84 M1009 oil leak has me baffled

[alburms311]

So I completed the oil pan gasket/broken bolt extraction project this weekend thinking I had resolved my oil leak issue. It still leaks. I was certain the leak was coming from the front lip of the oil pan between the two bolts there, but apparently its just running down from behind the pan and then between the two front bolts, making it appear to be coming from the pan. It’s is a very slow leak and it isn’t constant. It leaked for maybe 3-4 minutes or so after I re-filled the oil then stopped. I drove around for 30 minutes then parked it, checked to see if it was leaking and it was, so I went in for the night. This morning the same amount of oil was on the ground as has always been. I'm getting around a 4-5 inch diameter spot on the tub I have under the vehicle, just to give you an idea of how much(or little) its leaking. What else in this area could be leaking, and why is it not a constant leak? I have looked from the top down and the bottom up, but no dice. Its not a big deal considering the age of the vehicle, but I still would like to fix it. Any help would be appreciated!

 

[Shane M]

have the same problem, had my transmission rebuilt and had the guy look to see if he could find it, he thought it was from the timing cover... haven't had a chance to look at it since

 

[porkysplace]

Have you checked your harmonic balancer and the seal behind it ? The balancers are prone to failure.

 

[alburms311]

Have you checked your harmonic balancer and the seal behind it ? The balancers are prone to failure.

I read a few posts about the harmonic balancer but I haven't checked it. To be honest Im not sure how to check it, guess I need to spend some more time in the TMs. If it were the seal behind the HB, would this explain why its not a constant leak?

 

[porkysplace]

I believe the rubber in them goes bad . Sometimes people notice a slight vibration . there are a ton of threads on it .
Check your balencer
Inspected my Harmonic Damper today...

 

[dependable]

As mentioned in other oil leak thread (on this page today) check to be sure oil leak isn't actually fuel dripping down dirty engine.

 

[alburms311]

I have verified its not fuel, it is engine oil. I'm still confused as to why it stops after sitting a few minutes though.

 

[porkysplace]

It is probably a ruber seal that heats up and swells , when it cools it leaks .

 

[dependable]

Could be a seal as stated above or just about any gasket in upper engine. As mentioned, valve cover gasket is a good start, but could in theory be any upper or intermediate gasket from oil chamber to outside of engine of engine (lower gasket would leak all the time). Ip gasket could do it too. If you clean your engine, you can probably trace it.

 

[timarr]

If its at the front of the pan and drips onto the front cross member pull the balancer and replace the timing cover seal. national seal#3945 from any auto parts store 8 bucks

 

[alburms311]

If its at the front of the pan and drips onto the front cross member pull the balancer and replace the timing cover seal. national seal#3945 from any auto parts store 8 bucks

Thats exactly what its doing. I will be stopping by the parts store sometime this week and picking up the seal and ordering a new balancer. Guess I know what my next project is...aren't these vehicles fun
Thanks all for the advice.

 

[timarr]

balancer/ dorman 594-128 about 60.00. Its all a easy job. When doing put cardboard on the inside of radiator just incase! because you want to go down that road.

 

[wayne pick]

You might want to throw a water pump on it while the front of the engine is apart. Fel Pro gasket set part# QTCS 45686. $19.95. Includes water pump gaskets.

 

[alburms311]

Update. I splurged and paid someone to do the timing seal and balancer. My wife and daughter were very happy that I was not under the truck this weekend, and so was my back. Long story short, I picked up the truck today and parked it in its usual spot and guess what, it still has a leak. It's as if the seal hadn't been changed at all. See below for pic of the suspected leak location before the seal was changed. Any thoughts on where else this may be coming from? I asked the the mechanic and he agreed that this was resolve my issue, guess ill be calling him next week to take a second look. Any suggestions appreciated!

 

[timarr]

did you clean the cross member off? It will drip for a day or two depending how much oil was on it. How did the pan look behind balancer ,in picture looks like a gap? Did you use rtv on pan or gasket. I use gasket and a bead of anaerobic seal with a dab at angle change at the timing cover. Clean the cross member and then let it run with fingers crossed.

 

[alburms311]

Yes I clean the crossmember thoroughly. I used the felpro gasket with some hi tack gasket sealant beforehand. The gap your seeing I saw as well, it appears the top of the front lip of the pan is bent up, however, I don't see any seepage of oil from that area.