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I recently rebuilt the engine on my 2001 aero doing all the bottom end stuff, all "gaskets" and seals and replacing one piston/ring set (no. 4). The PCV update was done as well. For the first week of breaking in the engine everything was super clean; there weren't any leaks anywhere. Second week was the same. There wasn't anything on the engine and nothing on the ground. After one good trip on the freeway (maybe 100 miles round trip) I started to smell a little burnt oil. Checking around I couldn't find anything and supposed it was due to messing around with draining oil, etc. with all the break in oil changes. Just before leaving on a 5000+ round trip I noticed the smell again and looked to find that one of my inner driver boots was flinging goods around. Fixed that. The next day I noticed a small puddle of oil under the car. I jacked it up and looked everywhere. There was now oil on the bottom of the pan, on the cover for the torque converter/flywheel access and on the exhaust where it passes under the whole mess. I watched the oil closely during the long trip and over the whole thing lost about 1/4 quart. If checked after driving on the freeway the underbelly was dry. If driving around town, it would wet right up. Obviously with the car cruising, the oil is bound to get blown back but anyway...
After returning home, I have noticed that there isn't really a pattern to the leak. I can drive a mile, come home, the car will leave a 2"x 4" spot on the driveway. I can take the same drive the next day and leave nothing. I don't push this car hard so upping boost pressure shouldn't be an issue but I suppose anything is possible. There is evidence of a small leak at the oil pressure switch but I can't imagine what I see from there causing the coverage I see under the car. I'll be changing it out this week all the same.
Any thoughts on this? I don't really want to suspect that the rear seal was put on wrong as it isn't a difficult task when the engine is out of the car... but I really don't want to pull the engine in this heat just to check that possibility but I suppose I will if I need to.
Thanks for your help.
posted by 24.144.176...
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