Oil leak

[03GMCYukonXL]

So, I replaced my oil pan gasket when I did my lifters. I developed an oil leak and I have no clue where it's coming from but it's in places it should not me. Like the bottom of my thermostat housing and coolant crossover. Is it maybe leaking from where the timing chain cover and oil pan meet and getting slung all over from wind or the pulley? OR maybe from the crank shaft pulley seal....which is also new. (attached a pic of this area cleaned up) It's even on my starter. I've never had an oil leak like this and I really didn't want to replace this gasket again because it's a 4WD lol

 

[mattbta]

Did you put dabs of RTV on the 4 spots where the timing cover and rear cover meet the block when you did the oil pan gasket?

 

[03GMCYukonXL]

Did you put dabs of RTV on the 4 spots where the timing cover and rear cover meet the block when you did the oil pan gasket?

I did not. Didn't know that was a thing

 

[strutaeng]

Put some UV dye in your oil and drive it a few days, then check with a black light. It's probably leaking from more than one location?

 

[j91z28d1]

I did not. Didn't know that was a thing

oh man..

sorry to say, but its 95% it's your oil pan leaking again. gm put rtv in all 4 corners and you have to too.

now gm somehow used stuff that didn't hold up to oil very well. but good black rtv silicone will do nicely. that or go big and pick up a tube of Honda bond. that still will out live the next ice age.


edit, quick search on YouTube will show where and why.

 

[Dustin Jackson]

Here's my 2 cents..

If it was the oil pan gasket why are there drops of oil well above the oil pan, near the water pump?

Also here is a picture from my own Tahoe with a suspected oil pan gasket leak, OPs picture looks much different than mine.

I challenge the theory of the oil pan gasket being the culprit, I wonder if it's the valley cover?

 

[Geotrash]

So, I replaced my oil pan gasket when I did my lifters. I developed an oil leak and I have no clue where it's coming from but it's in places it should not me. Like the bottom of my thermostat housing and coolant crossover. Is it maybe leaking from where the timing chain cover and oil pan meet and getting slung all over from wind or the pulley? OR maybe from the crank shaft pulley seal....which is also new. (attached a pic of this area cleaned up) It's even on my starter. I've never had an oil leak like this and I really didn't want to replace this gasket again because it's a 4WD lol

Check your oil and transmission cooler lines and fittings at the radiator.

 

[89Suburban]

Here's my 2 cents..

If it was the oil pan gasket why are there drops of oil well above the oil pan, near the water pump?

Also here is a picture from my own Tahoe with a suspected oil pan gasket leak, OPs picture looks much different than mine.

I challenge the theory of the oil pan gasket being the culprit, I wonder if it's the valley cover?

View attachment 424670

I never saw a valley pan gasket leak at the front of the motor. Not saying that it can't, but the rear of the motor would certainly be bathed in oil as well. Between the tilt of the engine and airflow it would all blow rearwards.

 

[Dustin Jackson]

@89Suburban I hear you. The drops of oil on the water pump is very bizarre there’s nothing really up there

 

[89Suburban]

@89Suburban I hear you. The drops of oil on the water pump is very bizarre there’s nothing really up there

Could it be slinging off the front seal behind the crank pulley? Could it possibly be the weep hole on the water pump weeping?

OP did you do a fell/taste/smell test to confirm if it is oil or coolant?

 

[Dustin Jackson]

True it could be a coolant leak that’s soaking up oil making it look dark.

 

[89Suburban]

True it could be a coolant leak that’s soaking up oil making it look dark.

I love these oil leak threads on here nothing compared to what mine looks like, like it was dunked into some maple syrup haha I'm leaking 1/2 to 3/4 qts a week.

 

[Dustin Jackson]

@89Suburban does it leave oil spots on the ground? The thing about my leak is it wasn’t showing up on my driveway

 

[89Suburban]

@89Suburban does it leave oil spots on the ground? The thing about my leak is it wasn’t showing up on my driveway

Oh yeah big time, all over the frame too. It will leave a couple dollar bill sized spots overnight. Everything has been resealed except the front and rear mains/covers and oil pan. Oil pan and gasket will be next see how much that slows it down. Replace o-ring and install oil deflector. After that I will just run it whatever it is until I replace the motor.

 

[89Suburban]

Could it be slinging off the front seal behind the crank pulley? Could it possibly be the weep hole on the water pump weeping?

OP did you do a fell/taste/smell test to confirm if it is oil or coolant?

 

[03GMCYukonXL]

Well I do have spots on the ground and it's all over the starter. It's definitely oil. But, I suspect i have a slight coolant leak as well that I've had since I got the truck. It's incredibly slow though. I may just get my suburban up and going and just really dive into this thing.

As far as the oild slinging, I suspect that as well but there is no oil on my belts at all

 

[03GMCYukonXL]

Ok so update on this post. My oil seems to be leaking from my crank pulley seal. I replaced it with a new one but today discovered that it seems to be off balance. I tightened it to specs and then gave it the extra degrees in turning. Here is a video of the bolt wobbling all over the place.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=838933628293610

 

[Fless]

Video no longer available. Going to fix the link?

 

[03GMCYukonXL]

Video no longer available. Going to fix the link?

I just changed my facebook settings to public

 

[j91z28d1]

very common for the oem ls balancer's to fail and start to wobble. the outside ring rides on a rubber insert. back in the day a balancer had that, but then a pulley bolted on the front of it. that way the balancer lived basically forever without any load on the rubber insert, gm decided to cut belt groves in the rubber supported part this time, spinning all those accessories kills them, sooner in manual tranny sports car, longer in the trucks and suvs. but it happens to them all.

oem will last you another 100k. Power bond seems to be a decent low cost aftermarket. ATI fluid damper or the other brand I can't think of are better, but much much more expensive.