tgilligan

While doing some trans work, I noticed a slight fluid stain around one area of the oil pan by the lip. I then saw a very small amount of staining on the right side block. Tracing it a bit further seems to have a very slight fluid buildup at the head gasket towards the front of the block and head. It did not smell really like anything and was very faint in that it barely left any mark on my fingers. It appeared to be closer to oil consistency rather than coolant. Could this be an issue with the gasket or perhaps I need to re-torque the head bolts on that side? This engine rebuild is about 2 years old and all gaskets were replaced with new as the engine was a complete rebuild. I'll include a couple of pictures to hopefully help. Don't mind the smeared appearance as that was a result of my glove trying to wipe that area and it smeared. No signs of any fluid dripping anywhere on the ground or surrounding components other than the slight staining on the block. Yes, I'm also aware of the very sad state of the exhaust manifold...those will be replaced with headers down the road.

Any ideas to the explanation and solution to the leak?

Tedd Thompson

Wish mine was as clean as that....... Tedd

BillK

Hard to tell from your picture. Get some die at the parts store and put it in the oil. Then drive it a while and check it with an ultraviolet flashlight. It will show you where the leak is coming from if it is oil. Could be coolant alos, hard to tell. Its pretty amazing how the air flow under the hood can make leaks appear to be far from where they actually are. Thats where the die helps.

joe_padavano

The reality is that every gasket has some amount of seepage. As Bill points out, if you think you have a head gasket leak, use dye to find it.