Might be the cam seal...

[MusPuppis]

Since I got my SHO I've put quite a number of hard, angry miles on it and since day one its had a little oil leak.

Its only evident after a drive and usually a hard one. Normal driving doesnt seem to produce anything, a drop or two maybe. I can leave the car sitting for an extended period of time and I get no drippings on the ground or anything.Its dripping down from the passenger side rear of the engine.. In the general area of the cam seal onto the cat as near as I can tell, so I get some oil smoke as it burns up, it also weeps down onto the oil pan. I've had the car on a lift, but only breifly and it looks like either the main or the oil pan but after some reading and searching here it looks like it could potentially be the rear cam seal as well. I know its not a valve cover gasket as I just replaced them and its still doing it exactly the same way as it always has.

I'm going to try to get my finger on it and see if I can tell if its the cam seal or not.

So, that being said, I have a two part question really,

Part one being, assuming its not the rear cam seal, how can I tell if its the oil pan or main?

Part two being, what detrimental effects will I see if I just ignore it? I dont like it leaking, but it leaks so little I dont ever actually have to add oil.. I have yet to see a noticeable loss from it, it only really leaks after a hard drive anyway. Am I losing any oil pressure due to this or risking some catastrophic failure down the road?

Just curious.

 

[SonicRiot]

Pull the crankshaft pulley and look behind it.

Or clean the oil leak, put leak detector into the car and run it. Follow the yellow brick... uh, dye.

 

[AREA 91]

If you think it's the rear cam seal, pull the cam sensor. If you fond oil, you found the culprit.

 

[SonicRiot]

He said passenger side, which is actually the front of the block, which is why I suggested crank seal.

But I have seen oil drip down the pan from above from one side of the block to the other...

 

[projectSHO89]

A leaking rear cams seal can be checked by simply feeling the bottom of the cam sensor mounting housing. If it's wet, the seal is leaking.

The two intake cams also have the same seal that is subject to leaking. It is impossible to distinguish a leak from them from a leaking crank seal without removing the timing belt covers and looking at the front of the block for oil tracks.

You're not risking any damage to your oil pressure or the engine with this type of leak. There's no pressure to speak of on the seals.

My 89, when I first got it, didn't just leak, it marked its territory wherever it went...

Steve

 

[SonicRiot]

Hahahahah... like the dog it is!