Trans Good. Now an oil issue.

[WVOtoGO]

Thanks to you both for the transmission help. I learn something new every time I visit this site. Now that the transmission is OK, aside from a leak that I’ll go track down after a good washing. Let’s try and cover an oil issue. When I was under there toying with the modulator, I did notice some red fluid here and there. No telling where it’s coming from though as I also made another discovery to ask about. Seems oil is leaking from the aft right hand (aft end of the engine, passenger side) head gasket area. I’m guessing a bad head gasket. Every head gasket I’ve ever “had to” change (aside from complete overhauls) was do to an internal “blow”. Across the fire rings cyl to cyl., or a water journal to the oil port. Never had one go from oil port to external. Is this common on the 617.912 engine? I know it’s not the valve cover gasket. It’s leaked before. This one looks fine. Just a little ring around the back. When I put the block heater in last week and had the manifolds off, I noticed this looked more like below the head. I’ve never seen oil all over its belly like this either. Yuck. Any tricks to know before I pull this head for the first time? Looks pretty straight forward.
Thanks again.

[engatwork]

another eazy fix - maybe
Make sure your valve cover gasket is not leaking.

[WVOtoGO]

Right, Jim -
The more I think about it, the more I’m thinking its got to be the valve cover gasket/seal.
A friend of mine (who works on M/Bs for a living) the other day was pulling the head off the same motor and claimed it was do to an oil leak in the head gasket. Like I stated earlier, I’d never seen such a thing. Hence, my post.
It seems to me that that there’s no real reason for the return oil to force a leak in a head gasket. And that if it were from the pressure side of the oil system it would actually make a bigger mess. Sure the bottom of my engine and transmission are basically covered in it, but that’s about it. I had the car on the driveway today doing the glow plugs. Drove it and found the trans issue. Played with the modulator 3 times and drove it each time. Each time I parked in the same spot. Wouldn’t you think if the pressure side was leaking it would have at least blown enough out to leave a drip on the driveway? It didn’t. Unless its just a pin hole size leak of course. Oil Pressure seems fine/unchanged. I’m at a loss here. Going to do all the front ball joints and LCA bushings and wheel bearings in the next two days. After that she’s going in for a heck of a cleaning on the engine and trans. Then I’ll take a look into it and see for sure. Again though - Has anyone heard of this oil leak from the head gasket? Thanks for your time.