In other words, is there a lot of places oil can puddle while the leak is going strong, which over time, under normal driving conditions can still drip after the leak is fixed? I cannot get my car to leak (ran it on the jackstands for an hour today) while it is just sitting there. It will however "act" like it has a leak when I am driving it. I thought it was the oil pan, but there really is no oil anywhere on the pan. There is always oil dripping, (obviously dripping there and then running down, or being blown there by the wind). There is also always oil dripping from the flywheel cover. When I pull it off, there is no signs of the leak from the rear main seal, or the pan. It appears to be running down the sides of the transmission, where the tranny meets the block. There is no apparent leaks coming from the intake or the valve covers. I am totally stumped on this. None of our stores have the dye, so that isn't helping me either.

I am almost to the point of pulling the motor and replacing all gaskets. I am just fresh out of ideas. I'd try baby powder, but then the whole underside of my car would be white. :) If I could just get it to leak while I am looking at it.

I've had one leak out the distributor flange. Gasket was trashed. Did you check your oil sending unit.

I've had one leak out the distributor flange. Gasket was trashed. Did you check your oil sending unit.

Yeah, I checked it. :) You ever get to a point where you wish something was leaking, even it is a pain in the butt....just so you can fix it and get it over with.

Absolutely, I also had a leaking cam plug that took awhile to find. But you say yours is on the outside of the tranny. Oil leaks drive me crazy too, but I don't drive the cars that much so I've come to expect it. Must have Harley parts on them.

I have the same problem with my 383 and that was a brand new engine last summer. I have a leak from somewhere that drips off the bellhousing cover. For the life of me i cant figure out where its coming from. When i put my tremec in last year the back of the block was completely dry and it doesnt appear to be the rear seal. I have also thrown around the idea of pulling the engine this winter. So bottom line i feel your pain/frustration and wish i had an answer for you.

Most of the time, I can see it running down the transmission in between the tranny and the flywheel cover. Of course, it is everywhere at that point, so pinpointing it is almost impossible.

Funny thing is, last time I drove it, it did not leak until I really got on it, then it was a smoke show. Once that burned off, no more leak (I drove it easy for the rest of the day). On that drive, I ran it up to about 80 mph or so, which helped to spread it all the way back to the axle.

I have the same problem with my 383 and that was a brand new engine last summer. I have a leak from somewhere that drips off the bellhousing cover. For the life of me i cant figure out where its coming from. When i put my tremec in last year the back of the block was completely dry and it doesnt appear to be the rear seal. I have also thrown around the idea of pulling the engine this winter. So bottom line i feel your pain/frustration and wish i had an answer for you.


Well, when you do it, let me know. I'll do mine too, and we can both be suffering at the same time. :) I plan to pull it this winter too if I cannot get to the bottom of it with the engine in the car.

I just hate seeing all that smoke rolling out from under my car at stop lights. People around me seem not to care for it either. :)

Yeah smoke rolling out the underside of the car isnt too good. I can understand your urgency for wanting to get it figured out. Fortunately mine is just a nuisance drip that i find on the floor after driving it. Good luck.

If that was mine I would be on that oil leak like a bad habit.

Heres a little suggestion.

Get four tall jackstands, get her on them, start it up, let it run for about a half hour on those jack stands, don't rev it up, just idle.

Shut her off, and get right after everything that even looks suspicious with the powder, and I mean get after it hard. Leak is now located, or leaks.

Then while its up in the air, pressure wash it, it needs it anyway.

Face shield and hooded rain suit with the prz washer.

This has been bugging you quite a while, sounds like.

Time to get that monkey off your back.

Lot of work and nasty to, but sometimes you got to bite the bullet.

Rob

If that was mine I would be on that oil leak like a bad habit.

Heres a little suggestion.

Get four tall jackstands, get her on them, start it up, let it run for about a half hour on those jack stands, don't rev it up, just idle.

