So I started leaking oil again and I thought it could be cam cover gaskets as on the passenger side next to the oil filler was where the smoke was coming from. I had a look and found sludgy mess of burnt oily goodness.
Still not knowing where the leak was I cleaned the surface of all the burnt oil and sanded to new metal so I could easily see the oil on the metal when it next leaked.
Got back from work today and saw this:
You can see where the oil has leaked, highlighted by the red 'circle' I drew in mspaint. I couldn't feel around easily so I got a side view from the wheel arch:
The blue splodge is where the fresh oil has leaked onto the surface. Above it you will see the red arrow pointing to what looks like a hole, just below the cam cover. It's not easy to tell but I don't actually think the gasket is the cause of the leak as I can't see fresh oil between the cover and engine.
The green arrow points to a drip of oil on the bottom of the opening (where else would it collect, right?) but there is no oil anywhere else around the opening, only straight down from the hole, not on the top or sides. All that leads me to believe the oil is coming out of the hole rather than the gasket.
So, what is that hole and what should go in it?
Or should I not worry about it and check something else to find the leak?
I can take more pictures if it would help but they are the only two I could get easily without removing anything.
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Topic: Finding oil leak I found this hole... what is it? (Read 745 times)