bad oil leak 2 Qts a week

[crash618]

I've got a 92 festiva with 216,543 miles. It uses 2 Qts a week an its leaking it from the left side where the head and the block & timing cover meet is it the timing cover gasket or ?

[25Horseplay]

Most likely the valve cover gasket is leaking...................bad! Or it could be a cam seal.

[gdawgs]

^^ Yep. Probably both. And if the cam seal is leaking, the crankshaft seal is probably due as well.

[elcamino1]

It sounds like he's facing the engine from the front so i would say crankshaft seal,no timing cover on left side of engine.

[25Horseplay]

^^Except it is leaking near the head.

[crash618]

Its not the timing cover . The leak is lower just to the left of the exhaust manifold but above the coolant manifold to the lower radiator hose. There's a recessed area were the timing cover and the block & head meet thats were it's coming from.

[gdawgs]

It sounds like he's facing the engine from the front so i would say crankshaft seal,no timing cover on left side of engine.

:?:

I'm pretty sure everytime I've opened my hood and looked, the timing belt cover was on the left side(if facing the engine from the front).

Most likely it's the cam seal since you have oil that high. Pull the timing cover off and you'll be able to tell where it's coming from. The timing gasket isn't meant to be an oil gasket. It's basically just a dust cover.

[crash618]

thanks for the info

[elcamino1]

^^ I'm pretty sure everytime I've opened my hood and looked, the timing belt cover was on the left side(if facing the engine from the front).

Yes on your left side,but in the engine bay timing cover is on the right side.

[scottxd45]

^^ I'm pretty sure everytime I've opened my hood and looked, the timing belt cover was on the left side(if facing the engine from the front).

Yes on your left side,but in the engine bay timing cover is on the right side.

It's just a standard school of thought to reference everything as if sitting in the drivers seat. Driver's side=Left Passenger side=Right

[WmWatt]

The oil under the valve cover isn't under pressure so it's less likely to leak copiously than one of the engine shaft seals. The timing belt cover comes in two halves, the upper and lower. It's possible to remove the upper separately for inspection if one is careful.

[jglutz]

A ggod thing to check if your taking the valve cover off is the end of the rocker arms rods. The inside of the rocker arm rod has pressurized oil, the ends of the are pluged...not a common problem, but it does happen, the plucgs on the ends leak and squiret HP oil that will blow oiut the valve cover seal. However, this failure will coincide with alot of valve train noise.

[freshtiva]

The belts will sling oil all over, so where its coming from doesn't mean that's where its leaking from. Pull the timing belt cover off clean off the oil and run it for awhile and keep a close eye it on it. Then replace all seals and gaskets.

[crash618]

Does the back side of the water pump seal in oil. Because that is were it looks like its coming from after pulling the timing cover off

[freshtiva]

^ no