Oil leak question (accident caused???)

[Mark in PDX]

Guys,
I was rear ended last summer, got the car back from the paint shop late fall (3mnths) and parked it for the winter since I didn't want rock chips from the gravel the throw on the roads out here instead of salt.
I notice that it has developed 2 small oil leaks. 1 dripping off the rear exhaust manifold (right off the bolt!!) and one off the front of the engine about the same place...
I haven't torn anything apart, weather has kept me from that..
When I was rear ended, the exhaust pipe front of the rear wheels and back of the cat connector broke.. We don't visually see any problem with the exhaust manifold itself and don't hear any exhaust leak...
Could this hit and the impact that broke the exhaust pipe have tweaked the block somehow?
I had no oil leaks on this car before this and I am not running synthetic on this car..
Any ideas before I start worrying about the heads/block getting cracked?
Mark

 

[jelloslug]

Your going to have to track it down. I would suspect that it's the valve cover gaskets or the cam seals. I don't think anything else would put oil in those places. You may want to give the engine a good cleaning to help find the leak. As for "tweeking" the block, not much of a chance of that. Cast iron does not bend much, it will usually break. A rear end hit that would break an engine block would be rather severe. Good luck!

 

[Mark in PDX]

She hit me with me going about 15 (fog) and her doing 45... It was a good hit.. pushed my bumper down and against my rear tires, but her car went under the rear of mine, so it really wasn't 'That' bad..... Of course, it was an excuse to paint the car (had a parts car I ripped up for the body shop so I had all the parts)...

Sigh.. those are new valve cover gaskets and a cam seal both!!! I had them replaced last summer before the wreck...

My main worry is if that hit could have broken the block and still leave it drivable.. I have driven it and the leak doesn't >seem< to get worse, but it does have to burn a fair amount off the exhaust from sitting for a month at a time before I start it at the moment.
The exhaust manifolds don't tie into the heads do they?
I did get in there and try to track down the leak.. I couldn't find it because the back end passenger side of our engines is so easy to see..
headbang

I haven't looked for the front one yet, I am not 100% sure the front is leaking, it might be a stain from something else. I'll know this weekend when I get home.
thx
Mark