OIL LEAKS SEARCH

[arcticmopar]

Hi all'm trying to find the source of some oil leaks. The oil is ending up on the headers(onto and around the collectors) but cant see where it's comming from. Every time she spins past 4000rpm  some comes out and lands right on the collectors making a large cloud that has to burn off. Only a small amount seems to collect at the back corners of intake pan and valve covers look dry around gaskets but just a little wet around breather and pcv. I have a old set of finned CAL-CUSTOMS with a baffle on the pcv side but not the breather side(bottom vent style) Can I get away with just a pcv on one side and nothing on the other? THe only other place I see oil is along the bottom row of cyl head bolts (around headers) Can head gaskets leak oil but the motor still runs good?  

[wagesofsin]

get some cheapo spray on deoderant. the kind that turns white and ruins your chances with the ladies.
clean everything off good around suspected areas.
spray the deoderant on liberally, allow for dry time.
fire her up(the mill).
and look for the stain.

been doing it for years, works flawlessly.

sounds wrong, but the stuff rinses off with water.

good luck, and happy hunting.

[arcticmopar]

COOL thaks wagesofsin, thats just the "cheap trick" I was hoping for! 

[moparmaniac59]

WOW,
I never heard of that one. I'll have to remember that the next time I have that problem!! I guess if you use AXE you'll have babes hanging all over your ride!!

                                                   Matt B.

[wagesofsin]

WOW,
I never heard of that one. I'll have to remember that the next time I have that problem!! I guess if you use AXE you'll have babes hanging all over your ride!!

                                                   Matt B.

just hope they arent leaky babes!!!

[cudagirl4406pk]

Summit sells a leak detection kit comes with dye you put in motor and uses a ultriviolet lite to show the leak.Kenny uses it alot works really well.

[73Chally]

Summit sells a leak detection kit comes with dye you put in motor and uses a ultriviolet lite to show the leak.Kenny uses it alot works really well.

A dealer used that in my mom's car a while back.  It took them three tries to find it before they finally used it, and they found it the first try.  I think she had to get the oil changed right away, though, but that was 10 years ago so the stuff might have changed since then.

[Chryco Psycho]

I highly doubt it will be a head gasket , it is far more likely to be a valve cover , intake or the oil fitting at the rear of the engine

[arcticmopar]

 Sounds good about the head gasket,thanks. Should I have a baffle under the hole for the twist on breather? There are no studs inside the cover there so short of using an expoxy like J-B WELD to keep it there I will just replace them with a set of polished cast from mopar perf.

[moper]

You may also want to check you transmission bellhousing. Some transmissions will smoke when at higher rpms becuase the fluid pushes up and out the vent. If there is telltale red fluig on the inside of the bell (probably not enough to drip miuch if at all) it could be that if you can't trace the leak to the engine. Also, the twist in breathers dont usually need a baffle. What is suppposed to be done is the grommet hole should get punched out, and a grommet and push in breather with a baffle under it gets installed in that new hole. Cal Cuatom, MT, and MP aluminums all need that.

[71chally416]

  Overfilling the tranny or a front pump leak can give you a big cloud of smoke when you jump on it. Just like a mosquito fogger truck.

The other most likely suspect is the gage sender or oil pressure line at the back of the block like Chryco said. It'll drip down the side of the block and drop right on the headers.

 

[arcticmopar]

Thanks guys I'll redo the ops fittings at the back because I can see a bit of oil collecting there and can see drips hanging from the starter too. I do have a baffle added under the pcv valve hole I drilled out just not the twist on breather. However I did manage to talk the boss in letting my car on the hoist here at work cause the engine oil started to run not drip. The bellhousing is filling up with brown engine oil( my trans fluid is still red) however you make good points about the vent will check further. I was very carfull about the cam frost plug after reading post on here about that so I'm thinking its time to pay a shop to drop the pan and redo it. Cant talk the boss into leating me try that here

[71chally416]

If your cam is leaking in the back of the motor you'll have to drop the tranny to fix it. 

[moper]

There are oil galley and cam plug possible sources there. None are easy to fix until you pull the trans or engine.

[arcticmopar]

 Well I knew that but nothing like having it confirmed.   I dont supose anybody has tried something like a bore scope or someother type of new tech flex camera to snake up there and see whats leaking? You know I dont want to pull the motor again and which ever I choose it's gonna be wrong.