M44 engine oil leak - Where from?

[john318isau]

My M44 engine is leaking a significant amount of engine oil.

Today I degreased the engine and then ran it for a couple of minutes.

I checked underneath the car and there were a couple of trails of fresh oil. I took some photos:


(underneath the engine, looking up at alternator)


(underneath the engine, looking up at the front of the engine)

Does this look like the common problem with the oil filter housing, or does it look like I have more problems than that?

Thanks!

[john318isau]

Just checked again this morning, and the alternator side is covered in a lot of oil, so it doesn't look like it only leaks under pressure. Does that sound like the oil filter housing?

[max911]

hello John.
I cleaned the front of my engine with brake clean. Ran it for awhile and looked for oil - didn't see any obvious leaks.
When i looked again the next morning (from above, with a flashlight) it was obvious that there was oil coming from the oil filter housing.

The area highlighted in red is where i could see fresh oil. (Again, that is looking from above)
I suggest you clean everything again, replace the gasket and o-rings for the oil filter housing, then see if your engine stays clean. ( i am betting it will)

[max911]

so it doesn't look like it only leaks under pressure. Does that sound like the oil filter housing?

Just to be clear, mine did leak overnight. So, it either leaks with out pressure, or leaks under residual pressure that may remain in the housing.

good luck,
max

[98318ti]

Looks like the oil filter gasket to me. I just did mine yesterday and that whole area was just caked with grime. BTW John what did you use for your degreasing. I see max911 used brake clean. Just curious how other people do things. I don't seem to be able to clean my engine without making a big mess.

[john318isau]

I used just a cheap premixed degreaser from an auto parts store but ran out after my first cleaning pass. It got off a lot of it but needs agitation to remove the stubborn stuff (I used a paintbrush). I then used a citrus based aerosol degreaser which seems to do a better job and doesnt seem to need any agitation. But I did a final cleaning pass with a new bottle of the premixed degreaser. Overall it looks clean but any parts where it was really bad and I wasn't able to fit the paintbrush are still dirty.

I did cover some of the electrics with plastic bags but I worry a bit about water and degreaser getting into places it probably shouldn't. Is there anything that should be lubricated after the engine bay is washed and hosed?

[98318ti]

Thanks for the reply. I think most stuff in the engine bay can take a little moisture, Just don't spray with any pressure in alternator or any intake areas. Do you put something under the car like a piece of cardboard or something to catch debris. I know some people coat engines with wd-40 or something, but I don't think it really makes 2 much difference in the long run.