Oil leak leaving a mess on the ground - it looks like the rear oil seal - below the flywheel. I read about this "flame trap" and sure enough it was clogged. Here's the $1,500 question. If I replace the flame trap - will this stop the oil leakage? Or, is it too late - once it leaks oil from the seal there's nothing else to do but have it replaced? Advise..possible DIY (rear oil seal) or dealership repair and cost?

Well, I cleaned the flame trap (it wasn't that bad) the oil filler cap gasket looks OK. There's still a persistent oil leak. I've wiped the bottom of the engine to remove all the excess oil...and it looks like the leak is originating in-between the transmission and engine block - directly below the flywheel. Any suggestions - SELL IT??? '95 wagon glt with 124K

I had the same problem. I replaced the flame trap and still oil on the ground. It looked like it was a main seal or something but I tried another fix. I spent $2.55 to replace the oil filler cap gasket. The dealer said that if the seal is dry that oil will come out and run down the engine making it look like it has a big leak. Went home, replaced and then cleaned the engine. No more leak!!!! He said to replace it every other oil change. Hope this is your oil leak cause.

You may wana give AutoRx a try before plunkin' down $1500.

http://www.auto-rx.com/pages/sealleak.htm

A high % of guys that have used the stuff report good results.

250K and counting

Replacing flame trap will reduce/avoid positive pressure and so less oil will leak through seals, regardless of condition. When you replace the flame trap clean all the lines to flame trap housing including the narrow one (about 4 mm outside diameter) to the vacuum tower. In my case oil loss went down to about 1/3 of what it had been, once I cleaned everything well.

That being said, you are buying time, not a cure. The seals can and will fail eventually. When a seal fails, oil will find a way through even without excessive pressure. Try to find the source of the leak. Maybe it is only one of the camshaft seals. For the rears you can see the leaking oil under them on the block. For the front you would need to remove the upper timing belt cover (1 bolt).

If you drive often at highway speed, tracing can be deceptive because the leaked oil can be blown around a lot. My experience also is that a slow leak will become much faster after hours of highway driving when everything is very thoroughly warmed. It may revert to slow during cooler weather/city driving.