demonfish

I'm going to strip down the top side of the engine later, inlet off, i'll leave the fan on i think, but i'll take the tinware off - mainly trying to find this leak, but while i'm there i'm doing rocker gaskets, plugs, timing cover gaskets when i drop the back of the engine etc.

Up top i want to clean everything, replace vacuum lines etc... replace the oil pressure sender seal...

is there anything else i could do with replacing while working there? I'm hoping this mini tear down will help me find the leaks, and i'm hoping its the oil pressure sender or something more simple... else its engine out rebuild time... well, thats after its sat in the garage for 5 years while i save the funds...

once i've done the top, i'll drop the engine a touch to do the timing gaskets exhaust off. bottomplugs, bottom rocker gaskets...

anything i may have forgotten??

Thanks folks...

elbeee964

Replaced my o-ring three weeks ago (w/ Garrett's DIY thread) and what used to be a oily mess (was cleaned) is still clean after many drives. Dry is nice. (There's a complicating AC-support strut that had to be tackled, as well, to get to my sensor -- hope that's not your case.)

The original rubber o-ring goes to the consistency of hard plastic and takes a bad, non-sealing []-shape after 15 years and 100k miles.

Have also heard the adjacent rubber oil vent line can likewise go brittle, crack and leak. (But that sensor o-ring, if original, is most likely your biggie problem.)

Uhhh -- have fun!

Rocket Rob

As you disassemble and clean, I would be check all of the rubber hoses on the top of the engine. The rubber can get stiff and brittle over time.

demonfish

vent hose is indeed brittle and cracked... but doesnt look to be leaking.

oil sender has been out before, has old flat black seal, but has also been sealed at some point with red sealant... again doesn't look to be leaking.

up top under the plastic fan cowling looks fairly dry, a few damp spots, but nothing that i would think was my leak. underneath is a different story.

How much of a problem is this rocker cover warping issue? i'm just wondering if its that... i'm doing timing chain covers anyway...

KirkF

If your car is an 89/90 it will have magnesium valve covers. These are very prone to warping.

(usually from people replacing the gaskets and then either over torquing the covers or not tightening the covers in a cross torque sequence)

After mid 1990 aluminum valve covers were used. These will also warp for the same reasons as above, but they are much more durable.

There are several brands of aftermarket billet aluminum valve covers available for the lower half of the engine. I havent seen a set for the top half. (because they dont leak much).

However the aftermarket covers do not have a full circle hole for one of the plug wires, which leaves the plug wire a little 'loose' and they dont have spots to mount your plug wire retaining clips.

If your oil sender has a flat black seal, i would remove it and the 'red sealant' and replace it with a green viton o-ring.

If you are looking at changing a pile of gaskets you could buy the Victor Reinz engine gasket set so you have one of everything. If you are like me I prefer to spend a little extra money to have all the parts on hand, rather than constantly ordering bits and waiting for them to arrive.

If you post some pics of the engine once you can see it, I'm sure alot of people could point out where they think the oil leaks are coming from.


Kirk

wsybert

I agree with Kirk on the gasket set. I just went thru this and tried to make my own gasket set... i ended up missing things and had to wait a few times. Shipping will get you though, unless you are thorough. ($12 to ship a couple of o-rings one time.... they could have overnighted for that cost!)
Anyways, good luck! Post pics and let us know how it goes.

BTW... my major leak points were the left timing chain cover and power steering pump seals. Lower covers were ok, but I went with the billet covers anyways.... couldn't resist.
Most of my orings were very brittle and hard. It was only a matter of time before something else needed replacing. That's why I did all of them.
Bill

Duck

Any pictures of the process and any issues that you ran into would be greatly appreciated. I am planning to undertake the same thing over the winter. After I get everything off and cleaned, I am hoping I can replace the engine compartment insulation as well.

demonfish

the car is a 93, so i'm guessing aluminium covers. but no heat shields, or cat, just a straight pipe bypass, so maybe the heat has got to that side.

those photos are after a new rocker gasket.

the timing cover gasket needs doing, but i cant see how oil would blow forward, only back...

the cylinder leaks aren't in my opinion bad enough to cause this: