Oil Leak

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by Virgil

Where's this oil coming from?l

It is probably coming from the bottom rear corner of your valve cover or from where the intake manifold mates at the corner. Here is how you can diagnose it, because an FE can leak invisibly. First, use some 409, Simple Green, or similar spray detergent along with a clean rag to clean where your valve covers meet your heads and the intake manifold is sealed. Clean it so that when you wipe a white paper towel along the back you get no marks of dirt or moisture. Take your car out and run it, then wipe a clean paper towel along the perimeter of the valve cover gasket. If you get any moisture mark at all then your valve cover gaskets are leaking. There are a variety of posts on how to deal with that or I can post a lengthy post with pics on how I dealt with mine. If your paper towel is bone dry then let the car sit for a day and look for the drops on the floor, then perform the paper towel test along the back of the intake manifold. If you get no moisture on your paper towel then go to the auto parts store and get a little oil dye test kit (see the pic below). You add the dye to the oil and then use a special flashlight and goggles to spot the oil leak. FE oil leaks along the back CAN be eliminated -- it just takes time and effort. Post your results and we'll take it from there. Last thought on Edit -- BTW, you can't rely on where you see the puddle on the floor as any indication on exactly where you are leaking from. An FE oil leak can literally be like an "ant trail" and go in small, almost imperceptible trails, and then drop from some totally unrelated place.