cannot find oil leak

chad lefler · 05-08-2009, 06:40 PM

I have a 96 sidekick sport 1.8 liter 4wd it has a bad oil leak on the back of the engine somwhere up high. Valve cover gasket has been replaced. Anyone know what else can leak back there. EGR? it leaks quite a bit oil is all over the top of the transmission housing and I can smell some oil burn getting to the manifold. Please any suggestions???

jtgh · 05-08-2009, 09:04 PM

steps: (always works)

1: clean it with motor cleaner , good and clean, spic and span.
2: drive it 10 miles or less
3: allow to cool.
3: now with bright lights and mirrors. find leak.

Valve cover, nah,
no distributor on a 1.8l

clutch fluid dripping?

head gasket.

this formula works every time.

if really bad, skip 10miles or make it 1 mile. then look. (you know how much it leaks)

chad lefler · 05-08-2009, 11:02 PM

Did not think of head gasket. It runs really good though. very smooth? I have cleaned really good I just can't get a good enough look. What about EGR valve? Any other simple things before I tackle a head gasket?

chad lefler · 05-08-2009, 11:03 PM

Clutch Fluid not an option. Automatic

fuzzy1 · 05-09-2009, 12:32 AM

Possibly the valve cover gasket got damaged when put in? Or cover not torqued properly, or damaged/out of shape? Not sure on 1.8, my 1.6 leaked a tiny bit from the pcv valve seat, but it doesn't get much direct oil so shouldn't cause a bad leak. EGR has no oil seal, its exhaust so that's not likely. m2c

Fuzz

jtgh · 05-09-2009, 01:15 AM

uh. the spec on the VC bolts is light, if you over torque it , it warps. (or strips)
very tiny touque.
i can look it up for you .

chad lefler · 05-09-2009, 09:27 AM

That would be great It would be the easy fix. I will start there. I hope it is not a head gasket. But I am looking at like 3/4 of a quart a week. Spark plugs or exhaust do not indicate it burning oil. Thats quite a bit of oil. Wouldn't a head gasket show some signs of runnig bad?

jtgh · 05-09-2009, 12:10 PM

really ,
truely , things break the way they wish,.
sure , statistically yes, reality is a whole diff, deal.
but it can be 2 things, and 1 was done. so,.....

jtgh · 05-09-2009, 06:16 PM

i forgot one very important piece.

subract dizzy, add CAM sender CAS.
o-riing bad, (just like distributors love to do)

pn suk.

33278-77e20

same part number as used on Esteems.1999-2002

i just looked at 1.8L in car fire, motor sitting on deck. opps, the CAS.

sorry so slow ,

gregman · 05-10-2009, 04:06 AM

Hm....sounds like what I had a few years ago. Oil leaked near the back of the valve cover gasket where distributor housing meets it. There is a big O-Ring between valve cover and the distributor housing. The engine oil leaked down to my transmission bell housing and near my catalytic converter piping....burnt oil smell.

JTGH is probably right..

Hope this helps some. Good luck!