PrinceValorum
Member
- :
- 95 626 FS, 89 Toyota Derux 4x4
Hi guys, I picked up my 90 Miata with 148k at the beginning of August for a very reasonable price. I wanted something to get my hands dirty, and it didn't have any glaring issues at the time, besides the cosmetic flaws. (rolleyes) This will probably be long winded, but I want to provide enough info.
When I was changing the accessory belts in prep to head to the PA Mountain Cruise, I noticed that the engine bay is pretty soaked in gunky oil and dirt. (unamused) What's interesting is that only the front and passenger side (right side, if looking forward from inside the cabin) from the radiator to the firewall are affected. The driver's side is relatively clean, compared to the other side.
Hopefully this provides an idea of what the affected area looks like.
While on the cruise, ~500 miles round trip, 7 hours at at least 4-5k rpms to keep up with a certain silver P5.. I ended up losing 1.5 quarts of oil. (boom06) It doesn't burn any oil, I'm almost positive, but I noticed fresh oil on parts that I know I cleaned off while replacing the belts. When I took off the passenger front wheel, there was even a small puddle of oil on the inside of the rim!
My ideas are either an oil leak in the head gasket (compression checked out good), or as someone else suggested, a leaking oil pressure sending unit. I was also considering a front crank seal, but it seems less likely at this point.
My oil gauge readings are sometimes very erratic (waving around with 20psi difference), and I'm not sure if that is indicative of a malfunctioning/leaking OPSU or an oil leak. I checked the oil pressure (only at idle and 3k rpms) with a mechanical gauge and it was within 1psi of acceptable. When I had the OPSU out, the back of it (side that faces the block) was absolutely coated with old oil and dirt, if that means anything.
If I run it hard and at high rpms, when I come back to idle for a stop, the oil pressure will read 0 on the gauge. Otherwise, when driving 'normally' the oil pressure does not venture very far past 30psi on the gauge, even at higher rpms.
Thanks for taking the time to read this. Ideas?
When I was changing the accessory belts in prep to head to the PA Mountain Cruise, I noticed that the engine bay is pretty soaked in gunky oil and dirt. (unamused) What's interesting is that only the front and passenger side (right side, if looking forward from inside the cabin) from the radiator to the firewall are affected. The driver's side is relatively clean, compared to the other side.
Hopefully this provides an idea of what the affected area looks like.
While on the cruise, ~500 miles round trip, 7 hours at at least 4-5k rpms to keep up with a certain silver P5.. I ended up losing 1.5 quarts of oil. (boom06) It doesn't burn any oil, I'm almost positive, but I noticed fresh oil on parts that I know I cleaned off while replacing the belts. When I took off the passenger front wheel, there was even a small puddle of oil on the inside of the rim!
My ideas are either an oil leak in the head gasket (compression checked out good), or as someone else suggested, a leaking oil pressure sending unit. I was also considering a front crank seal, but it seems less likely at this point.
My oil gauge readings are sometimes very erratic (waving around with 20psi difference), and I'm not sure if that is indicative of a malfunctioning/leaking OPSU or an oil leak. I checked the oil pressure (only at idle and 3k rpms) with a mechanical gauge and it was within 1psi of acceptable. When I had the OPSU out, the back of it (side that faces the block) was absolutely coated with old oil and dirt, if that means anything.
If I run it hard and at high rpms, when I come back to idle for a stop, the oil pressure will read 0 on the gauge. Otherwise, when driving 'normally' the oil pressure does not venture very far past 30psi on the gauge, even at higher rpms.
Thanks for taking the time to read this. Ideas?
