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Oil Leak

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Try to top this oil leak story. I owned a 1982 Chev. S-10 pickup. Many miles when I bought it and many more when I sold it, leak and all. I changed the oil regularly (or when I thought about it) and usually changed the filter. It had a pretty bad oil leak as my driveway showed. I checked the oil regularly and it was always full. I was stumped but stopped worring about it. It probably had over 250,000 miles.
Turns out that excess gas was leaking down the cylinder walls and constantly refilling my oil supply. By the time I changed oil it was probably deluted to about 1W. I sold the truck and it was exported to Mexico.
 
sparkydave said:
A '76 still has the mechanical oil pressure gauge, with the fitting down at the base of the distributor mount. Check the fitting there (don't overtighten), and eyeball the rubber hose connecting that fitting to the solid line leading up to the dash.

:wink:
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Owwwww, that'll do it!

I once had a dog urinate on my back, but that's another story.
 
Oil pan
Front engine seal
Rear engine(scroll seal)
Oil guage outlet or line.
Oil filter line from block to filter and filter its self
Can cover on oil pump.
Valve cover.
Oil pressure adjustment spring hole(place) just to rear of oil pressure outlet
Oil drain plug

Ok, these are the leak possibilities for oil leaks, what did I forget.

It has to be one of these places.

Clean engine and check it out.
 
Oh, lucky him, less places to check.
 
jlaird said:
Oh, lucky him, less places to check.
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Lucky??????

Since when is a 1500 owner considered luck ?!?!?!?!?!?! :jester:


Looks like he's gone. I guess I scared of another regular folk.
I wonder how cheap I can pick his car up. :driving::jester:
 
kellysguy said:
jlaird said:
Oh, lucky him, less places to check.
Click to expand...

Lucky??????

Since when is a 1500 owner considered luck ?!?!?!?!?!?! :jester:
Click to expand...

Funny, I was just having this conversation with someone a few days ago. I drove a Spitfire 1500 as a daily driver back in the 90s and except for a fuel pump that would fail over and over again (I got to the point where I kept one or two extras in the car with me - like fan belts or points), I had no trouble with the car. And it didn't leak much oil either! :smile:

The only real problem I had with that car was that it was constantly being run off the road by inconsiderate and blind morons who didn't bother to look before changing lanes. In fact, I had LESS trouble being seen on my motorcycles than I did with that damned Spitfire!
 
Thanks to most of you for thoughtful advice. I wasn't gone, but am leaving now. I already know some folks here are smarter than me...that's why I came here with my questions. In the future, I suppose I'll rely on my mechanic and maybe help to put his kids through college. Better that than the smarmy responses from an ASE certified Master Tech, parts specialist, and jackass.
 
Mike,
I think the general feeling is without being more specific as to where the oil may be coming from it is difficult to diagnose. To say the car is leaking oil and expect a exact cause is shooting in the wind.
I too have asked general questions and received the same tone in responses. But that was my own fault. Yes we are a special group. You will not find a more knowledgable group around.
We are here to help! The ribbing is a right of passage. You will have your turn at dishing then out.
 
Thanks. I knew my question was not specific...I haven't had a minute to crawl under the car to see where the oil came from. Just thought my description of lots of oil going and coming into the garage would get me pointed in the right direction. I have received lots of good pointers and I certainly appreciate those responses.
 
Michael, it was meant as humor and nothing even close to sarcastic.

Anyone here will tell you, I'm the first to come to someone's aid or defense.

As I stated earlier, don't take any offense.

If you choose to, that's on you, not me.

Clearly you didn't even pay attention to my opening line, much less the fact that I told you EXACTLY what to do and where to look. ( also, I told you how to make a roux and start gumbo, you'll add stock later. I reccomend a seafood or vegi stock.)

You also failed to recognize that if you had called into Car Talk, that is EXACTLY how they would have replied, once again, reinforcing the humor of my post.

And yes, if you take a Spidget to a tech everytime it needs repair or maintenece, you WILL put at least one of his kids through college. Trust me, I'm the guy who writes the invoice. ( just finding someone to work on these is a challenge in itself.)

Normally, this is where I would offer an apology, however; I can't be held responsible for someone else's feelings, nor the fact they ignored the intent that I clearly stated. That's not my fault. ( not to mention the fact that I said the last thing I wanted to risk was offending a new/low post memember.)

You'll also note that I didn't resort to personal insults; something that's frowned upon here. ( actually, the last guy I rememebered that did do that got banned)

So, all that being said, welcome, I do sincerly hope you enjoy your time here.

One thing I can PERSONALLY (me, not you) attest to is, if one wishes (me, not you) to own a Spridget, you'll need either: allot of money, allot of time, a sense of humor or all of the above. (notice this is a general requirement of Spridget ownership, not a direct reference to you. It applies to ~ALL~ of us.)

Let us know what you find and once again, welcome!
 
Just for fun the first thing that comes to mind with lots of oil is a loose oil drain plug. Naaa, can;t be that.
 
kellysguy said:
MichaelJones said:
Buy a Miata, please. .
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BTW, there are enough Miata owners here at BCF to start another forum...
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I want names. Are you now or have you ever been a member of
the Miata?
:devilgrin:
 
I confess. I've lusted after an early Miata. For absolution, do I go to church or to HUAC (House UnBritish Activities Committee)?

But, you can put $25,000 into restoring one of those puppies, and when you're done, it's worth $2,500. Not exactly cost effective. So, I've successfully resisted.

'Course, same story with Spridgets, I suppose.

Back on topic: check that line to the oil-pressure gauge! Cracked line is a major cause of oil-spurters!
 
I'm a Honda S2000 fan myself. ( and I like the second gen Miatas too.)
 
Hey Mike,
You need to get out there and find the leak! I for one am curious to find out what the probelm is. I personally hope it is some thing simple so you can fix it and take a step back and admire your work. Then you will realize these things are fun and be willing to dive into the next project.
 
Hope to figure it out this weekend between soccer games and various kids' activities. Will report back...I'm hoping it's something simple. I've been able to fix everything that's gone wrong since I bought the car.
 
Goos luck Mike,
I think the first thought to run through you mind after you find the leak will be "How the heck....????"
 
My car was (still is) covered w/ lucas oil treatment and 20/50 from just behind the front bumper to the back of the car and from sill to sill. You have to admire a car that sucretes it's own undercoating. Finally got the diff to stop leaking, but the tranny has a new leak. Like I said before, don't be suprised if you see everything leaking. Mine had a front seal that has leaked forever and finally cracked and it leaked badly.

Purple Power or Mean Green work well and can be rinsed w/ the hose. The Gunk engine cleaner is flamamble and will catch fire if accidently sprayed on a hot exhast manifold. ( ask me how I know....~NOT~ a good idea when you're at the car wash and don't have quarters handy to put the flames out.) This is not to be confused with my recent attempt to burn to the ground: my truck, church widdows barn, racecar, Storm GSI, S-10, mother's Volkswagen and my sailboat.

When you say trail, do you mean a constant streak, or a spotted one?
 
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