When I first bought my car, it was leaking from the Rear Main Bearing Seal. So..I put some stop-leak in it and after 48 hours, the oil leak stopped completely. Then, about 5 days later, it spews a ton of oil out and then slowly leaks (about 1/4 a quart every week). The last mechanic we took it too, for a separate repair, said the head gasket was leaking badly. First off, it isn't a bad leak.. And 2nd, if the head gasket had a hefty leak or crack or something, wouldn't I lose some pressure in the system and feel it in the performance? My oil pressure's usually between 70 and 80 on a cold run. On a warm run, after an hour or so, it's usually around 50. In all probability, do you think the head gasket leak's a load of BS? I don't know enough about cars to know what to look for or to check myself if it's leaking or not.

 

check the oil and see if it looks like chocolate milk.. it should have coolant/water from ur cooling system and u should also be loosing coolant

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1989 Firebird
2.8 v6, t5 swapped in

Ram Hi-po clutch, Cold Air, 1.6 rockers,Lakewood LCA's, Lakewood Lift bars, Wonder Bar, 3" y-pipe, Random Tech Cat, 3" I-pipe, Flowmasters, MSd 6a, MSD Coil, Accel 8.8 wires, Auto Meter Gauges (Water, Clock, Fuel Pressure, and 5" Sport Comp Tach)TB Bypass, 4th Gen Seats

Coming for my v6:
Panhard Bar, 4thgen front seats, Nitrous, Line Lock, Posi, Spohn Torque Arm & Subframe connnectors

"I'd rather run last in a full out race, than to NOT have run at all"
#3 Forever

 

Are you sure it's leaking from the rear main seal? I had a similar leak; I even pulled the flywheel inspection cover, and saw oil dripping from the main seal.

Turned out it was my distributor seal. Oil was seeping out of the distributor hole, dripping down the back of my engine, and dripping down the back of the crank- making the leak look like a rear main leak.

Remove the distributor cap & rotor, and take a peek back there with a flashlight & mirror. If there's oil up there, chances are good that it's your distributor seal. If you can trace the oil to "underneath" the distributor, at the point where the distributor shaft goes into the intake manifold, then your chances are even better.

Go to any "real" auto parts store, and ask for a "1-inch-inside-diameter O-ring". I actually found some in Pep Boys- they have them in metal drawers, near the wheel bolts & brake bleeder screws, a pack of five is $1.00. Remove your distributor (directions are found in the Haynes 82-92 Firebird or Camaro manual). There's an o-ring seal on the distributor housing, about an inch above the distrib's gear. Crack the old one off, put some fresh oil on the new one, and slide the new one on. It's easy, quick, and will keep you leak-free for a lonnng time.

It doesn't sound like a head gasket.


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-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l) from http://www.f-body.net/mailbag/3rd/3rd_mailbag.html message boards
---Think your car could be pic of the week? Visit http://www.f-body.net for details!

 

TomP!!!!!!!

i had the EXACT same oil leak also.......
my mechanic thought it was the rear-main seal also, but alas, it was the distributor O-ring-- he repaired it for about $200, if i remember correctly

 

200 dollars!! i got mine done for 3 bucks! unscrew one bolt, take old one off, new one on, and put back in and bolt down!

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1989 Firebird
2.8 v6, t5 swapped in

Ram Hi-po clutch, Cold Air, 1.6 rockers,Lakewood LCA's, Lakewood Lift bars, Wonder Bar, 3" y-pipe, Random Tech Cat, 3" I-pipe, Flowmasters, MSd 6a, MSD Coil, Accel 8.8 wires, Auto Meter Gauges (Water, Clock, Fuel Pressure, and 5" Sport Comp Tach)TB Bypass, 4th Gen Seats

Coming for my v6:
Panhard Bar, 4thgen front seats, Nitrous, Line Lock, Posi, Spohn Torque Arm & Subframe connnectors

"I'd rather run last in a full out race, than to NOT have run at all"
#3 Forever

 

That o-ring leak's a sneaky bastard, eh? My mechanic found it for me... I had a bad ECM supply ring terminal- my car backfired, stalled, and wouldn't start. He couldn't find the problem, so he was trying random things. He rebuilt my distributor, played with some other things, and finally found out my fuel pump relay wasn't getting juice. We talked it over, he could either spend days doing electrical work, or hand it over to me. I drove it home with a jumper wire to the pump relay... and found the bad ring terminal when I got home.

