Ducman82

so after priming my engine the other day (with a drill) i have noticed a small oil drip/wetness on the rear two clutch cover mounting bolts by the torque tube inspection hole.... but inside by the starter is dry, by the slave is dry... and i can't see any other external leaks.......

if it was the rear it would leak down right? not horizontal?
thoughts??

Bill Ball

Hmmm...

That's pretty far back. Rear main seal leaks down behind the flywheel inside the bellhousing and wets the front lower edge of the bellhousing and the pan area adjacent to it, and some would be blown back. But you are saying you just primed the engine and did not drive it. Even if you drove it, it should be wet forward of that. I don't know of any oil source above that rear area of the bellhousing. It would have to be a squirter. Nothing likely comes to mind.

What work had you done recently that caused you to prime the motor?

WallyP

If the oil filler leaks, it can run down the valley, and thru the drain hole over the flywheel. Shouldn't leak when the system has just been pressurized, though.

Look at the cam covers and the cam bore plugs.

Ducman82

just installed this hybrid motor, getting it ready to run etc. brand new rebuild and all. car has not moved. makes me scratch my head too. almost want to take off the cover, but being i have MSDS headers, means i would have to remove the passenger header in order to do that...

Ducman82

one thing i just thought of. i used a good amount of optimally on the coupler for the drive shaft... we have had a good solid week or more of 104 plus heat. maybe the excess got hot and dripped down?

Ducman82

OK. after she said clean for awhile i found the "leak". as you can sorta see in this pic, there is an oil dot forming on the back of the cover down the rib. i could hardly make out a oil film going from the top of the cover by the pan, down to there.

i used my match snake light (little bulb on a thin flexible line) and stuck it in the inspection hole in the cover. no oil is getting to the bottom, just that one spot. now the car is in the air, lifted from the front.

once i get the car running, i guess ill have to take all that apart again, and replace the new seal i just installed! hummmm

Bill Ball

I can't quite get oriented with your picture - you have an early lower cover I guess. And you say there is no oil inside the bellhousing - that argues against it being the rear main seal or valley oil. As Wally mentioned, oil in the valley can mimic a rear main seal leak exactly, as the valley drain hole drops the oil right over the rear main seal. This drain hole was not present in early motors - not sure what year it was added - certainly all S4s blocks have it - not sure about S3. BUT if the block was clean on top, that's not it. You would have to flood the valley first. Before you tear into this, look up the back of the motor to the cam and rear cam cover area and see if oil is dripping from there. Still, the rear main seal is one of the likely sources. Perhaps the spring came loose or the lip got nicked on installation. It should be clear once the lower bellhousing cover is off.

Ducman82

one thing i just thought of. i used a drill to prime the engine... maybe a little to much pressure and some squirted out? i spent a good amount of time installing the seal, so i know its in good shape when i bolted everything up.. once the dewalt battery charges up again, ill do some rear head/cam checks. maybe i missed something. still trying to figure out the oil on the rear 2 cover bolts by the TT> but once cleaned they don't seem to be getting anymore.

Bill Ball

I'm not even sure how the rear main seal would leak from just spinning the oil pump. You need to keep looking for another source.

Ducman82

i was thinking maybe i created to much pressure, more then normal. the hunt is on.

WallyP

Normal oil pressure is about 75 psig. That would be a really stout DeWalt...

Ducman82

it will peg the gauge past 5........

I'm going to get the car running... then see what happens.