Head Gasket Gone . . .

[dinicola999]

i know this is a bad picture i couldnt get my camera at a good angle from my engine bay, i didnt get a chance to take a picture of the oil leaking down the side of my motor behind belt when i had car on the lift, im just worried if the oil gets on my timing belt and my belt goes is my motor ******...

im not 100% sure the oil is even head gasket related its just leakin behind pullys and timing cover

 

[mmspeed3]

I would suggest you pressure wash and use a degreaser (brake clean or other type) to clean off all of the oil from your engine. Then blow off the moisture / water with an air hose. Then add flourescent dye to the oil. You may have to buy this at an auto parts store, but it shouldn't be too much money.

Read the instructions for how much dye to mix with your engine's standard oil qty.

Then run the engine for a period of time (3 to 4 min, or until you see something "leaking". Confirm it's "oil & dye" by using a black light (or whatever type of light the bottle of dye suggests). The flourescent dye will glow neon green or yellow (depending on what type you buy).

Since you just cleaned your engine thoroughly before this "dye test", you should be able to determine the leak point fairly easy.

Possibilities:
- Power steering fluid leak from the pump.
- PCV system leak (oil vapor / mist collecting on engine).
- Oil galley plug (if your engine has one) which will be a small threaded plug behind the power steering pump in the cylinder head.
- Cam cover gasket failure.
- Other "hose connection" or bad hose.

 

[Fudgie]

Yup. What he said. Clean it off and take a closer look. My vote goes to the valve cover gasket needing replacement.

 

[laracroft]

Valve cover gasket is the easiest and cheapest solution if that's what it turns out to be. If it's the head gasket, you're looking at a couple hundred bucks just in labor. The best thing to do is try opening the valve cover and checking the gasket. If the rubber's gone, replace it and clean the engine bay. If it still leaks, take it to a dealer and have them do a compression check. Whatever you do, you need to start getting to the bottom of it asap. If the head starts to go, so will the engine and all it's parts.

 

[dinicola999]

i just noticed that my valve cover is leakin a little oil but i dont think it was leaking the large amount i saw on the side of my motor, im replacing the valve cover im just waiting to get it back on a lift and getting a better look, b/c if its the head gasket then im gunna get the $300 full gasket kit and just replace everything, and i did do a compression test it was good across the board

 

[laracroft]

That's good news so far. Oil can escape from just about anywhere. I had a small oil leak and freaked out about it myself. It turned out to be the valve cover gasket and after fixing it, it was fine. Also, if the compression check came back good, there's nothing loose, and the gasket for the valve is good, but you're still leaking oil- then you may have to open the head. You just may need the head gasket replaced since the compression check was good, it just means that the head isn't warped yet and doesn't need any real work done. If you want to be 100% sure, then you might as well splurge on the other gaskets while you're at it. I have a Cometic on mine, and I'm pretty happy with it.

Hope things turn out ok for ya.

 

[ForceFed]

Yeah..Oil doesnt usually leak from a Head GAsket..Just some FYI.

 

[laracroft]

So what was the verdict??? I'm curious.

 

[dstmsp03]

I'd say cam seals or valve cover

 

[DiscreetSpeed]

Wrd... clean it up and take a closer look, cant tell anything right now.

 

[dinicola999]

well im waiting on my valve cover gasket to come in, me and my machanic ruled out head gasket, just had an issue with thermostat, would not let coolent into motor, thermo was cracked and misshaped (bent up) running good now

 

[Packerfan]

I have seen this leak before save the money on the valve cover gasket and get cams seals, exhaust seal leak is what it looks like to me I had same thing and you better change timing belt while your at it since it has to come off to change cam seals. Oil on timing belt is a big no no.

 

[dstmsp03]

they are a b**** to get sealed too.. i still have a slight leak comming out of mine.. and i permatexed that b****!

 

[DiscreetSpeed]

Nice!

 

[dinicola999]

I have seen this leak before save the money on the valve cover gasket and get cams seals, exhaust seal leak is what it looks like to me I had same thing and you better change timing belt while your at it since it has to come off to change cam seals. Oil on timing belt is a big no no.

if it is cam seals, and exhaust seals would i be seing oil burned in exhaust (blue smoke out back)

 

[dstmsp03]

no.. b/c cam seals are behind the cams,. its not throwing oil into the exhaust.. just seeping through the cracks on the head where the cams and head come together by the cam gears..

 

[StealthWyvern]

if it is cam seals, and exhaust seals would i be seing oil burned in exhaust (blue smoke out back)

I think this will help you get a better idea.

http://faculty.ccp.edu/faculty/dreed/Campingart/jettatech/camshaftjob/Dsc04309.jpg

 

[dinicola999]

just installed valve cover gasket, old one was shot, not a drop of oil on timing belt, it looked very healthy

 

[laracroft]

Good. Easy fix.

 

[dinicola999]

sure was