USNA89

Got some good news and some bad news(not so bad really pffft)...

To the guy who posted a response to me about a month ago concerning loose oil pan bolts... Good god! As I stated before there was a lot of oil all over the bottom of my car when I bought it, but only a small leak. While fiddling with my dumb washer system(more to follow) I decided to check the tightness of the bolts with my fingers. I am squeezed up under the car on a piece of cardboard - no ramps/lift atm and one of the bolts loosened easily with hardly any pressure. To think that the PO would let this happen is hilarious, I mean there is oil all over the place. At least I will have a clean underbelly when I get done mopping it up.

Next topic and a question... the main washer pump is working on my car, I can hear it spray when I use it and there is a puddle forming under the right side of the engine. Also the intensive washer reservoir is actually filling (I have two different colored fluids). So I have something hooked up backwards (?) and something is leaking. I have replaced the main washer pump and the main washer bottle and gone to a two check valve system in the hood as outlined elsewhere. Where is the leak and why am I filling the other system? The connections on the pump seem fine as do those in the hood and main washer bottle. Are there even more check valves and tees in this that are even harder to reach? Should I just start tugging all of the hoses out of the engine bay? I cant seem to find the leak at all.

Karl
'84S

Nicole

Karl: If you think your oil pan experience was "horror", you're in for some incomprehensible experiences in the future. These cars are complex, and strange thingsn can happen when they are not taken care of properly. Lose oil pan bolts are not at all unusual.

In regards to your washer system - do a search here on this forum. There have been many posts, and some included links to websites that show how the two washer systems are connected. Most likely you have sticking check valves - a common problem on cars where the washer system is not used very often. Another item that likes to break is the plastic piece where the washer hoses go into the hood.

Best of luck!

USNA89

Well, so far as the washer system goes I have replaced:

main reservoir
fill neck
main pump
all check valves and tees in hood
bulkhead connector in hood

I think the leak is coming from some place between the hood bulkhead connector and the main pump... could I have reversed the two lines to the main pump perhaps? I just cant figure out why I am getting contamination in the other system in addition to the other leak. Of course if I was 3 inches tall I would have this licked now, or maybe I could pull the engine to fix the washer system pffft. I am not giving up until this project is done...

To think that the owner of this vehicle would let it leak on the driveway of his $780,000.00 home for five years because he has loose bolts on the oil pan is what I find truly amazing. Of course I have owned it for 2 months and did nothing about it either so... some people really treat these cars like junk, but I guess you get what you pay for.

Karl

SharkSkin

Karl, sounds like you just need to get in there and trace every hose. A long ispection mirror, a strong flashlight, and a helper to activate the washer while you look are all you need to identify the problem. On my 78, I was able to access the main pump and hoses with the car on a ramp. Alternatively, you could pull the coolant reservoir. But yeah, it's REAL tight in there.

John Struthers

Karl,
You should see the mess in my son's 81'...OUR FAULT...working...
On yours;
Obviously, you pulled the aft splash shield on the right front wheel well to replace the main tank,
I'm not sure if you have the later model tank or not -we had to modify my son's to accept the pick-up.
While you probably looked over the lines at least up to the point where they are bundled together
in several places heading up to the filler "neck" you might have missed the 45 degree plastic 'Y'.
If you were tinkering around there at all you might have cracked it, but in most cases it simply cracks from old age/brittleness/ and vibration. Give it a look see.
To get an Idea of what you are looking for it's like that 'Y' vacuum connector running from -or is it to? - the Vac. booster to the intake manifold on the drivers side of the engine compartment.
On the 81'/82' MY it rests between the last two intake runners but is easily visible. If that is where your leak springs from I believe I saw a cheap replacement at Lowe's and for sure at a sprinkler suppy place for under a $1.00 can also be found in brass.
If all else fails find a partner in crime to run the system while you do the hunting.
Hey as to the oil leak...
Did you check the oil sending unit to the rear a little and behind the filter, the Filler base seal/gasket and the dip stick tube base?
All are known culprits in the oil leak scheme of things.

Jim_H

Hope you didn't tighten your bolts too much, that can just make things worse. 6lbs as I recall. I am probably off on this but I think there are 31?

USNA89

I am taking this pig and putting it up in the air as soon as possible. I work as a manager at a transit bus manufacturing company and we have like 5 sets of portable wheel lifts that work on 40' busses so they should do the trick. I am going to look for that Y connector but I think the leak is coming from somewhere under the coolant reservoir and I DO NOT think I have anything hooked up wrong - I believe I popped a hose off of a fitting by cycling the system before I had the check valves in the hood replaced. BTW wire ties work great on the washer hoses (like on Sharkskin's site) we put them on all of the busses we make. One more question... what is the torque value on those oil pan bolts on an '84S? I will get the car cleaned up as well... probably take 8 hours of a saturday :P