Shut her off, and get right after everything that even looks suspicious with the powder, and I mean get after it hard. Leak is now located, or leaks.

Then while its up in the air, pressure wash it, it needs it anyway.

Face shield and hooded rain suit with the prz washer.

This has been bugging you quite a while, sounds like.

Time to get that monkey off your back.

Lot of work and nasty to, but sometimes you got to bite the bullet.

Rob

I did run it on jackstands today for about an hour. I also used brake clean on everything I could reach before I ran it. It was dry and clean when I started, and dry and clean when I was done. Seems only to do it when I drive it. Now, My puddling theory comes into play considering there are areas I cannot get to very well. I checked it just a few minutes ago, still no leak. When I drive it and it leaks, of course it blows everywhere. Could this be oil pressure related. In other words, does it need to be flowing like crazy before it leaks, and if so, what does this mean.

The fan might be whats blowing it around, could you pull the fan, and rev it up a few times, don't let it get hot or over rev it with out the fan.

The baby powder deal is really messy, where ever theres a leak you will see a brown streak running through the white powder, it will definitely find it.

Maybe some engine builders will see this and give you a good idea what it is, like you just said, maybe only under pressure.

Rob

I've come to accept it... the old 327 left big puddles, 3" or so, one on front and one in the middle. The new 383/tko leaves little puddles, 2 of em, maybe an inch. Clean as a whistle underneath, never blows any smoke, just those 2 lil drips after she's been parked for a bit...

brack,
Are you going to "real" parts stores for the die ???? Napa should have it, the Chevy dealer or any other GM dealer will definitely have it.
I would also be betting on the distributor gasket, or maybe even the oil sending unit ?

It is amazing how far oil will travel from the actual leak ! That is why the die and a UV lamp is the only way to go.

Update from an hour ago. I look under the car, and what do I see, the beginning of a leak. Very small, but there it is. I jack it up, crawl under, and I see the flywheel (no cover for now) with a tiny drip on the very bottom most teeth of the flywheel. No oil trail at all, just a drip forming on the teeth of the flywheel. This explains why there is always oil coming out of the hole in the cover. Now, where is it coming from? There is NO trail at all, just a bone dry flywheel and some oil on the teeth that sot at the 6:00 position.

Mind you, if this oil leak happened ONLY as it sat, I'd be happy with that. Mine is disruptive to the drive, and smells like hell. Otherwise, I'd leave it alone and consider myself lucky.

you still need the dye.... it dripped down there fromn somewhere... perhaps even as high as the oil sender or distributor as Bill suggested.

Note that this is "old oil" if the car has been sitting... When the motor is dead, all the oil is in the pan and can't get out except thru the drain hole (ya, ok, there's some in the filter, but it won't drip onto the 6 oclick position on the flwheel.)

I've come to accept it... the old 327 left big puddles, 3" or so, one on front and one in the middle. The new 383/tko leaves little puddles, 2 of em, maybe an inch. Clean as a whistle underneath, never blows any smoke, just those 2 lil drips after she's been parked for a bit...

I have sort of come to this mindset as well. As a very wise person once told me... "If these old cars aint leakin...theyre out of oil"

I had the same problem you describe with oil on flywheel and all the way back to the rear end after awhile. Checked and checked and checked. I know I checked the valve cover gaskets several times but it turned out to be a leak at the rear end of the driver's side valve cover. It only leaks when running because that is when the oil is flying around and leaking out. When stopped there is no action and no leak.

Years ago on my 67 I had a bad leak only when I drove it. I only spotted a couple of 1'' marks on the floor, overnight while sitting. When driving, oil would leak down and get on the headers and smoke. It turned out to be the rear of the intake gasket had slipped a bit and oil was leaking out only when I drove it hard. Pulled the intake, and a little RTV and new gaskets, no more leak...

