesterday that the bolts were not very tight, a couple of them I could almost turn by hand! It has been a learning experience owning this car but I love it.

hpservertech · 04-16-2008, 09:50 AM

It really is a pretty easy job. The biggest pain is getting the bolts to break free.

Get a good, long set of allen head sockets for your wrench. Use some scrap metal conduit slid over your wrench handle to make it a longer breaker bar. Works great.

some say start at the outside and work your way in. I found it easy to work my way inside to the outside. Leave the corner bolts in though until you have all the bolts broke free. Take the bolts out from the inside and work your way to the corners. the cam tower will be trying to push up from the lifters, so expect that.

aj951 · 04-16-2008, 01:41 PM

I see...Sounds like you have the problem identified. Good luck with changing the gasket and keep us posted. I have an intermittent noisy lifter so I may be doing this job myself in the future. I would recommend changing the cork gasket at the rear of the cam tower while you have it off, it only cost a $1.00. The rear cork gasket can be changed while it is on the car but it is a PITA. You may also want to check your lifters while your in there but if it only has 30K miles, they are probably fine.

A.J.

ColoradoSteve · ColoradoSteve's Garage

New gaskets installed and put back together! Over all it wasn't too bad but I did drop a couple of lifters when I was removing the tower. Don't know how to avoid this happening but fortunately they weren't damaged and fit back in with out any problem. This car has 130k on it and if you had seem the condition of the gaskets it's a wonder I had any oil pressure at all. I would recommend this procedure on any 944 that has over 100k on it, parts only cost me $55. , well worth the effort.
Steve
'83 944

944Spec_bound · 04-22-2008, 07:40 PM

you convinced me. Putting it at the top of my list.
Mine's not that bad but I'm tired of getting the stink eye from people at stop lights until the residue burns off, like i'm a gross polluter or something.

Arizona_928 · 04-22-2008, 07:56 PM

how long did ur lifters make noise when u started it back up?

ColoradoSteve · ColoradoSteve's Garage

AZ,
The lifter noise only lasted about 5 seconds; I did put some grease on them to make them 'stick' so they wouldn't fall out when I put the cover back on. Also put in new oil and filter before starting the motor.
944Spec- Make sure you mark the cam sprocket at TDC before removing belt and cover, you can also mark the belt if you're going to reuse it. I have the krikit tool for retensioning the belt and it seems to work fine.Good luck.
Steve

Slam · 04-23-2008, 03:30 PM

Nice-looking car, Steve. Question: did you use a sealant on the gasket? First time I did mine I didn't and it leaked within 6 months. Second time I used some sealant and it hasn't leaked. I do, however, have a cam tower from a late car with the late cam. Maybe that's why it leaked...