I've been struggling with a leak lately and have traced it from top to bottom.
It is coming from the front of the engine, and the highest point I can find it is leaking in in these pics. Notice the little pool of oil?

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/phot...eat=directlink
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/phot...eat=directlink

Its dripping all the way down the front and leaving a nice pool in the mornings. I'm up to about a Quart every 2-3 weeks.

Any suggestions?

Thanks.

 

Valley pan gasket, thats just about all that can leak oil uptop.

 

Those pictures don't help.
How mechanical are you, will you be doing the work or a shop?
Valley pan or head gaskets.

 

Coolant tends to flow down from the leak along ridges or seams.
You need to start up top and find the leak.
Check out the T connection for leaks.
Check the heater hoses.
Check that metal hose that goes into the block.

You could put in a bottle of Barr's leaks.
That would kill off the leak.

I once put in a water pump in Boston in the winter to a Range Rover in a hotel parking lot.

I messed up the water pump gasket and pinched it at the bottom.

Put in two bottles of Barr's leaks and amazingly even that leak stopped.
I drove that rover to New York City and NJ and back to Boston - no problem.

 

In preparation for the National Rally, I've compiled a "to-do" list. On that is Wires and Plugs.
While I've got the intake off, I plan on replacing the Intake Gasket and Valley Pan. I'm wondering if I should just go ahead and replace the valve cover gaskets since i've got it all open anyway?

Any other gaskets, things I should do with all of that crap off?

Oil pump, oil pressure sensor, timing chain, radiator, thermostat, coolant tank and lid, power steering pump, both diffs serviced have all recently been done within the last 5000 miles.

As for major other stuff, transmission service and xfer case are left (besides the stuff listed as potential sources of the problems).

Anything i'm missing?

Thanks.

 

I wonder if the leak could be this gasket?
LAND ROVER PARTS - GASKET - FRONT COVER V-8 4.0 & 4.6

Seems like a pain to replace?

 

If bone stock consider an Ultra Gauge. Borrow a coolant pressure tester and check it out at 15 PSI for like 30 minutes.

While doing all that you will find the test port for fuel pressure more easily accessed, so you could do a test of fuel pump. When swaping VC, don't let small washers/spacers fall into the works. With VC off, take a wire and poke down thru the galley drains of the heads where oil moves by gravity back to the sump. Assumed you did an oil PSI test after pump and all good. Highly worn rockers can impact oil PSI as well. You'l be moving some hoses, if not changed in recent memory assume that Murphy's Law # 459.876 (a) will apply - any old hose moved will crack more than 50 miles from home, or 200 miles from dealer, whichever is greater. Gasket for throttle body heater comes to mind. Clean out PCV system.

If under VC look like some of this you'll have more work.

And keep up with your tools. This "new cause for ticking" was found by one owner. Me, I would have sprayed it with gold paint, mounted it to a toilet seat cut in half, and presented it to the mechanic as the "half assed award."

If you did the oil pump that cover gasket should be new. Also, it is below the valley pan.

 

Thanks Savannah.
I didn't personally do the Oil pump, so I will need to ask my mechanic if the front gasket is new (or i guess i could look on the receipt).

My fear is I will open this thing up, and i won't know what i'm looking at to tell if it is messed up or not. Oil pressure seems good, light goes off almost immediately.

I do own an ultra gauge as well. I watch coolant temps. Not to start a thermostat/temperature discussion, i consistently run at 208.4 on the highway, and will rise above that to about 220 at idle on a HOT Texas summer day. Oh I forget to mention, fan clutch was replaced as well. Temps always the same, consistent with what I just mentioned. Hot? Maybe, but consistent. Truck has 112k on the dial. Mechanic says the heads are barley leaking, so it has been block sealed for the time being.

If the Throttle Body Heater thing was leaking, wouldn't that be coolant, not oil? I'm definitely leaking oil.

Lets assume for a second I get the Valley opened up and I see it all charred up like your picture above (the one without the wrench), what does that mean? What do I do?

Same question for valve cover picture.

Thanks for your help.

 

The throttle body will start leaking because you disturb it, hoses / gasket are old and brittle.

The valley pan gasket has a front and rear "lip seal", see if you can snug up bolts marked 24 in the attached drawing. And valve cover gaskets (need that skinny 8mm 12 point socket). That may reduce your oil leak and avoid more work. You can peek in the oil fill opening and see some of the gunk if there.

It is just as hot here in Savannah as Houston some days. I do 180 - 183, maybe 187 at 70 mph. That's in a D1 with a 180F stat and a rodded out radiator (you can't do that). The factory stat is fully open in a D2 at 204F. So what is controlling temp beyond there is water pump, cross section of radiator passages (dexcool sludge), fins blocked with trash and mud, collapsed lower hose. The 82C soft spring stat is a good choice.

Oil pressure seems good is like saying I can't be overdrawn, I still have money in the account. How much is the question. But it is a good sign for light off promptly and not blinking on during driving. We know you have over 7 PSI. How close to 50, that's a guess. But deal with leak now.

As for dark and delicious, the wet looking stuff can come out with determined flushing. Main problem is plugged up holes that send oil to other parts of engine. The baked "extra crispy" isn't really going anywhere. It also comes in this flavor, which I think is from high running temps and factory rated oil change intervals. I think this pix was under 60K miles.

 

If you are leaking oil -
You may just have oil off of the valve covers.
Those WILL LEAK a lot of oil if the gaskets are bad.
When I did the heads, I replaced those gaskets too.
I don't miss all the oil coming down and spilling around..

Oil is sent up the block to the head. Oil might be leaking at the head gasket juncture. The oil port is on the inner part of the head - toward the middle of the engine.

Oil is sent up to the rocker shaft and goes onto the rocker arms.
Falls back down and will pool up at the lower part of the head -
which faces the outer part of the engine - above the exhaust manifolds.

I suppose some oil can leak out of the inner part of the valve cover too and then creep down the valley gasket and then out the front of the engine.
You can look right into the valley gasket on the front of this engine and see the metal retaining bracket and look for oil there.