[pvcar]

i rember someone talking about this a little while back about how they had oil that was dripping out from the bell housing, well i have this problem i have a medium size drip that is coming right were the trans connects to the engine and dont no whats causing this, any ideas??? also anthor leak which is coming from near the front of the engine it looks like its leaking from the oil pump cover but when i examined it more it looks like its coming out somewhere in the front of the engine, any ideas on whats causing this proble??? i am positive the oil from the front leak is engine oil and im almost a 100% sure the leak from the back is coming from the engine as well because it doesnt really smell like tranny fluid and i checked teh level inside the fill hole of the tranny and it was basiclly were i had filled when i put it in several months ago. any ideas hints or tips are apreciated since id like to find out what i need to get so i can order it then just pull the engine and trans fix it and put it back in a weekends time since i need the car during the week. thanks ahead of time.

 

[jerseyopel]

oil leak

Sounds like front and rear main seals to me. Also on the front make sure its not coming from the valve cover, it will run down from there sometimes.

 

[pvcar]

what about the tranny bel housing to engine block seal would this be a contributer as well? so i guess ill be ordering a front and rear main seal from ogts in the next few days.

 

[jerseyopel]

oil leak

You have a 4 spd correct?? Is your clutch slipping? How much oil consumption are we talking about, ie quart a week?? Did you check the oil pan seal all the way around?? The easiest way I have found to actually find the leak was to get engine degreaser,clean engine, top off with oil and start it up with a new piece of cardboard under car. found them easy this way. Also make sure car is on jackstands before you put the cardboard under it so you can crawl under it without movind cardboard.

 

[jlthunder]

I had the same problem with the oil in the rear of the engine on a brand new rebuild. I called Gil at OGTS and this solved the problem but you won't like it.
If this is a fresh rebuild, you will have to drop the pan(removal of engine supports required). Remove the rear(5th) main bearing cap. Place 2 small(one on each side) dabs of RTV where the bearing cap mets the engine block. DO NOT place any in the bearing. Retorque the bolts to Factory specs and reinstall pan with new gaskets. If this doesn't stop the leak, then it sounds like a rear main seal.

If this engine has not been rebuilt, then I would agree that the front and rear seals are worn. Front seal is easy, remove the front pulley, pull the seal(seal puller works great), and replace with a new one. Rear Seal is a pain. Drop the transmission. remove the clutch assembly and replace the seal on the engine. If you have to do this, you might as well replace the clutch, pressure plate and pilot bearing.

Just my 0.02

Jeff

 

[opelbits]

You might check the back end of the valve cover gasket. The bolts holding the valve cover down can loosen over time, or if you have a rubber type cover gasket, it can shrink or relax, allowing a little oil seepage. If the motor is older, it may have a 'blow by' issue. Take the oil cap off while the car is running and place your hand over it, there will be some pressure, but if it feels excessive, then the rings may be going, allowing combustion pressure to escape and increase the overall pressure in the crankcase/valve cover areas, then it could be pushing oil out the back at that seal.

 

[pvcar]

well yes it is the 4 speed and has the original engine but it only has 80,224 on it and thats the actual mileage, i found that when i did the new clutch i also installed a rear mainseal, but not the front, i tried the engine degreeser idea worked a lill i think my front leak is actual something up near the top of the water pump , dont think its a head gasket? i amy need to do the rear 5th main bearing trick since when i had the tranny out the oil pan near the back was all funkeyd with sealer and stuff, will see next week when i get the front seal from ogts.
also the clutch is not slipping so i do not think its getting to the clutch disk wereever its leaking from although i have noticed oile up by were the clutch fork goes into the bell housing and dont no were thats coming from either.

 

[Willy_g77]

rear main seal....

I heard if you replace a rear main seal and if the seal has any grooves in it you would have to take a shim and hammer it over the crankshaft and then put the rear main seal in.... if not it will leak more... That is what i was told... But right now a little blue smoke is coming from the exhaust(back). when it first starts up, and when you rev it to a high rpm. could this mean i have to replace my piston rings and valve guides? and my gt is leaking oil in the same spot too..... so let me know when you find out where it is coming from.... and a bad gasket on you valve cover will cause your engine compartment to smoke if it leaks down on the exhaust....

 

[pvcar]

one leak i had was from that little cover on the engine block that has three bolts holding it on its located on the drivers side, i made a new seal for that today and put it on it cured one leak i had 1 down two to go hoping the leak from the front is from the front main seal and not the head gasket but wouldnt coolant be coming out if the head gasket was broken/blown?? and not oil because the leak in the front i believe is coming from were the front main seal is but it kinda looks like it could be more near the water pump. any other ideas, im gonna try and get pics to post so there are some visuals pics are worth a thousand words.

