Oil Leak - Oil Pan Gasket or Rear Seal?
 

I have an oil leak that is most definitely emanating from the rear of the engine. The curious thing is that the leak occurs even though the engine is not running (although the front wheels of the car are currently elevated on ramps). Would this be consistent with a leaking rear seal? Or is it possible that the oil pan gasket is the cause of the leak?

(Hoping against hope that the rear seal is NOT leaking) Thanks for any and all help.

Joe Fillip
'95 L AWD ("The Wayback Machine")
Swarthmore, PA

I also have a rear leak, which continues down the front diff. I thought it was my oil pan gasket to, but then I washed the engine down and no oil from the pan. I then thought it was my diff oil, but the smell and viscocity matched engine oil. So I am going to switch either to Mobil 1 or to regular oil, as I do change my every 3k or even earlier which is exceptable for regular oil. You should use a degreaser and wash the engine down, and I'd say drive around for a week, and check where it is coming from. Make sure u check the oil levels daily. Hope I was helpful goodluck!

Not that I really know, but it seems that if the oil continues to leak when not running, it has to be from a part containing oil, and the rear seal does not.

So maybe there is a oil buildup somewhere that comes out, or hopefully just the oil pan gasket is bad.


/Sonny :cool:

The oil level is below the top of the oil pan to engine block joint by a few inches. Even with the front wheels up on ramps I think it would not leak out the back unless the oil is overfilled. I agree with Sonny that it may be coming out somewhere else. The best way to find an oil leak is clean off all the oil and dirt stuck to the engine. It helps make it easier to find the path. Parking over a piece of cardboard hleps too.