First, check the o-ring on the distributor. It's an easy check. Engine off, motor cold (so you don't burn yourself), climb up on the fender and reach your hand behind the distributor cap. When you feel the bottom of the dist cap, keep going underneath 'til you hit the distributor shaft. Keep going down, the shaft will go into the intake manifold. Run your fingers along that area on top of the intake manifold. Before your arm falls asleep or you crush a nut on the fender (not fun!), pull your hand out, and see if there's oil on your fingers. If there was a puddle up there, it's the 25 cent o-ring.

That oil leak at the distributor will drip down the back of the engine block, and go around the back of the crankshaft. It winds up covering the rear main seal in oil- so if you had pulled the inspection cover from underneath the car (between engine oil pan and trans), you'd see the rear seal covered in oil, and think it was the rear main. But it's probably just the dist.

You should also have a 2-piece rope seal on your engine, so if you did have to change the rear seal, you don't have to pull the trans. You "just" (still a pain) have to pull the oil pan- and I have no idea how to do that with a motor in the car.

But- no tools? Get an early birthday present and ask for a socket set- Sears has some great entry level ones. Make sure you get metric sockets in that set!! And don't buy a Walmart socket set- they're chinesium metal (weak metal) and you'll break sockets and strip bolts with that junk. It's meant for working around the house. The Sears set (or even Home Depot or Lowes!) is tough as hell and has a lifetime warranty, so you only buy the tool ONCE. You'll probably still use that same set 50 years from now. A $12 Walmart set will cause you a ton of headaches, but a $45 Sears/Home Depot/Walmart set will last you forever.

Never lift the car up with the spare tire jack, by the way. It's only meant to hold up one wheel at a time AND NOT FOR EXTENDED PERIODS! And if you do get a hydraulic jack, never get under the car with JUST the hydraulic jack holding up the car. Hydraulic jacks can fail- even if they're new. They're just meant to LIFT the car. You need jackstands to hold the car up. And before you jack up anything, you'd damn well better get a set of wheel blocks (or wheel chocks or etc) to block the wheels. Never jack on gravel, sand, or blacktop. Always jack on concrete. (Blacktop/asphalt is too soft and the jackstands will sink in and make the car unstable!)

 

wow! Thanks TomP, I REALLY APPRECIATE IT. I will definitely look at that today. It would make me feel better if that was the source of the leak and I could stop it. Sux having to put oil in it every week or so. That stuff adds up (money) like gas lol

 

learned that one the hard way, clutch went out at my gf's put it up on jackstands and now theres 4 sinkholes in the blacktop, man is her dad pissed

 

LOL I think the best thing is you didn't kill yourself!

 

haha my car actually fell on me while i was jacking it up, good thing the tranny was already outta the car. got my head smacked against the concrete

 

OUCH OUCH OUCH

*tries to not think of that*

lol

 

I think Tom's been drinking, he's funny, just not usually this funny.

Wheel blocks? Jack stands? Buy some wood and chop it up (just don't use laminated woods and don't use wood that's not very wide).

 

Hey TomP...... I got back there and sure enough there was enough of that ugly black oil there. One HUGE problem though.... I couldnt remove the distributer. Theres supposed to be some sort of holding bolt? I couldnt find it. I have the 2.8L 2BBL and on the chiltons manual they show you were the bolt is, yet its not on mine. So I can't remove the distributer to get to the ring.

 

There HAS to be a distributor clamp and bolt. Every Chevy engine that I've seen has the same set up. It's there. You also may have to jiggle the distributor to get it to come out.

 

lol I know there has to be one too.... its just not visible. Took a light down there and looked everywhere..... I'll try jiggling it around and see if that yields anything

 

Ok I did find it, but its so hard to take it off! I can't seem to get down there and take it off. My friend tried the most and still couldnt. My hands were just too big to get back there. Very cramped

 

Well, if it's in the same place as the 2.8L MPFI, yes it's a little difficult to get at. Most people have success with one or two u-joints on a ratchet. Personally, I use a combination wrench at come at it from the passenger side underneath all the wiring and such.