Banshee77

I was doing the front brakes the other day and while under the car I noticed two spots where oil was about to drip. I then looked at my driveway to see how bad it's been leaking and only seen a few spots. So either it just started leaking or it is a slow leak. Regardless I would like to fix it. I took a pic and put two little arrows where there are drops forming. Any ideas?

843de

Well it looks like the oil is leaking from the top of the engine and running down the block, I'd think that maybe your valve cover gasket is leaking. Take a look at the front of the engine and see if its coated with oil, also check carefully around the oil filter cap, they can leak there if the cap isn't tightened correctly.

solman98

First thing to do is clean it and then you should be able to track where it's coming from better.

Lucky

I agree you have to clean the motor and dry it. if your motor oil is clean it maybe hard to see small amounts of oil. they make oil dye that can help find it but a cheap way to do it is to spray baby powder around the area you thing it maybe coming from. with the powder it makes the oil more visable. good luck

geg

judging by the location leaks - not fixed cap of oil filter or not placed a rubber ring under this cap (supplied with the filter). First, check it out. If the oil filter cap in the order - act as they say guys.
I wish you luck, I hope that little problem.

Greybeard999

X2 what geg says.

KNEZRYD

Had the same issue... make sure there is only 1 o ring on the filter cap...

Popi

I just heard back from the dealer and I hope we all don't find this to be a Ecotec Issue!!!

Note that the Ecotec engine is a 4 piece case; Upper; Cylinder Head; Lower; Oil case. They tell me the "Lower" crankcase seal (silicon bead) has failed. OK no biggie...WRONG!!!

Seems that GM in their infinite wisdom eliminated crank shaft bearing caps by casting them into the "Lower" case now called CrankCase. When mated to the "Upper" the "Lower" holds the Crank up into the Upper. They silicon the two together and the Main Cap Bolts hold the two together. SO in order to reseal the Upper & lower, they have to pull the motor, invert it (so the crank assembly doesn't fall out , disassemble, clean, throw away cap bolts (one time use only), seal, reassemble and reinstall. $1,500!!!!

I only have 75K miles on what I thought was a proven engine.

Anyone else have this or heard of it?

843de

I hadn't heard of any issues with leaks between the upper and lower crankcase assemblies, but anything is possible on a mass produced engine. The split style block on the Ecotec will eventually become the rule rather than the exception in engine construction. Its biggest advantage is stiffness and stability, you get a much stiffer block assembly, and the split design holds the main bearings with more stability and accuracy than the conventional separate bearing caps.

Unfortunately it is impossible to reseal the upper and lower crankcase assemblies in the car, so the engine has to be pulled. Yes the bolts are a throwaway design, they are "torque to yield" bolts and can only be used once. I do hope the dealer doing the work checked the mating surfaces for damage and pitting, the sealant used when the engine was manufactured is very viscus and leaks are rare it seems.

It is always irritating when the bill for what sounds like a simple repair skyrockets into something else entirely. I'm sure that as long as the repair was carried out properly using the required sealant, you shouldn't have any more issues. Keep us posted.

donbrew

What GEG said + I always seem to drip a bit when pulling the old filter out. Also the filter cap has been known to crack from over tightening and use of incorrect tools. If you are having somebody change you oil & filter, that's the answer.