Help me identify my Oil Leak

SD-KJ · **Posted:** Wed Oct 17, 2007 10:59 pm

Well it all started awhile back when i though it was starting to use oil. Then today i noticed that there were some small oil leaks on the floor. I am just not sure where its coming from. Her are some pictures, i am hoping for an open conversation on this here...

I have circled where its leaking. Its hard to see it but there is oil behind that center bottom pulley.

In this one you can see that center bolt has oil on it and you can barely see that the oil filter has oil on it.

Near as i can see its coming from underneath the water pump maybe? not sure if thats really what it is?

I am thinking a seal or something? Sorry for not a lot of info here.... I just know that it never used to do this and the jeep has never leaked oil. (we purchased it new).

Thanks for any and all help.

-Nick

Diggerfreek · **Posted:** Wed Oct 17, 2007 11:11 pm

not really knowing much about past liberty engines, I would say that it is probably coming from the timing cover or the front mail seal... any body else?

Rush345 · **Posted:** Thu Oct 18, 2007 12:05 am

Your discription is a little vague, no disrespect intended. I suggest first take it to a good car wash and blast it to no end, once everything is clean. Look into diapers , I'm not playing with you . This type of application allows you to idle it in park for a period of time and then drive it for a while until you find the culrprit.
Once you have identifed the true problem, there are more then enough people here to offer you advise and solutions.
But the first step is clean everthing up and search for the leak.
Good Luck L.O.S.T. is pulling for you and their are a lot here who are more the wanting to steer you in the right direction to solve your dilema. Good Lock.

KJ04 · **Posted:** Thu Oct 18, 2007 5:46 am

First determine if it is in fact oil or antifreeze, there is a weep hole at the bottom of the water pump in that area that starts leaking when the water pump goes bad.

sleeve84028 · **Posted:** Thu Oct 18, 2007 7:46 am

Man, I wish I had that much room in my engine bay! (stupid HD cooling fan)

If it is leaking at the crank pulley that would indicate a failure of the Front Main. Though, I have never ever heard of anyones Liberty leaking oil from there.

How much oil are you using? Have you tried to confirm it's not blowing out the exhaust when you pass people?

tommudd · **Posted:** Thu Oct 18, 2007 8:16 am

right now from the pics I would tend to say water pump but clean it off good drive it then see what it looks and smells like

SD-KJ · **Posted:** Thu Oct 18, 2007 8:49 am

thanks guys. I will clean it up and then reevaluate.

Help me to understand this a bit though... The water pump, pumps water/antifreeze through the engine but is driven by the serpentine belt. So what would be right behind the water pump that would leak oil?

Thanks again for all your help.

-Nick

WoodysKJ · **Posted:** Thu Oct 18, 2007 9:16 am

If you can go to a sporting goods store (Richard's Gander Mtn. Cabela's...) and get a small coleman portable lantern with a black light bulb, or something of that nature. Go in your garage and turn off the lights. Use that black light to see if it glows. If it does, It is either antifreeze or AC refridgerant. Coming from that area. Most likely antifreeze.

Any decent repair garage will have an ultaviolet light to test for this kind of leak.

sleeve84028 · **Posted:** Thu Oct 18, 2007 10:11 am

SD-KJ wrote:

Help me to understand this a bit though... The water pump, pumps water/antifreeze through the engine but is driven by the serpentine belt. So what would be right behind the water pump that would leak oil?

Right behind the pump will be coolant passages. There will never (or should never) be any oil in the coolant passages.

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Thu Oct 18, 2007 10:43 am

No, oil in coolant is very bad.

Check the valve cover, it could just be a leaking gasket on that.

Antifreeze low? How low is the oil and how fast does it get low? It would take awhile to notice a drop in the oil level with just a few drops on the driveway.

SD-KJ · **Posted:** Thu Oct 18, 2007 10:55 am

Jeepjeepster wrote:

No, oil in coolant is very bad.

Check the valve cover, it could just be a leaking gasket on that.

Antifreeze low? How low is the oil and how fast does it get low? It would take awhile to notice a drop in the oil level with just a few drops on the driveway.

Thats what i was thinking. And its not that low, maybe half a quart? I need to get some AMS oil to get it filled back up. I think i might have some sort of black light. But its pretty brown. I really think its oil... I have not smelled it yet though, i will look at lunch.

-Nick

WoodysKJ · **Posted:** Thu Oct 18, 2007 4:48 pm

Like was said before, A VERY little amount of oil can look like a huge leak.

Is it a leak or just gasket seepage?

Is there any on the ground? Is there anything on the ground?

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Thu Oct 18, 2007 4:54 pm

WoodysKJ wrote:

Like was said before, A VERY little amount of oil can look like a huge leak.

Is it a leak or just gasket seepage?

Is there any on the ground? Is there anything on the ground?

He said there was.

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Thu Oct 18, 2007 5:03 pm

SD-KJ wrote:

thanks guys. I will clean it up and then reevaluate.

