serious oil leak

[IndianaVX]

i think im gonna start by taking the front end off, and exposing the timing belt area, that way, i can get a better idea of where the leak is coming from.
What timing.....instead of the vx in this new snow storm we got last night, im driving a 2wd chevy s10 my nerves are about shot.

wish me luck!
david

glad im not hated.....thanks guys! I do miss this forum

[nfpgasmask]

I would say that would be the best approach. Remove the pulleys from the front of the VX and pull the timing cover. You should be able to see a lot from there.

If I had to take a guess, I would say it could be a gasket somewhere leaking, or possibly the rear main seal on the back of the motor. Are you 100% sure it is oil and not tranny fluid coming from the cooler lines?

Good luck.

Bart

[IndianaVX]

well, i dont want to start trowing parts around, but i think i found the problem! i think the oil filter housing, where it bolts up to the block, is leaking......really bad! like 2 quarts in 9 miles bad.....
i took the risk driving it, but not without some calculations. i filled it up with oil, and drove the truck two miles, and checked the oil. it dropped just off the full mark about an 1/8 inch at 20mph. so i drove it to where i had a lift available, and stopped every 4 miles to top off the oil. going 40 mph i lost more oil .
so anyway, i ordered from merlin the gaskets, (actually look like O rings) and they should be here monday. 12 bucks from merlin fyi..... i guess ill install them, and see what happens.
meanwhile, we are supposed to get more snow, and i will miss the 4wd but there will be other snow im sure. it sure was nice to drive it today though, even if it was for only 9 miles.
keepin my fingers crossed!

Oh, great writeup bart on the timing belt replacement. the hosers that put me thru hell a couple of years ago sure could have used that! it took them a month and a half to set the timing!! ugh, pains me to even think about it........

better let someone else use the puter now......

[nfpgasmask]

Weird that it is the oil filter adapter...keep us posted!

Bart

[IndianaVX]

replaced the two gaskets, (o rings) on the oil filter housing, and still leaking oil, i am now thinking that it is a leak coming from the actual oil pump.....and i am not enthused about that. gonna start working on that this afternoon.
anybody have any experience in dealing with a leaking oil pump? at least that is what the manual says it is, but TOBERT mentioned it as "front seal housing".
it sounded like he was having the same leak as i am in his post "oil pump removal"
problem is he left his post hanging, and never did say what his conclusion was on what the problem was.........
well, here is go again....time to get to it!

Im going in!! Wish me luck!

[nfpgasmask]

Oil leaks can be a pain in the boot for sure. I was racking my brain trying to find the oil leak I had with my Trooper after the motor swap. I cleaned off the area really good with carb cleaner, let it dry, and then puffed baby powder all over the area. Then I could pin point the area where the oil was dripping from.

Does it leak all the time or only when the VX is running?

Bart

[IndianaVX]

Ok, first, thank you bart for your write up on the timing belt. i was able to "borrow" a laptop that i downloaded your write up onto, and kept it close to where i was working......so thanks buddy....know that your writeup will help other vx owners keep their trucks running!!!


NOW, after taking off all the timing covers off, and what not, i cleaned everything down, wiped off, ect. put the crank pully back on, and started the truck up.......watched......and waited.................and then it happened!
i started seeing my oil drip, borderline stream out of the front of the drivers side cam, right behind the cam sprocket. so i cleaned everything off again, and looked, and the WHOLE FRONT CAM SEAL was spinning, completely out of the recess that it fits into! so again, brakecleaned everything off, and cleaned as much of the recess as i could with cleaner, let it dry, and used a yellow sealant smeared on the seal, and tapped it back into where it should go. letting it cure overnight, and i think i will be able to put it all back together and be on the road tomorrow sometime!!!
Now, it got me wondering about alot of things from my issue a couple of years ago. The mechanics would have replaced this seal, i would have thought, with the correct seal, but now wonder if they just went to autozone with an ID and OD dimension they needed and matched it up that way?

OR..... it was just soooo cold, and the seal was just loose enough, that the cold shrank the seal, let it pop out, and leak like it was. and being where it leaked behind this seal, it let it run down the BACK of the timing covers, and hung up on the crank cover, and exposed itself way down by the oil filter housing. who knows??
i was supprized that oil wasnt slung all over inside the covers, but it wasnt! it actually was pretty clean.
Also, i noticed that the yahoo's that worked on it a couple of years ago left 2 of the timing cover bolts off, and all but 2 of the rubber washers on the backs of the covers. not sure what im gonna do there, maybe make it a project for this summer when its warmer, and get a new set of bolts and washers etc.
so other than time, the fix cost me about $3.00! and well, the oil filter housing O-riings, which needed replaced, they were hard as a rock, probably would have shattered if i dropped them.
so all has ended well on this repair as i type this!
but still wont know for sure till i fire it up tommorrow after the sealant is cured. so im keeping my fingers crossed.

again, thanks bart for the write up, that was very cool being able to do a step, go to the puter and look at the next step, ect......just had to clean my hands alot!

and thanks to this forum, and the friendship and info it offers! hopefully this too will help someone in the future.
i will try to take a pic in the morning of the details

David