My IROC just started leaking yesterday. There are five or six 2" drops of fluid underneath the front of the car everytime I stop driving. I looked underneath and see it dripping down the side of the frame near the engine compartment. It is not coming from the oil pan and it is not coming from the Tranny pan. It is slicker than oil and clear. It smells like Dexron II but it is not red. It does not even closely smell like brake fluid, oil or power steering fluid. It is a tan color like oil, but it is way to slick to be engine oil. It is a brand new engine. I checked all fluids and they are right where they need to be except for the tranny fluid, which appears to be high. I don't have any jack stands, otherwise I would have gotten under her. I know it sounds general, but does anyone have any thoughts?

 

Left side or right? Front of engine bay or rear?

 

It appears to be more prevelent on the passenger side in the middle of the engine bay. It looks like it is dripping onto the frame and the running off. It may actually be radiator fluid, but I did not notice the rad fluid level drop at all. Someone mentioned something about a possible rad seal leak between the engine and the tranny, but I have never seen this happen. Then again, there is a lot that I have never seen.

 

Do you have a smog pump?

 

It is an '89 IROC 305 TBI with all stock components including emmisions. Hate to sound somehwhat ignorent (I am new at this), but I am pretty sure it has one. I have some bets going here at work on what it is. Everyone so far is telling me it most likely coolant and oil mixing. It is a brand new engine with 800Miles on it. So I suppose it could be a head leak. Certainly hope it is not a cracked block. I am bringing to the shop tonight to have it looked at. The engine has 3 year, 50,000 mile warranty so I hope it is covered. We'll have to wait and see.

 

Your leak sounds like oil to me.

I'm not sure where the smog pump would be in that car. On many cars, the upper bolt for the smog pump bracket goes directly into the bore where the fuel pump drive rod goes in a carbed car. Look at the front of the engine block, just to the pass side of the water pump, down low; there will be 2 bolt holes, one just above the oil pan surface of the block, and one about 2" above that. If there's not a bolt in that upper hole, oil will leak out of it, especially at higher RPMs. This is an extremely common new-motor mystery oil leak.

Another possibility is your valve cover gaskets.

 

That helps, beleive me! It kind of takes some of the mystery out of it. I just had this fear that on the way to the shop that I was going to see the temp needle go red, the oil pressure shoot down and hear a loud BANG and see rods shoot out the hood!!!! Hopefully this is just paranoia talking! Thanks again for the input.

Andy

 

Okay, for anyone interested, my power steering pump apparantly blew a seal. The shop is going to rebuild it. Due to the location of the pump, I could not determine where it was coming from.

 

Compressor oil from a leaky A/C line?

 

Thanks ZZ, but they just looked at it and advised that it is a power steering pump seal. They're rebuilding it for me.