Help me to understand this a bit though... The water pump, pumps water/antifreeze through the engine but is driven by the serpentine belt. So what would be right behind the water pump that would leak oil?

Thanks again for all your help.

-Nick

Behind the water pump is the main front cover which houses the timing chains,chain tensioners and the oil pump(is located right behind the front main seal).

SD-KJ · **Posted:** Thu Oct 18, 2007 9:15 pm

I have added a little less than a quart and a half of more oil. This went from about a quarter of an inch below the "low" mark to right at the "E" of "Safe" on the dipstick. I will try to check it daily to see progress.
I did try to get a better look of it and it appears that its originating from around the harmonic (sp?) balancer. If i get down and look head on to the engine, looking between the skid plate and the black trim piece thats on the bottom of the front bumper you can see that the inside of the harmonic balancer has some oil in it and then behind it almost all the way around there is oil.
I had a friend look at it and he suggested I try to tighten the oil filter to see if maybe that was loose. I tried that today and could not even move it at all.

So, I guess we know the general location but its not looking good whatever it is. I am stumped though, with so many of us on this board i would think that this would have happened more frequently?

Any ideas?

-Nick

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Thu Oct 18, 2007 9:25 pm

SD-KJ wrote:

I have added a little less than a quart and a half of more oil. This went from about a quarter of an inch below the "low" mark to right at the "E" of "Safe" on the dipstick. I will try to check it daily to see progress.
I did try to get a better look of it and it appears that its originating from around the harmonic (sp?) balancer. If i get down and look head on to the engine, looking between the skid plate and the black trim piece thats on the bottom of the front bumper you can see that the inside of the harmonic balancer has some oil in it and then behind it almost all the way around there is oil.
I had a friend look at it and he suggested I try to tighten the oil filter to see if maybe that was loose. I tried that today and could not even move it at all.

So, I guess we know the general location but its not looking good whatever it is. I am stumped though, with so many of us on this board i would think that this would have happened more frequently?

Any ideas?

-Nick

Sounds like the front main seal,that would explain the oli all over the area down there,oil got splattered by the spinning harmonic balancer.

SD-KJ · **Posted:** Thu Oct 18, 2007 9:32 pm

I was just looking through the 2002 Factory service manual and came across crankshaft oil seal? Is this possibly what it could be?

I understand that i may never really find out whats wrong with out taking it to a shop or the stealership. But i still would like some knowledge of the problem so they don't try and screw me. :twisted:

Thanks,

-Nick

SD-KJ · **Posted:** Thu Oct 18, 2007 9:36 pm

tjkj2002 wrote:

SD-KJ wrote:

I have added a little less than a quart and a half of more oil. This went from about a quarter of an inch below the "low" mark to right at the "E" of "Safe" on the dipstick. I will try to check it daily to see progress.
I did try to get a better look of it and it appears that its originating from around the harmonic (sp?) balancer. If i get down and look head on to the engine, looking between the skid plate and the black trim piece thats on the bottom of the front bumper you can see that the inside of the harmonic balancer has some oil in it and then behind it almost all the way around there is oil.
I had a friend look at it and he suggested I try to tighten the oil filter to see if maybe that was loose. I tried that today and could not even move it at all.

So, I guess we know the general location but its not looking good whatever it is. I am stumped though, with so many of us on this board i would think that this would have happened more frequently?

Any ideas?

-Nick

Sounds like the front main seal,that would explain the oli all over the area down there,oil got splattered by the spinning harmonic balancer.

I would assume the the front main seal is the same as the front crankshaft oil seal?

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Thu Oct 18, 2007 9:38 pm

SD-KJ wrote:

tjkj2002 wrote:

SD-KJ wrote:

I have added a little less than a quart and a half of more oil. This went from about a quarter of an inch below the "low" mark to right at the "E" of "Safe" on the dipstick. I will try to check it daily to see progress.
I did try to get a better look of it and it appears that its originating from around the harmonic (sp?) balancer. If i get down and look head on to the engine, looking between the skid plate and the black trim piece thats on the bottom of the front bumper you can see that the inside of the harmonic balancer has some oil in it and then behind it almost all the way around there is oil.
I had a friend look at it and he suggested I try to tighten the oil filter to see if maybe that was loose. I tried that today and could not even move it at all.

So, I guess we know the general location but its not looking good whatever it is. I am stumped though, with so many of us on this board i would think that this would have happened more frequently?

Any ideas?

-Nick

Sounds like the front main seal,that would explain the oli all over the area down there,oil got splattered by the spinning harmonic balancer.

I would assume the the front main seal is the same as the front crankshaft oil seal?

Yep.

Guest · **Posted:** Thu Oct 18, 2007 11:00 pm

slightly off topic.

if you CAN'T tighten your oil filter by hand, that means it's overtightened.

Help me identify my Oil Leak

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