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[Alnico Blue]

(2.6) I still have this small oil leak where the oil lays on top of the sump flange below the pulleys . It seems to be coming from below the altenator somewhere.

The leak is not a lot , more annoying than a problem, but would like to stop it.

I thought it was coming from the threads of the sump bolts at the front , but now it seems it is not.

Anyone got a pic of the engine which shows where this sensor & its wiring entry postion are exactly or can anyone rule out this as a possible source of this small leak.

TIA Al 

[amba]

You and me too Al.

I thoroughly cleaned sump and surrounding area to within an inch of its life .Removed and replaced the oil sensor and all seemed fine for a few 100 miles,then the traces of clean oil started again on top of the sump lip and puddling in the hollow below the alternator.

For the life of me I cant seem to trace it either.I have no evidence of oil leaking from the o/s cam cover especially as it was replaced in the summer with genuine,and when you run your finger around the join of the plastic casing and alloy head no oil is evident.


When Nick replaced cambelt mid summer he was certain leak was not front crank seal as that was also dry and it would be causing more of a spray than just the puddle I ,and you ,both seem to have.Its only ever a small puddle,doesnt drop onto the floor nor does it go beyond just the lip and hollow directly below alternator.


Nothing seems to be bolted to the block above that area which could leak oil so like you Im at a loss as to where it is coming from...more of an annoyance than a detriment though.


 

[Doctor Gollum]

Oil pressure switch... Front of block, below alternator... There's an angled cable tray that points to it.

Oil level switch unlikely as that's mounted much further back, beneath starter, and sits in top face of sump in an area with no oil... Business end of sensor actually sits a couple of inches below the sump top and engine running there's very little oil around it.

[shyboy]

I also have exactly this problem, and the oil always look fresh and very clean. After cleaning all trace of it from the sump lip and the 'hollows' running down the sides of the sump flange, it re-appears directly below the crank pulley and then slowly progresses outwards.
I have assumed that this is the crank seal leaking only when the engine is running, with pressure in the sump being sufficient to force the oil out. I'm hoping that cleaning the breather system effectively might help to substantiate this, but am preparing myself for accepting that the seal will need replacing anyway once it's been breached.
Any further experiences or discoveries would be very interesting to learn.

[amba]

Its more annoying than a real issue as never "breaches" front of sump lip so never causes oil traces under car...might also be I,m now paranoid about it and clean it away almost the moment it appears and rarely causes oil level warning between changes.

Maybe constant turning of crank may cause the leak when pressure builds up but would of expected it to be more of a spray pattern than just oil laying on the sump lip and hollow below alternator.

[shyboy]

The fact that no oil drips onto the ground seems strange on first thoughts, but my reasoning is that oil only gets past the seal in any quantity when the engine is running and that airflow takes most of it away down the sides of the engine when travelling. Where it actually ends up I don't know, but I sometimes can detect a slight burning oil smell on longer journeys, suggesting that some gets onto the exhaust. I must make the effort to get underneath to check this out sometime. 
My money is still on the crank seal being the source of the problem.

[amba]

Yep follow your logic and really can be the only possibility as the underside of my oil pressure sensor is dry and has been replaced only a few weeks ago.

No other evidence on the side below the a/c compressor so maybe it is only under pressure and running it leaks and being as crank is rotating that way oil will always be on the side below the alternator.

Given the effort and cost involved in replacing it I will just continue as before and wait the next cambelt change probably in 2020 assuming I and the car are still running

[shyboy]

Amba.
The oil on mine ends up down both sides of the sump flange, but I don't clean mine off as often as you say you do. I'm sure you're right that the rotation of the crank pulley tends to throw the oil to the alternator side initially but that this is eventually overcome by the amount of oil leaking and by air flow on a longer run or after a longer period between cleaning.
As you say it's not a major problem and I still don't need to top up the oil level between changes. Being a bit finical, I just find it annoying that my engine isn't completly free of all oil and water leaks. 

[amba]

Agree and think best just monitoring it as work and cost to replace seems excessive tbh.

Omegas are notorious for being incontinent and don't hold their fluids well,with too many silly seals and plastic bits but heyho

[amba]

Sorry to trawl this up again but am still struggling to understand how or more importantly where this is leaking from.

Yesterday morning,almost as usual I rinsed the clean oil residue from directly under the alternator wher it always seems to puddle ontop of the sump flange.

Drove my normal 100mile work jaunt and got home just as getting dark.Thought I would see if oil was as expected puddling along sump lip ,and to my surprise very little almost non was evident .Checked it again around hour later when engine had cooled slightly and same very little oil.

Car parked up all night,but when I went out this morning around 10.00 found quite a visible puddle again on the top sump lip directly below alternator .

Now if this leak is being caused by the failing crank shaft seal,as I am pretty certain it is not from camcover seals nor oil level sensor as all have fairly recently been replaced in an attempt to track this leak down, why would oil be leaking with the engine not running.?


Really would like to get to the bottom of this and get it fixed as Im now becoming paranoid about it 

[Doctor Gollum]

Cam seal...

[amba]

Will investigate that suggestion ,although cam ends were dry when cover seal replaced on O/S late summer last year and oil has been evident since before then .

Suspect that would of also been evident when timing belt was replaced in November last year also

[Doctor Gollum]

Not necessarily... Could be draining down behind the rear cover

Wouldn't be visible without removing the cam pulley

[amba]

Yes see where your coming from .

So pulleys and back plate need removing to get a good look .
Job for warmer months and certainly beyond my skill set so will track “The Man “ down 😀

[VXL V6]

Usually the exhaust cams which the cam seals fail on first