Oil leak! NOT the O/P drive seal

[airman]

My 3.4L is leaking oil (about a quart per 2 tanks of gas). It is not the oil pump drive seal unless I am sorely mistaken. I had the intake manifold off to replace the gaskets and noticed the valley between the heads was full of oil. I replaced the gasket on the oil manifold (the rectangular plate in the bottom of the valley) but that didn't help. It has had this leak since I bought it so it wasn't something I did. Any advice or ideas welcome as I have run out of them and please don't say "head gasket"

[WhiteOut]

Why don't you think its the oil pump drive seal? From what you described it sounds an awful lot like it. When you had the lower intake off there should have been a round plug that was held down by a bolt/c-clamp right near the right rear side of the valley next to the head. Thats the oil pump, and when it leaks it covers the top of the valley with oil which ends up leaking downthe rear side of the engine some how or another and onto your driveway. Trust me, I know all about it having tried to seal the leak twice now. The entirety of my parents driveway is covered with very expensive synthetic oil because of it.

[airman]

I know where the drive seal is located and that area was completely dry. Also does the oil fill the valley when the seal is leaking because I seem to remember a ridge in the block casting that would prevent oil from traveling from the o/p to the valley. The oil is leaking down all sides of the engine primarily all over the starter and the front of the engine

[Heza]

I know where the drive seal is located and that area was completely dry. Also does the oil fill the valley when the seal is leaking because I seem to remember a ridge in the block casting that would prevent oil from traveling from the o/p to the valley. The oil is leaking down all sides of the engine primarily all over the starter and the front of the engine

 

i picture would be superb in this situation!

[93GTP]

My car had this problem when I first bought it. I had suspected the oil pump drive, but when I tore the engine down I discovered it was the Front Cylinder Head Gasket. It was leaking at the oil passage to the upper engine. Badly too I might add! I didn't drive the car like this at all but I know it left a good puddle of oil on the ground after idling for only a few minutes.

[Heza]

after thinking about it for a while after i posted, i was beginning to think left cylinder head gasket.

[paulo57509]

With all the oil leak posts, I'd like to recommend this type of stuff for pin-pointing leaks:

 

http://shop.store.yahoo.com/rodi/fluorleakdet1.html

 

I think you can get a whole kit (dye, light, goggles) at Auto Zone, but it's kind of pricey for one use (get a few of your buddies to go in on one).

 

I just bought the dye and went to Ace hardware for a black light to put in the old drop light. A 25 watt black light is kind of dim when you need to shine it down in the bowels of the engine compartment, but with a bit of squinting, your leaks show up without any guesswork. I also have a little battery-op blacklight that I use to really get in close.

 

This dye saved me hours of guesswork; what appeared to be a leak at the oil pump drive, was actually the intake manifild end seals leaking; I went ahead and did the oil pump drive wheil the intake manofold was off. Come to think of it, it actually added to the effort need to fix the problem...haha.