[V8] oil leak

[David Head]

V8 oil leaks come from several places - however they are all designed to 
end up on the exhaust...
'back of engine smoking - sources in order of possibility...'
1. Rear driver's side breather hose - back of the cylinder head.
2. Distributor o-ring seals
3. Upper pan gasket.
4. Rear main seal
5. Leaking PS rack, with or without torn boot
6. Leaking rack return hose (the short one)
7. Loose upper trans cooling line, passenger side behind rack.
8. Internal pressure leak in trans causing overpessure condition.
9. Messy oil addition - excess oil drains to back of cylinder head along 
plug cover channels.
10. leaking valve cover gaskets

I have dealt with every one of these... Front leaks are even worse, and 
tougher (and as many or more!!!).
Dave Head

Kneale Brownson wrote:

>Could be the crankcase-to-driver side head breather hose too.    The
>crankcase breather system leads from the crankcase to the driver side head
>to the passenger side head to the front (I forget what the small hose on
>the front links).  Our car was a real "Stanley Steamer" with burnt oil
>odors because that first hose had a bunch of holes and was so mushy I had
>to scrape some of it off its anchoring places.  The second one was getting
>to exhibit the same deterioration, but had not progressed as far.  The one
>at the front was sound.  
>
>At 05:11 PM 2/15/2004 -0800, Ron Wainwright wrote:
>  
>
>> Listers,
>>
>>After a short trip to a friends house i noticed smoke
>>coming up from under the hood,
>>popped the hood & saw smoke coming from the rear of
>>the engine behind the air filter on both sides some
>>oil must be leaking from the rear of the engine onto
>>the headers,
>>so I took a flashlight & saw some oil near & under
>>the driver side distributor & on the back side of the
>>block allso on the belly pan under the car i swipped
>>my finger & got fresh oil on the driver side rear most
>>part of the belly pan near the rubber piece that holds
>>it.
>>wasn't able to really get a good look as I didn't
>>take off the filter housing. Allso noticed a little
>>under the distributor on the pass side as well but not
>>as bad as the driver side.
>>My friend mentioned maybe rear main seal cause he
>>asked if I had any oil residue on the back bumper & I
>>do,
>>we were allso thinking valve cover gaskets,
>>but I mentioned that the car has gaskets for the
>>distributors?. 
>>I don't know I'm realativley new to the V8 but have
>>owned Audi's since I was 17 so i'm familiar with there
>>missgivings.
>>
>>Allso I might mention that I went Chris Semples
>>(Force5auto) this morning to meet him at his shop in
>>Concord, NH a 2 hour trip for me from Mass. I drove
>>the V8 with no problems oil pressure was fine, oil
>>temp was as normal, no warning lights there or back.
>>I went to my friends house a few hours after i got
>>back from Chris's so the car was relativley cool & his
>>house is just like 5 min away,
>>there was alot of smoke for a 5 minute trip.
>>Any help would be great
>>Thanks
>>Ron
>>87 5ksq many mods 247k original owner
>>90 200tqa many mods 224k
>>90 V8 pearl 88k 02 S4 Avus 17's
>>
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>>    
>>
>
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>
>  
>