Very annoying oil leak

[blueroo]

Hey all,
My 170 has a rather annoying oil leak. It's annoying because I know it's there but I don't know where it is. I'm 99% sure it doesn't occur when the motor is running because I've had it running in the driveway before and didn't have any leaks. However, if it sits for at least an hour, when you move it off the spot there's fresh oil. I'm thinking it's near the front of the engine because there always seem to be a drop of oil right at the drain plug, but it's on the pan before the plug.
Anybody else have a similar problem and does anybody know a way to fix it?

 

[wallaka]

Clean the engine well. Then look for leaks. With a flashlight. You need to be under the car. At least narrow it down to the front or rear, left or right. Then an educated guess can be made. If it's like most of them the valve cover is leaking if nothing else.

 

[blueroo]

Just wondering, would a black light help at all?

 

[wallaka]

Not if you haven't put fluorescent dye into the oil. They sell it at parts stores for A/C leaks. Might try it. If the engine is old though, it's probably seeping from various places.

 

[blueroo]

Well, it's a freshly rebuilt motor. I'm about 100 miles short of 3k since rebuild

 

[blueroo]

Hey all,
Just thought of something and I'm not sure if it's possible so I thought I'd ask. Is it common for a freshly rebuilt motor to leak oil within the first 3k miles or so?

 

[JackFish]

Hey all,
Just thought of something and I'm not sure if it's possible so I thought I'd ask. Is it common for a freshly rebuilt motor to leak oil within the first 3k miles or so?

Doubt it. I would think one of the reason for the rebuild would be to seal everything back up real well.
Take it back to the rebuilder, tell them to find it and fix it.
Maybe they didn't get the front seal in right, or over-torqued the bolts underneath or in front.

 

[61Futura]

Check your fuel pump mounting bolts. Mine are always coming loose and leaking oil. One of these days I'll have to fix it permanently.

 

[Anonymous]

wash the engine really well and let it dry completely.

run it a little bit and use a turkey baster with talcum powder in it to dust for leaks.