Re: Oil leaks was Re: [alfa] Las Vegas shop

[Stacy Faught <onethumb@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Perhaps I should have been a bit more specific:  There is evidence of oil leaking at the head gasket, directly under the exhuast manifold.  There may be oil leaking at the rear of the head gasket also, since a majority of the oil underneath the car was on the rear of the oil pan.  The valve cover shows no signs of leaking.  I didn't check the vapor canistor return line--it didn't cross my mind at the time since I see evidence of oil weeping out of the head gasket.  Mabye I'm lucky and that is the source of the problem, but it will have to wait until my post-Vegas flu goes away.
I too have had the valve cover leaking issue on my spider--I only wish it were that simple this time :)
 
So let me reiterate the question:  Is oil leaking from the outside of the head gasket a *bad thing*, or can it be lived with as long as the oil and coolent aren't mixing?  Mabye it's just a matter of time before the leaks get more serious, and then it will be a moot point...I'm trying to avoid any major engine work until after my last smog check, at which time a TS will replace the current engine...
 
Thanks again for your help!


Bernie Bennett <bennetts77833@domain.elided> wrote:Stacy:

Oil Leaks, don't as a first step 'tear it down' whatever you mean by 
that. Probably is somethng simple, my spider's cam cover is slightly 
loose oil is weeping from one of the 6 fasters.

Observe your engine are there signs of s/weepage? Streaks running down 
the block where (from high up (cam cover gasket) or low (oil pan gasket) 
on the front, sides or rear? Check fasteners on the cam cover, oil pan 
and tighten carefully, cracked aluminum is expensive.

Check the famous vapor separator canister and its plumbing. If that 
hose that connects it to the oil pan has any kind of damage, it will 
coat your engine with copious amounts of gook.

If you're not using lots of oil don't worry, have an Alfa professional 
evaluate your engine. Clean it and drive it awhile and look for the 
source of that oil.

Also, be careful with adding an new question to a 'all clear' or problem 
solved message, I almost hit delete on your message before noticing your 
added question.

Best Wishes,
Bernie Bennett

Stacy Faught wrote:

>. . . stuff deleted . . .
>

>Now, having been able to look under the car in good light (while on a lift), I noticed that there seems to be an excessive amount of oil hanging around the underside of the oil pan....I know Alfa engines tend to leak naturally, but I'm wondering if the previous 10 years of sitting and being driven once a month or so (at least that what I was told) took their toll on the sealing ability of the gaskets and such. The car only covered about 20,000 miles during that time (since the last engine rebuild)....
>Just looking for a few comments here....I haven't decided if I want to tear it apart yet or not, and I haven't had it long enough to have an accurate idea of exactly *how* much oil I'm leaking/consuming (seems like a little less than 1qt per 1,000 mi.). And before anyone asks, the coolent and oil are not mixing--both look fine. 
>All the rubber bits and such looked pretty good, so I'm not too concerned...but I thought I'd ask anyway.
> 
>Thanks again!
>Stacy Faught
>'87 Spider Quad
>'78 Alfetta Sport Sedan
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