Oil leak from passenger's side... typical offenders?

[mattster03]

So I picked up an MX-3 as a bit of a project. It's got a pretty decent oil leak coming from the passenger's side. By decent, I would say a 5-10 drips per minute. I believe the drips are coming from behind the crank pulley, so I'm lead to believe that I may need a new front main bearing seal. I also know that that the oil pump is back there and it too has a seal. Can both be replaced without removing the engine completely? Are there any other typical offenders of leaking in that area I can look into? I don't think it leaks when the engine is not running so maybe that helps narrow it down? Let me know what you think.

[crazycanadian]

Oil pressure switch above the oil filter on the housing is a typical leak.. Also all the seals for the oil filter housing/cooler... They are also typical oil leaks that will leak a lot like that..

[mattster03]

Thanks for the post. Yeah I read that the pressure switch can leak so I made sure to check that. It really seems to be coming from the crank pulley area...

[davmac]

Maybe it is just me, but the oil leaks that gave me the most problem were higher on the engine. The front camshaft seals leaked - but not from the camshaft, but rather from the cylinder head. You need a thin coat of sealant under the front camshaft caps. The front caps form the top half of where the camshaft seals are pressed in.

The other thing to look out for is leaks from the power steering hoses around the reservoir or the pump itself. The MX3 uses ATF fluid for power steering, but by the time it is on the ground it can be pretty hard to tell if it is oil or ATF.

[crazycanadian]

Maybe it is just me, but the oil leaks that gave me the most problem were higher on the engine. The front camshaft seals leaked - but not from the camshaft, but rather from the cylinder head. You need a thin coat of sealant under the front camshaft caps. The front caps form the top half of where the camshaft seals are pressed in.

The other thing to look out for is leaks from the power steering hoses around the reservoir or the pump itself. The MX3 uses ATF fluid for power steering, but by the time it is on the ground it can be pretty hard to tell if it is oil or ATF.

I agree with that as well.. The cam caps can be mistaken for valve cover leaks..

[wagZE]

Maybe it is just me, but the oil leaks that gave me the most problem were higher on the engine. The front camshaft seals leaked - but not from the camshaft, but rather from the cylinder head. You need a thin coat of sealant under the front camshaft caps. The front caps form the top half of where the camshaft seals are pressed in.

The other thing to look out for is leaks from the power steering hoses around the reservoir or the pump itself. The MX3 uses ATF fluid for power steering, but by the time it is on the ground it can be pretty hard to tell if it is oil or ATF.

I agree with that as well.. The cam caps can be mistaken for valve cover leaks..

I agree too. Typical rear can cap leakage. Have to at least partially remove timing cover to access the rear can cap seal.