Just discovered that I have a fairly bad oil leak, not streaming, but definitely quite a lot of dripping. Am trying to get a definitive idea of what the culprit(s) could be.

(V6)

Have degreased and run a few times, and the oil is on the bottom of the alternator, on the couple of bolts and oil switch above the alternator, and it seems to be on the crankshaft sprocket. Everything else seems to be clean. But there is nothing definitive about it. Can't find a good diagram of the complete engine in either of the manuals I have that could give a neat culprit.

We're theorising that the crankshaft oil seal is gone, and that the motion of the crankshaft is flinging the oil up the back of the engine and the alternator, but I want to double-check with anyone who intimately knows these engines as to whether this would be the case, before taking it to a mechanic, who may not have an indepth knowledge of this particular engine.

It's due for a timing belt replacement (and other belts), so theoretically it shouldn't be much more work to replace this seal, but I don't want to only be covering up another problem that's going to come back to haunt me.

I think this may have been around for a while, but I put it down to gunk being flung around by the stuffed inner CV boot.

chnaged ur oil filter lately???
there is a reason why im asking this

Sounds like the crank oil seal to me too... also if you're gettin the timing belt kit, change the cam seals too.

If possible, try take a few piccies... might be easier to pinpoint.

Oil filter was changed by a mechanic the other day, he said I had a leak, and I'm fairly sure this thing must have been around before that, I just thought it was from the stuffed CV.

Didn't get to take a pic 'cause I was in a hurry, had to check it then put it together to travel 500k's in time to make an appointment. Also hard to get the camera into, had the wheel and the plastic panel off, I don't get off work 'til dark, so couldn't try to get a shot until at least next weekend.

So... what is this reason with regards to changing the oil filter?

I'm guessing the reason might be a bad seal around the filter? :confused:

If the old seal was stuck onto the block and the new seal/filter was placed over the top without realising?

Reason probably why he was asking if you've changed your filter is because if you haven't in a long time, the oil pressure can build up too high in parts of the engine and potentially blow holes in old seals.

Also, if your CV's are leaking oil, then you've got one major problem! CV's are packed with a thick brownish sludgy grease.

Oil leaks can be a sh** to find sometimes because they can appear to be coming from a particular area, but the actual leak turns out to be somewhere else altogether.

Because the oil filter is at the front of the 6G72 and the alternator where the leak shows up is at the back I would go for the rear camshaft seal as the most likely source of the leak. It could then drain down to where the alternator is.

I think mine is leaking from the front camshaft seal (not a major leak but annoying). It shows up above the oil filter as there is a ledge along the top of the water pump that directs it out there.

Rob

yeah sorry the reason i was asking is if you have the wrong filter on... pls even if u think its right get a book listing from a shop and check ur part number.
had this happen with my triton put a z56b on it as all astron 4cyl use, turns out it was supposed to have some other one forget the number... anyway for a whole week couldnt figure out why i had oil leaking from everywhere, front timing cover seal, sump gasket, around the filter, cam seal rocker cover etc.... hooked up a pressure guage and it was running at 100psi at high revs (far too high) hence the pressure build up was forcing oil out everywhere it could.

this was all because the filter was slighlty and i mean slightly different