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slight leak.....not sure what to look for? 200 1992

Hello all -

I have a 1992 245, automatic with 190,000 miles on her! I just noticed a new leak on the driveway. Seems like it could be right above the oil drain. Is there a way to determine what this is? by feel? or smell?

I get the oil changed every 3000 and the leak is about the size of a grapefruit -- always the same amount(other dry spot remains on driveway).

What to check first? any thoughts/advice appreciated. Thank you - dpdy








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slight leak.....not sure what to look for? 200 1992

Hello:

Throw a piece of clean cardboard underneath next time you park it-- it will be much easier to tell on paper than on concrete or asphault.

In the meanwhile, check your flame trap and associated plumbing and have a look at the tranny cooler lines as well.

Good luck!

--
Herb Goltz, London, Ontario, Canada '92 245 w/109K mi








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slight leak.....not sure what to look for? 200 1992

First, you have to know what fluid it is so you can eliminate several major systems that have the capacity to leak things.

Pick up a sample of the puddle on a clean paper towel. Look at it - if it's greenish, it's most likely coolant, and your car is purging a little when the engine heats up after stopping.

If it's reddish, or reddish-brown, that would be automatic transmission fluid or power steering fluid.

If it's dark brown or black, it's lubricant - either from the engine or a manual transmission or the rear differential.

Engine oil is lighter-weight than gear oil, and smells completely different. You an pull the dipstick and compare the smell of your engine oil to the sample. If the sample is a LOT smellier, and a different odor from the eingine oil, it's gear oil.

I suspect that it's engine oil, since that seems to be the most common thing to leak from cars. You'll want to examine the engine closely (I do it after dark, with a flashlight) to try to determine the source of the leak.

Engines have three basic areas where they might leak; the front crank seal (behind the lower pulley at the front of the engine) or the rear crank seal (where the crank exits the rear of the engine and connects to the transmission), or one of the engine cover gaskets.

The engine cover gaskets are usually the first place an engine will leak, but they are also the easiest things to check, and are fairly easy to correct.

The rocker cover on the top of the engine can seep a considerable anount of oil, and they will sometimes work themselves loose over time. Examine the rocker cover all around, looking for fresh, wet oil. Try tightening the cover bolts a little. Don't put a LOT of pressure on them, as they are rather small and will twist off if you get them over-tight. The cover can also warp if it's too tight, making for more leaks. The trick is to snug them down good, but don't put a lot of pressure on them.

The next cover to check is the oil pan. You will probably need to put the car up on ramps so you can get underneath. Don't trust the jack to hold it up, and NEVER use cinder blocks to raise the car, as they collapse with no notice.

Look at the oil drain plug and the edges of the oil pan. Just as with the rocker cover, if you see wet oil, you need to tighten things down.

If neither of these covers seem to be the source of your leak, examine the front bottom and rear bottom of the engine. If you see fresh oil below the front of rear ends of the crankshaft, you most likely have a main seal going (or gone) bad.

The only cure for bad main seals is to replace them. Sometimes you can get at the front main seal by removing the belts and the lower pulley. If you can't get the pulley off, you'll need to take the car to a shop. If it's the rear main seal, the engine or transmission must be pulled to get a new seal installed.

We're going to hope it's just a leaky cover. If you determine that's the problem, and tightening the bolts doesn't stop it, you'll have to put in new gaskets. The rocker cover gasket is a snap, but the oil pan gasket may be a lot harder.

Good luck!








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slight leak.....not sure what to look for? 200 1992

thank you for the indepth write -- I will check all of those things and post back!







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