Hey everyone. I have a 97 Z28 that untill recently had no major faults other than some loose trim and a minor electrical glitch; which was easy to fix once id found the loose connection among all the wires behind the dash!

My car has just gone over the 70,000km mark, one previous owner to me in Japan, car now in UK and owned for last 4 years.

However a couple of weeks ago i noticed an oil patch on the ground outside my house. Took it to the garage a couple of days ago and they lifted it up to take a look underneath and we found the engine caked in oil. Anyway after cleaning it all off we could not see the source of the leak so it was decided that i would drive it for a couple of days and then take it back, which i did today. Once again the underside of the car is covered in oil and now we can also see red transmission fluid. I'm resigned to the fact that my automatic gearbox may now need a re-build, and i would like to get an estimate on how long and complex a job it would be. My local garage doesn't know because its the only Camaro they have ever worked on and therefore cant quote the job without more details.

Secondly, the oil appears to be coming from 'near' the head gasket. Appart from a leak at the head gasket, is there anything else that could be leaking oil from this area and again, how difficult is it to repair???

Desperate for help

Matt

 

the oil is most likely coming from the intake manifold...its VERY common for these cars to develop an oil leak there. basically rip the intake manifold off, get it plained, drench the front and back in RTV, and place it back on...not too difficult of a job.

i actually just noticed some red fluid under my car as well...so looks like we'll be looking for that when we do the motor swap

 

Could be coming from the rear of the intake manifold, the valley gasket. With the engine crammed so far back, it's hard to see that spot without using a mirror. If oil is leaking there, it would be running down the bellhousing area.

 

that's were mine was leaking from!

 

^^^yep the intake is probly were the engine oil is comming from. also check the tranny pan bolts to make sure they are tight. take the converter cover off and see if it has tranny oil underneath. if not the front seal is good and the fluid is comming from elsewhere. check the tranny lines that go to the radiator. also look the power steering pump to see if it is leaking. i thought my water pump seal was bad but found the power steering pump was leaking and running down the mounting bracket to the front of the motor.

 

Isn't the intake manifold higher up on the engine? If the oil is only at the base 1/4 of the block, could it still be the manifold?

 

Yes, when the engine is running, oil is pumped all the way up to the heads (higher than the intake valley). If there is a leaky gasket, oil will find it's way out no matter where it is.

 

tranny fluid may be as simple as this $5 part

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/web..._1225035610___

it's the seal for your shifter and they do leak after time.

 

yes it is and yes it can be. if y look below u can see were the rvt is squishing out at the end of the intake, that is were they leak, u can see the area that is coated with oil below the heads. my head gaskets were not leaking but it sure looks like it. what a mess huh. lol

 

Have given my mechanic some things to take a look at. Will be taking it in on the 15th March to take a look at your suggestions. Will have the engine steam cleaned just before taking it to them so they will have a cleaner field of view in the hopes of finding the source easier.

Will post again to let you all know whats going on... but keep the ideas coming!