ANYWAY, he told me, "And I fixed your oil leak too." I said "The rear main?" He laughed and showed me the old distributor o-ring. It was cut in half; he bent it backwards- you could see many tiny cracks in it. The outside of the o-ring looked fine; the inside, where it touched the shaft, was cracked- causing the leak. What a relief!

Karl found out, too, that a chevy smallblock's distributor gasket will also work, if you can't find an o-ring. But you can hunt 'em down.. it's almost better to not mention your distributor, and just ask for the "one inch inside diameter o-ring" first. Otherwise, some stores (like Pep Boys) start looking up "distributor" in their computer- and they won't dig up an o-ring part #. It's one of those things you just have to know.


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-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l) from http://www.f-body.net/mailbag/3rd/3rd_mailbag.html message boards
---Think your car could be pic of the week? Visit http://www.f-body.net for details!

 

LOL, Graeme it cost you $3??? I paid $1.72 LOL

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Stock 2.8 MPFI auto w/ Flowmaster 80 Series, More to come......
New Pioneer Head Unit
Targa E-910 7-Band Equalizer w/ crossover
2x 10" Pioneer subs powered by 300 Watt Jensen amp
2- 6x9" Pioneer (rear)
More to come..... (hey, i dont got a job yet)

 

i paied 300 for the seal but my mechanic also put all new upper seales and stuff on too

 

lol bastard! whered u find it that cheap? (i was also including my 2 liter of dr pepper

------------------
1989 Firebird
2.8 v6, t5 swapped in

Ram Hi-po clutch, Cold Air, 1.6 rockers,Lakewood LCA's, Lakewood Lift bars, Wonder Bar, 3" y-pipe, Random Tech Cat, 3" I-pipe, Flowmasters, MSd 6a, MSD Coil, Accel 8.8 wires, Auto Meter Gauges (Water, Clock, Fuel Pressure, and 5" Sport Comp Tach)TB Bypass, 4th Gen Seats

Coming for my v6:
Panhard Bar, 4thgen front seats, Nitrous, Line Lock, Posi, Spohn Torque Arm & Subframe connnectors

"I'd rather run last in a full out race, than to NOT have run at all"
#3 Forever

 

I paid $1.00
I need another.
It's a Fel Pro SBC dist. gasket as Tom mentioned.
You do the same work, but better seal. I just spread a film of Black RTV on both sides, throw it back on, on a brake cleaner cleaned surface. Even reuse the old rubber seal.
I'm about ready to drop in the rebuilt distributor on my S-10 Blazer w/MPFI head swap.
Rebuilding the 2SE Carb Weds. No hop ups to the carb, just new throttle shaft bushings. After 211,500 miles, it's due for that.
Not even raising the carb on the intake.
The 2.8 doesn't flow enought in coing air to warrant that trick (unlike a 4-BBL intake ona 350 or larger).


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Chat Soon,
KED85
Karl
1985 Firebird 2.8 to 3.4 swap project for Smog Happy LA, CA

 

I had that same problem with my 3.1 liter auto v6 leaking oil from the liter o-ring in the distributor. Its pretty easy to fix but a bitch to get 2 back there. I wish GM would have put the distributor on the front of the engines

 

I have the same problem with my 88 2.8L. I replaced that o-ring at 125K and it started leaking again after 150K. So I just remember to put a quart in every week (300 miles). Sounds like a waste of money on oil, but I figure it's always running clean oil so I'm better off. I still do an oil change every 3000. I now have 250K on it and it runs like a champ!

Just have watch out where I park. I've found that people don't like oil puddles on their driveway's!