My ZR-1 arrived today in heavy rain. The car is beautiful inside and out.
I drove it about 30 miles but was not able to open her up due to the rain. When I got it home I notice the smell of oil, I parked the car then backed it up and found a puddle of oil. I'm not sure where is it coming from. I plan to put it on ramps tonight to get a better look.
I'm new to the ZR-1, are oil leaks common on a ZR-1? Does anyone have any ideas on where oil might be coming from?
Location: If you no longer go for a gap that exists, you are no longer a racing driver. Senna
It could be coming from the oil pan where the bolts commonly loosen. If it is from the VERY front of the car..it is the lines that go in and out of the oil cooler.
It could be coming from the oil pan where the bolts commonly loosen. If it is from the VERY front of the car..it is the lines that go in and out of the oil cooler.
It seems to happen when the car is running and not in the very front. It was also on a trailor for 7 days an 2400 miles, maybe something loosened up.
It seems to happen when the car is running and not in the very front. It was also on a trailor for 7 days an 2400 miles, maybe something loosened up.
Another common place is the oil idiot light sensor located on the under side of the oil filter housing just behind the frame where the passenger side Upper A-arm bolts to.
Its a right SOB to get too if it needs changing ,pull the plug of the end of the sensor run the motor and watch with a torch(flashlight) and watch for a steady oil drip,they dry up in the middle and crack thru the heat and you will be surprised how much oil will leak from it.
When i was looking for a leak i used a small mirror on a telescopic rod to examine some of the tight areas around the sump,front cover and front crank seal,good luck.
Another common place is the oil idiot light sensor located on the under side of the oil filter housing just behind the frame where the passenger side Upper A-arm bolts to.
Its a right SOB to get too if it needs changing ,pull the plug of the end of the sensor run the motor and watch with a torch(flashlight) and watch for a steady oil drip,they dry up in the middle and crack thru the heat and you will be surprised how much oil will leak from it.
When i was looking for a leak i used a small mirror on a telescopic rod to examine some of the tight areas around the sump,front cover and front crank seal,good luck.
Thank You,
Looks like I'll be under the Z Sunday morning, I'll post what I find.
When I first purchased my 90 it leaked alittle oil that covered the passenger side floor pan. I couldnt find where it was comming from. I looked and looked, tightened up the pan bolts "they were lose", changed the oil lines, new sensor...still leaked. Turns out that whoever assembled the oil dipstick tube into the block at the factory, put "2" oil seals (instead of 1) on the end of the tube causing a leak. Removed the tube & both seals, put a new one on the tube, reinstalled and voila leak fixed. If you find this to be the problem, you will have to remove the inner wheelwells to access the tube. Just my .02
A common leak that shows up after the car has not been driven, and results in "oil smell", is a pair of bolts, one on each side, in the center of the exhaust manifolds.
Problem is, their threaded holes go straight through to oil galleries, and when the seals fail after a few years, the leak occurs and reveals itself pretty much as you describe.
I had one on the left side. It is hell to get to, but if you re-seal it according to the service bulletin, it is a fix.
I have not seen mention of it here in a long time, perhaps others can jump in and direct you to more info.
By the way, if you drive the car often, the leak "appears" to stop, because the oil stays burned off the manifolds, but it is still there. It shows up after inactivity because that is what allows enough oil to be collected on the manifolds to be noticeable.
Good luck, let us know what you find.
Regards,
__________________
Art in Baton Rouge
"May The Horsepower Be With You."
2002 Red Z06, Black-Red Interior, stock.
I really miss these three:
1991 Red ZR-1, Saddle Interior, stock (sold 2008);
'63 Red on Red Split Window Coupe (sold in 2003),
1965 Shelby AC Cobra, Retired bracket racer replica, endorsed by Shelby (sold in 2003)-
Your oil pan bolts are the first thing I would check as the LT5's vibrations shake them loose. I recommend buying a 1990-1993 GM LT5 Shop manual supplement as it lists the torque specs for the oil pan bolts. Occasionally torquing down your oil pan bolts will help preserve the oil pan gasket. I have had no oil drips ever since doing this.
