oil leak someplace

[sholover719]

well i was just reading a post from a while back about an oil leak and i wanted to get an opinion to see if this is the same problem im haveing with mine where the oil is getting on the cat and exhaust and smokeing from under the hood at the back of the motor and out the pasenger tire, i just did the valve cover gaskets cuz they were back to begin with and the spark plugs and wires.. thinking that this would solve the problem with no such luck and as reading through the thread could it be the rear cam seal? and how would i replace that cuz i know how to do alot with a motor and stuff but when it comes to a motor this complex i get lost sometimes and this doesnt have anything to do with the other night when i hit the deer/ or the deer hit me either way its been doing it sence i basicly got it.

 

[shoshirtsandhat]

Cam seals & cam sensor seal ,replace all 3 on the pass side of the motor my 94 ATX did the same . Read about the repair in the search engine..Joe

 

[sholover719]

i was just reading about some think else, could it be a power steering hose i check my power steering and i noticed it was low but every time i check the oil its always full even after putting over 700 miles on it in 3 weeks. but the smell that comes from the engine bay is like a burnt oil smell which made me believe its oil but would power steering fluid smell the same way when burned?

 

[Rubix]

i was just reading about some think else, could it be a power steering hose i check my power steering and i noticed it was low but every time i check the oil its always full even after putting over 700 miles on it in 3 weeks. but the smell that comes from the engine bay is like a burnt oil smell which made me believe its oil but would power steering fluid smell the same way when burned?

I've got the same problem. Burnt smellin smoke coming up between the firewall and engine on the passenger side, sometimes out the wheel well. It only smokes when the engine is real hot, and since it's getting cold and I replaced the thermostat recently it's not as bad but still noticable when driven hard. I just did an upper 60K this fall and still have the problem, though I didn't suspect the valve cover gaskets to be the problem anyway the 60K just needed to be done. Whereabouts in VA are you? I'm from Richmond originally and will be up there at my parent's house for about a week over Thanksgiving. I'll definitely be working on the car and also putting my sister's 626 back together since she recently rear-ended someone.

-Jamie

 

[Storm-Chaser]

The most common oil-based fluids to get on the passenger-side cat, is CV joint grease from the right outer CV Joint, oil from one or both rear cam seals, or the valve cover gasket.

Even though the valve cover gasket was recently changed, wipe the back of the rear head near the valve cover gasket just to make sure it didn't get pinched and is [now] leaking as a result.

For the outer CV boot, check the cat, as the CV joint grease does not burn-off as rapidly and you may be able to see where it is accumulating.

If the camshaft seal behind the cam sensor is leaking enough to get to the cat, you will find a build-up behind the cam sensor when it is removed.

If it is the front camshaft seal on the rear head, you're basically going to have to tear-down the front of the engine to get to the seal. So if all of the above check out okay (valve cover, CV boot, cam sensor seal), start saving-up/picking-up the parts for the 60K since you're going to have to tak it all apart anyway.

 

[rubydist]

Either the cam sensor seal or the power steering pump leaking will tend to drip pretty much right onto the exhaust, so its really hard to tell which might be leaking, in my experience. But if the cam seals haven't been changed for a long time, it would be a good idea to change them. And, as was already pointed out, that rear valve cover seal is pretty easy to get dislodged when you put it back on, so it could also be leaking.