Hi: My 84 Tubo Sunbird has developed an oil leak someplace on the firewall side of the engine..Its not coming from the top Cam cover, however..And, as you all know, its not an easy place to see anything on that side..anny help from people here, with experience on this engine..I can see a sensor (oil Pressure maybe) on that side, but it doesnt seen to be coming from there...Any ideas anyone?
Peter
Big leak, lotsa oil? Sure it's engine oil, not p/steering/tranny, etc. Which side of car, facing rearwards?
Oil up high on engine, or low on oil pan area?
Hard to see, hard to reply with so many ????? unanswered :>
I am guessing power steering - high pressure hose. GM products are notorious for this affliction...
Mine has the same leak...
Simple way to find the leak.Buy 2 cans of brake clean at say walmart for 1.78 a can or what ever clean it and the entire area espec the rack and pinion they leak like a biatch when they go.Let it dry and drive car like 5 to 10 min and park check thorougly in day light and u should b able to tell if its the rack,or a hose or spec the turbo's oil seal.That is what I would do,using a tipical engine degreaser is u have to wait for the area to dry and if u choose to go that route GO buy advance autos heavy duty eng degreaser it is the BEST!!! Larger can than gunk and cheaper.Hope this helps.
Its definitely engine oil..and appears to be coming from high up, perhaps just under the turbo, but not really sure,,,
when I stick my hand back there, between the turbo and the p/s hose loop, my fingers end up very oily....this ids the firewall side, but under the turb, about 6" back or so from the timeing chain end of the engine...Still can't see exactlly where, as ther is so much stuff on top of the engine there...iis there a gasket someplace there, or a clamp that perhaps has lossened, this leak started after transport of my vehicle 1200 miles fom Fl to Ma via car carrier...
Pete
Well I would thorougly clean the area first! I did a check in my in my haynes manual no pics to see a turbo version but,I would check the OIL line inlet lines and check the oil back drain line for obstructions.The lines are going specifically to the turbo and may have a leak or something is particially blocking it and causing the leak directley off the turbo itself.Clean it up and then do a check I know u cannot see alot visual wise but a nice angle mirror (auto type telescoping) may let u see where the leak is generating from.Unless something simple like the valve cover is leaking and making the mess u won't know until u clean it then go from that to determine the source at this point.Also something stupid sounding but WORTH checking is the oil pressure sending unit!!! MINE leaked like a biatch and blew oil everywhere it's on the back side of the block below the intake manifold and has a rubber sleeve which developed a bad leak and made a hell of a mess.U can jack up the car it has a single post hook up and see after cleaning and drive the car if it is possibley the pain.Sounds corny but mine leaked so bad I lost 2 qts of oil riding down the road and lucked up and stopped at a shop that ironically had that part for my car( i was like wtf) OK cool.It's worth checking bc sometimes what seems major is really minor especially with Js.
If have an ’86 turbo (non-intercoled version). Hope that it is not the oil line for the turbo as it is not easy to get to. The oil line is a solid line that starts from the bottom of the oil pump, goes up to the manifold on the Rt side, then travels horizontally underneath the intake manifold to the Lt side and makes a bend and the rear of the engine near the distributor and makes another bend around the head. I have seen a problem where there the retaining clip on the back side of the engine where the oil line is connected to the intake become loose (or was not installed if the heads were pulled). When this happens, the oil line rubs against the intake and engine fatiguing the line to failure.
Still can't find the leak....About had it with this car...Anybody interested in buying it? 84 Sunbird Turbo Convert..rare-brown/brown....New top, brakes, tires....runs great! and ...get this*** only 35,000 original miles...I have owned it since 88 when I bought it it had 7k miles and was in an auto collection...located near Boston, Ma
Peter
Still haven't found the leak? I'm afraid I'd have to have a better idea of where it's coming from. Could be the oil feed line for the turbo on the backside of the block but that should be visible.
saw that turbo oil retuen line on the upper back of the block...just a bit moist there, not enought to generate the amount of oil I am getting on the floor under the car...Definitely is coming from that back side of the motor, somewhere under the turbo or alternator, cant see exactly where though..Please..Does anyone know of any other places that could be leaking oil in that area....Have also ruled out the oil press sender..
Peter
hmm.. second thoughts...perhaps what I am saying is the oil pressure sender, may not really be the oil pressure sender..does anyone have a photo of where the sender is located..I am seeing a sender on the lower back of the motor, in plain view when car is on the lift..with a wire going to it..looks like a sender..is this where it is?
Peter
peter farr wrote:hmm.. second thoughts...perhaps what I am saying is the oil pressure sender, may not really be the oil pressure sender..does anyone have a photo of where the sender is located..I am seeing a sender on the lower back of the motor, in plain view when car is on the lift..with a wire going to it..looks like a sender..is this where it is?
Peter
The oil sender is on the back, lower right of the engine, if you were viewing it from behind the engine. It's off the oil pump. So look at the oil pump (it's inset into the block), and you'll see a hardline coming off that, the oil sender is a cylindrical sender like 1" wide maybe 2" long with wires coming off. I'm fairly certain there are two wires.
I believe you might be looking at the knock sensor, which has a single wire coming off it. It screws into the jackshaft / intermediate shaft mount, closer to the middle, of the back of the engine block itself.
As far as your leak.. might be the oil pan gasket it self. tHe stock ones are crappy cork gaskets. I use a felpro permaseal rubber one which works much better.
I can tell you the oil sender has two wires itself.The oil light that lights up on the dash provided u do not have the oil press gauge is 1 wire which is directly beside it.To make a short story the plastic on the oil pressure sender cracked while driving and leaked out about 2 qts of oil at hwy speed.Granted I was lucky had oil in car added and went 1 mile to next exit to a local shop and they had a new oil press sensor installd and added oil drove str8 home pressure washed eng and double chkd to make sure they sold me the right part and they did.I was so lucky.Both sensors are directly below the intake across from the oil filter and side by side.The oil press sender has plastic on the end with two terminals on it.Hope this helps.Maybe I will throw a pic up sunday for reference.
Ron : thanks for the info..I havent had a chance to get it back up on the lift to look for the oil sender, but will do so next week...Are you saying there are 2-sending units, side by side? My Sunbird is a turbo 1.8 and has a guage instead of just the idiot light! Yes a photo of the location would be helpful as well..
Thanks
Peter
I will try to post a pic of the 2 senders. While U have a gauge the only difference would be that one has a line for the oil pressure going to it versus having 2 senders with a electrical plug going to each sender.One would be for oil light on the dash the other obviously the other sender would have the oil line that prolly has a connection that screws on made of brass or steel for the gauge itself.I am off work so I will try to throw a pic of my cars senders granted its just for the oil light and low oil sensor being I do not have the gauge on my cluster.Ok
Ok finally my slackness is posting a pic for ur reference.The sender that has the white tie on it is the dummy sender which is for the dummy light and also checks the oil pressure. The single wire plug is the actuall sender for the oil pressure to the best of my knowledge.The irony is they both have ports inside to measure the oil but,I am guessing the two wire plug does 2 parts no oil,and oil while running.It is corny but,I double checkd the parts and the single wire is the sender for the oil only.I hope this makes sense and sorry for the delay like 2 wks late.I hope this helps and you see the oil filter there so this should help and me hanging the tie on there to specifically mark the dum light which should take the place of a actual gauge.OK