If your car has the original oil cooler hoses on it they leak bad.
if the leak is at the back of your motor at the drian tube then I would say it is your breather box that is on top of the motor my bolts were all loose on that so I changed the gasket and locktighted the bolts.
but your best bet to find the source of your leak is to go to auto zone get a dye that you can put in the oil run it then you use a black light to find exaclty where the leak is coming from its a UV dye that is compatible with your oil and is for this exact test to find the source of your leak.
Because you could have oil spots all of the motor youll try all day to find the leak..
I was unable to jack up the car (these cars are low). I need to find better ramps. The leak is definitely coming from the middle of the car and only leaks when driving or when it’s parked on a hill facing up.
It sucks because I just got the car yesterday and can't drive it without it smoking.
I put down 2 flat pieces of wood and roll the car forward onto them to enable clearance for jacking the car up,dont forget that oil has a habit of traveling away from the point of its leak,it can some times mislead you
Location: No more yankee my wankee, the Donger is tired!
Use the wood as Cliff suggersted to raise the car up a bit, then jack it. Take some brake clean and wipe down the oil pan and surrounding areas. Drive for a bit then park and then jack again to help locate the leak.
As suggested earlier
Oil pan bolts
Oil Temp sensors (there are two of them)
Center exhaust manifold stud
Those should be your three primary places to look.
In addition to the above mentioned places, there is a small plate (with 2 bolts) on the lower pass. side of the block, just forward of the front of the oil pan. These bolts sometimes need tightening.
But pray it's just the foward,(little), oil pan bolts. they are the easy to get to. the other locations can be a royal PITA.
Finally Got the car up today but no engine oil leak, looks like it is coming from the transmission, not sure where though. I cleaned the bottom of the entire engine and Trans, checked fluid levels and added dye. I'm going to run it for 100 miles and then use an ultra violet light to find out where the leak is. I have never worked on a trans leak before, I'm hoping its the speedo O ring.
Last edited by slarson; 05-07-2005 at 01:53 PM.
Reason: typo
Finally Got the car up today but no engine oil leak, looks like it is coming from the transmission, not sure where though. I cleaned the bottom of the entire engine and Trans, checked fluid levels and added dye. I'm going to run it for 100 miles and then use an ultra violet light to find out where the leak is. I have never worked on a trans leak before, I'm hoping its the speedo O ring.
Found the leak, it's coming from the middle trans gasket. Have to drop the trans to repair. $1000.00 parts labor
Are you sure its not leaking out of the 'V' drain at the back of the block?? The bolts holding down the crankcase vent cover are know to work undone. There will be oil in the V that will drip through the drain at the back of the block. Shine a light under the plenum and see if there is a wet oil mess undeneath.
On the subject of oil leaks, I need some help as well. Mine looks to be leaking out of the bottom power steering pump mounting bolt. Is this posible?? Cliff, we spoke over the phone about this ages ago when you were working on yours. I cant remember the outcome.
Are you sure its not leaking out of the 'V' drain at the back of the block?? The bolts holding down the crankcase vent cover are know to work undone. There will be oil in the V that will drip through the drain at the back of the block. Shine a light under the plenum and see if there is a wet oil mess undeneath.
On the subject of oil leaks, I need some help as well. Mine looks to be leaking out of the bottom power steering pump mounting bolt. Is this posible?? Cliff, we spoke over the phone about this ages ago when you were working on yours. I cant remember the outcome.
Definitely the Trans, I used trace dye and ran it for 100 miles then shinned a UV light and bingo the case halves seal is blowing oil.
I do not have to knowledge to repair a ZF Trans, so I made an appointment at a GM service shop. The good news is the dealer I bought the car from is willing to pay for the repair.
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Oil Leak
