I have a leak :(
10-19-2006, 11:23 PM
#1
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Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Near Cape Cod, Mass.
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I have a leak :(
The leak in my garage is still a mystery leak, but the washer fluid bag was empty today, with very little if any fluid in the garage. The body shop guy (my mechanic was on vacation) said it most likely evaporated on the garage floor, but he filled it to the top and I'll be checking it daily.
But, I explained about the leak off to the side of the tire, and he said other than a cat lifting his leg on the tire, it makes no sense ... he kept checking and saying everything was dry -- but -- then he said "uh oh" and showed me a leak.
On the left side of the engine (right side if standing in front of the car), above the oil dipstick area, there is a seam along the side of the engine and you can see that something has been leaking and running along the seam and down. He felt it and sniffed it (no comments, guys) and said it was oil. I keep checking the oil (yeah, I'm ****, sue me) and my oil is always fine as are all my fluids (other than washer fluid, I know).
I told him I'd put about 2k miles on the new engine and he said things are breaking in and this is somewhat normal. He felt (and admitted this isn't his area of expertise) that the head was the issue and the gasket could be wearing and they would have to take things apart to fix it. I worried they'd have to pull the engine but he said no, they just have to torque it (it was a word beginning with a T but it's late, I'm old and tired).
He dried it and wiped it and said to just keep an eye on it. I do notice a drop here and there of oil in the garage but no puddles. I put a tray under the engine compartment and one under the tire to see what is leaking and where it's coming from and will check it tomorrow afternoon.
So -- what's leaking?! Could it just be the gasket on the head being a little worn and needing to be replaced?
(It may not be related, but on the highway today I noticed a smell of gas, and mentioned it to him, and he noticed it around the engine as well)
But, I explained about the leak off to the side of the tire, and he said other than a cat lifting his leg on the tire, it makes no sense ... he kept checking and saying everything was dry -- but -- then he said "uh oh" and showed me a leak.
On the left side of the engine (right side if standing in front of the car), above the oil dipstick area, there is a seam along the side of the engine and you can see that something has been leaking and running along the seam and down. He felt it and sniffed it (no comments, guys) and said it was oil. I keep checking the oil (yeah, I'm ****, sue me) and my oil is always fine as are all my fluids (other than washer fluid, I know).
I told him I'd put about 2k miles on the new engine and he said things are breaking in and this is somewhat normal. He felt (and admitted this isn't his area of expertise) that the head was the issue and the gasket could be wearing and they would have to take things apart to fix it. I worried they'd have to pull the engine but he said no, they just have to torque it (it was a word beginning with a T but it's late, I'm old and tired).
He dried it and wiped it and said to just keep an eye on it. I do notice a drop here and there of oil in the garage but no puddles. I put a tray under the engine compartment and one under the tire to see what is leaking and where it's coming from and will check it tomorrow afternoon.
So -- what's leaking?! Could it just be the gasket on the head being a little worn and needing to be replaced?
(It may not be related, but on the highway today I noticed a smell of gas, and mentioned it to him, and he noticed it around the engine as well)
10-19-2006, 11:42 PM
#3
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Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Near Cape Cod, Mass.
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RE: I have a leak :(
The fluid on the engine? It was ... yellowish? Yellow and brownish combined? If he hadn't cleaned it I'd take a picture, but maybe tomorrow it will be back 
You can see the drips where it ran down in various places along that seam.
The fluid in the garage (outside the tire, per the old post I made) wasn't oily at all, had no odor, and had a greenish/blue tint -- seems to support the washer fluid.
You can see the drips where it ran down in various places along that seam.The fluid in the garage (outside the tire, per the old post I made) wasn't oily at all, had no odor, and had a greenish/blue tint -- seems to support the washer fluid.
10-20-2006, 12:02 AM
#5
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Hills of California
Posts: 5,208
RE: I have a leak :(
Yeah sounds like perhaps antifreeze might have escaped some how.
Do you have a catch can/ overflow tank that the antifreeze can drain into from the radiator?
With the engine cool take the cap off the radiator and look to make sure water is still in it.
Gun
Do you have a catch can/ overflow tank that the antifreeze can drain into from the radiator?
With the engine cool take the cap off the radiator and look to make sure water is still in it.
Gun
10-20-2006, 12:13 AM
#6
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Join Date: Oct 2006
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Posts: 367
RE: I have a leak :(
The yellowish fluid on the block/head might be anti-freeze. If it is in fact coming from the head/block area, you might have a blown head gasket. These gaskets dont wear, they are clamped very tightly between the head and block interface and cant move....no movement, no wear. Torquing the head might help. If the head is loose, you have bigger problems than a leak...loose heads will warp and have to be removed and resurfaced. Also keep an eye on the oil on the dipstick....if it starts to turn milky in color then you have water getting into the oil system, not a good thing. The bluish water is probally washer fluid. This might indicate that you have a small pinhole on the washer bag or one of the hoses that goes to the windshield squirters.
10-20-2006, 12:25 AM
#7
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RE: I have a leak :(
the I6 is known for weeping engine oil at the head gasket. Especially along the drivers side toward the rear of the head. It isn't enough to notice in checking the oil, but will eventually build up enough to leak down the block. and leave a drop on the floor.
The original head gasket when first built was only about 0.020" thick (at full crush). All the replacement gaskets are about 0.40" thick (at full crush). There is a bit of microscopic movement that lets oil seep by. I have had some luck re-torquing when hot, but it is not an accepted practice, and I wouldn't do it for a customer unless we had a real good understanding. If you toss down a steel pan under the engine and you get more than a couple of drops, you need to have it checked. One to two drops overnight is not abnormal. Be glad it's not a '66 Harley
Funny your mechanic talking about a cat lifting his leg... You sure he doesn't read this forum?
The original head gasket when first built was only about 0.020" thick (at full crush). All the replacement gaskets are about 0.40" thick (at full crush). There is a bit of microscopic movement that lets oil seep by. I have had some luck re-torquing when hot, but it is not an accepted practice, and I wouldn't do it for a customer unless we had a real good understanding. If you toss down a steel pan under the engine and you get more than a couple of drops, you need to have it checked. One to two drops overnight is not abnormal. Be glad it's not a '66 Harley
Funny your mechanic talking about a cat lifting his leg... You sure he doesn't read this forum?
10-20-2006, 09:41 AM
#10
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RE: I have a leak :(
Uhh, Scott, were you at the body shop today? What you said was almost identical to what the body shop guy said. I6 being known for it, slow leak, etc ... you were peeking when I was there!
As for the cat lifting its leg, that was another uhm mechanic, not my regular one, this one is more of a *cough cough* personal friend (who I have invited here so maybe he'll post, though he hates anything with a six).
I see a drop of oil on the garage floor after I drive it for an hour or so (the next day), but it wasn't a puddle or even a small leak, more of a little teeny tiny drip.
As for the cat lifting its leg, that was another uhm mechanic, not my regular one, this one is more of a *cough cough* personal friend (who I have invited here so maybe he'll post, though he hates anything with a six).
I see a drop of oil on the garage floor after I drive it for an hour or so (the next day), but it wasn't a puddle or even a small leak, more of a little teeny tiny drip.