Well, I bought and used the UV dye. I see a tiny drip coming from the oil pan lip directly above the flex plate. Does this sound like a rear main, or a pan gasket.

a rear main leak should be slinging off the flexplate, which attributes to the smoke ? I have a similar leak from valve cover gaskets, on the list for this winter when I run an overhead on the valves. it currently has cork gaskets which I'll change over to neoprene or other.
back in the olden~days of my Harley riding years we had a saying :"old Harleys don't leak; they mark their spot". well, I've got two old Chevys that are the same way :(

a rear main leak should be slinging off the flexplate, which attributes to the smoke ? I have a similar leak from valve cover gaskets, on the list for this winter when I run an overhead on the valves. it currently has cork gaskets which I'll change over to neoprene or other.
back in the olden~days of my Harley riding years we had a saying :"old Harleys don't leak; they mark their spot". well, I've got two old Chevys that are the same way :(



So does this sound more like a pan leak?

either the gasket or a cracked pan flange... the rear main would sling oil all-over at speed...

either the gasket or a cracked pan flange... the rear main would sling oil all-over at speed...

agree

I had a similar problem with an oil leak that drove me crazy until I finally found the problem.
Turns out while driving the oil would get past my breathers due to no diffusers in the valve covers. The oil would drip down in places not even close to the breathers.
Added diffusers and problem solved.

Update:

I did the rear main and oil pan today. I have not quite got it back together (header is all I have left to put back on).

My experience was not all bad, but at times frustrating. You absolutely do have to raise the motor (not that I doubted it) to do this job. I chose to unbolt the tranny at the crossmember first, then jack up the motor. I then raised the rear of the tranny a few inches (this allowed me not to smash the HEI) and then raise the motor. The old pan came right out after that. I then took off the oil pump, and the main cap. I put in the new seal (top and bottom piece), put the cap back on, re-installed the oil pump, put on the pan gasket, and then the pan. It really went back together very easily to that point. Getting the motor back in the mounts was a PITA. Once that was done, I put everything else back on, except the header (I had to leave it for the night). I'll finish it tomorrow and see if I did it right.

oops-mashed the button twice

THE FIRST THING TO DETERMINE IS HOW MANY MILES ARE ON THE ENGINE IN QUESTION!!! We've installed a lot of rear main seals over the years and more often than not the biggest problem customers had was blow-by. and you will never seal the engine if it's building more crankcase pressure than it can evacuate. Check your PVC system first and make sure it's not plugged and working. Remove the oil cap to determine if it does in fact have excessive blow by. The part you don't want to hear is you just about have to pulll the engine to get the pan off. Assuming it's a 1st gen Camaro this isn't a very big deal. While it's out take a few weekends if possible and clean, seal it up w/ all new gaskets, and detail the engine compartment also. They do now offer a 1 piece oil pan gasket and it's good money spent to prevent leaks around the 4 corners of the pan. just my 02 but bear in mind I always told my customers no gaurantee on oil leaks with high mileage cars[/QUOTE]

I hope the rear main seal fixes your issue but if it doesn't make sure you didn't have any oil leaking from the top part of the block in the rear. I too thought I had a bad rear main seal. I looked and looked for the leak but couldn't see it up top. I had it leaking at the back of the motor and driping from the flywheel cover.. My oil was just too clean and it was driving me crazy.

I finally got the dye and the special light and glasses. I actually got the glasses and light from NAPA but got the dye from AdvanceAuto. In a very dark garage w/a couple of friends and the dental mirrors on a stick, I was able to pinpoint my leak as coming from the rear of the intake. It would just run a little stream of oil once she got hot that went right into the crack between the engine and bellhousing.

Let us know if you fixed your oil issue.

Intake manifolds are notorious for this at the rear especially if you use the seals that come in the gasket kit. Silicone it and throw the seals away!

Intake manifolds are notorious for this at the rear especially if you use the seals that come in the gasket kit. Silicone it and throw the seals away!

I agree 100%. Just be sure to give the silicone enough time to properly set up before firing up the engine.