 

[ode22]

this is my first time visiting this site, i wish i would have found it 3 years ago. i am currently working on a 70 GT that i have been refurbishing since 2001. i am down to two things that i need to get fixed before i feel comfortable driving on city streets. i am having a problem with the oil pump cover. i have replaced the oil pump cover gasket several times and still can not stop the slow leak. i even replaced the oil pump cover from ogts and used the appropriate gaskets as well. i have tried to find if it is coming from somewhere else and it doesn't seem to be. it seems to be coming from the lowest to bolts on the drivers side and when i remove the cover oil seems to be coming from the bolts holes as well. any help? also, do those oil relief valve "bolts" screw out? i need to check the original oil relief valve to make sure that it is inoperable. thanks.

 

[pvcar]

well mine the drips come down the lowest bolts on the oil pump cover but it is not that that is the cause of my leak atleast because when i clean the whole engine then run it the oil comes from somewhere up near where the front main seal is, this is why im gonna change thisand see if ti fixes my problem. also to all that have done this job is it easier for me to drop the motor and trans and do it then pt it all back in or try and do it while its in the car, i was just gonna pull the engine myslef seemed esaier since i have a/c. but i was thinking if i remove radiator and the plastic piece that goes around the fan then pull the fan off could i do it in the car thats the ?. any ideas apreciated.

 

[GTJIM (R.I.P.)]

"Grooves"

As Willy mentioned - if the front and rear seals are simply replaced this seldom completely fixes oil leaks as the front pulley and rear crank areas inevitably have grooves worn in them by the old seals.

To repair these surfaces there is a neat solution which involves fitting a very thin, hard and shiny sleeve over the parts. Called a "Redi-sleeve" they are designed to fit inside the existing seal sizes as they are very thin. This restores the sealing surfaces nicely.

If the existing seals are still soft and pliable fitting the sleeves alone can restore the seal and stop the leaks .......

 

[pvcar]

ok im hoping to do my front seal tommorow, im asuming it will be ableto be done if i pull the radiator and then the fan shroud then the fan, then pull the pully off, one qustion i have is i have an extra front cover that i was looking at to see how the seal goes in and all well i tried to get the seal out of that cover and it still isnt out i didnt want to pry to much in the event i would bend the housing or something, any tricks on how to pull this easy, and should i also drain the oil it seams like it would be a lot less messy if i did that. what do all u that have done this recomend? thanks in advance.

 

[jlthunder]

Get yourself a seal puller. They are sold at any auto parts store. I used it on my rear pinion seal(rear axle) and it popped right out. If you try to use a screwdriver, you will end up damaging your timing cover. Just my 0.02

 

[pvcar]

yah i wasnt trying to use a screwdriver but i was trying to use this tool that looks like a ice pick but with the tip bent into almost an S looking shape, ill go see if i can find a seal puller, thanks for the tip.

 

[Jeff Pozorski]

One other source for a front oil leak not mentioned is the gasket under the distributor. It is a paper thin gasket and often wears out letting the oil drip down the front of the engine and making it seem other things are leaking. I just replaced mine on my Manta after finding the front seal was not leaking nor anything else. The gasket under the dist. was virtually non-existent. Since putting in a new gasket I have had no oil leaks from the front of the engine. I made my own gasket out of the proper material and the whole process took only about 40 minutes. Make sure the engine is at TDC before pulling the dist. (you will also have to pull the fuel pump before removing the dist.)
Good luck,
Jeff

 

[pvcar]

did u just use gasket material? and also u are talking about the round section that goes into the engine right below the top of the distributer? so i would pull the distributer then install new gasket reinstall no use of sealer or anything else? ill do this at the same time as the front seal since i wont be getting around to doing the front seal today anyways, thanks for the tip.

 

[Scott McDonald]

Also, the fuel pump and/or gasket can leak...Quite badly in fact.

The dipstick hole can leak as well, if the rubber seal is bad.

The rear cam cover can leak too.

 

[Dmcbrass]

How much is too much?

I have been involved in the maintenance of Opels since the late 60's and can't remember a single one of them, with any significant amount of miles that didn't leak some oil. Actually most cars from that era had the same problem. To expect a 1.9 L engine to be oil free for 10's of thousands of miles is unrealistic. That being said, each of us has to decide how much leakage is acceptable and how much time and money we are willing to invest to eliminate leaks.
Any thoughts out there on how much is too much?

 

[Jeff Pozorski]

I recently sold my 69 Gt that did not leak a drop of oil the 2 years I owned it. Likewise, my first Manta, a 71, never leaked a drop the 3 years that I ran it as a daily driver. My current Manta loves to leak but things are getting better as I replace old gaskets and do them right as the previous owner did them wrong.