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It's not leaking. It's letting you know it's alive.
Cleaning everything off is the best thing to do for the minute. While your there, give the oil filter a twist. You never know.
Are you planning on doing the stuff listed in the high mileage sticky at the top? Don't suppose you know what weight oil the PO put in there? I'd be planning on draining and swapping to 10/40 along with a Mobil 301 larger filter anyway, but you may find that alone stops a small leak.
If you spend a good hour or so cleaning up under there you'll start to become familiar with some of the bits, which will help in the long run.
Another real easy thing to look at are the valve covers. Those bolts have a tendency to loosen slightly, especially at the back. See if you've got weeping up at the top there, and whether there is a chance it's making its way to where you're finding it.
Others might scream 'front cover'. Mines fine so I wouldn't know.
That is leaving a much larger puddle than my LR's, but valve cover gaskets seeping are a normal thing, oil pan gasket, front timing covers, and front/rear main seals can also leak.
Now it is a LR and I mentioned in the other thread you will never get a LR to be 100% leak free like a modern day car (if it never actually leaks anything it's probably bone dry....). It's just not in it's DNA. Yeah it might not leak for a while after some serious $$$$$, but eventually something will start to leak.
Like I said certainly change the oil to some Shell Rotella 15/40w oil, and use a larger Mobil1 M301 oil filter or Bosch 3500 HD Blue filter (You can get the Bosch 3500 for 11.95 and the Shell Rotella in a 4qt jug for 12.95 then two more quarts all at your local Wal Mart). My brother is running that weight oil in his RRC in Portland, OR area with zero issues.
If the valve covers still have the OEM bolts you will need an 8mm 12point socket to tighten them (you'll only have access to the outer bolts as the intake blocks the inner bolts).
Most quick lube places I've seen try to push 5/30 or 10/30w. I find that oil way to thin and the 15/40 seems to be just right. Rotella works great in our older designed pushrod V8's and the larger filter also gives more filtering.
Check the valve covers, change the oil/filter, wipe it down and go from there.
Couple things that helped me. 1st I switched to Rotella T 15w-40 and extra capacity oil filter. Oil drips stopped. Then the oil leak I thought I had was a water pump leak that was passing through old oil before hitting the ground and looked like oil. I confirmed the leak and replaced the pump. No more leaks.
Couple things that helped me. 1st I switched to Rotella T 15w-40 and extra capacity oil filter. Oil drips stopped. Then the oil leak I thought I had was a water pump leak that was passing through old oil before hitting the ground and looked like oil. I confirmed the leak and replaced the pump. No more leaks.
Jeff the leak is almost surely in the front and blowing back. The front seal and timing cover gasket areas, as well as the oil pan, are where I would look. Also, the lines to the oil cooler. It is very hard to locate a small leak in the front because it blows everywhere.
That front plug. I have three engines and none have anything there.
Looking at your pictures again I'd say timing cover gasket or front seal, leaning toward front seal. See how high the leak seems to come from. Again, that's hard to tell with all of the air moving through that area, but when it is clean and stopped, and dripping, I bet it will be coming from behind the main pulley.
Try to establish what oil it is, i.e. engine oil, transmission fluid or PAS oil. Clean down the area meticulously and blow it dry with an airline then apply a dusting of talcum powder (stuff used on babies bottoms) over the whole area afterwards go for a short drive and then inspect it again and the talc should reveal the source of the leak. Failing this get some fluorescein and add it to the oil you believe is leaking, you don't need very much added maybe a spoonfull, then run the truck around afterwards inspect the suspect area with a UV torch which should reveal traces of the fluorescein. Good luck
05-11-2016, 05:21 PM
My first oil leak! And probably not my last
