103/124 oil leak
 

Yes, I have read all the previous material posted on this subject and it's great stuff.

But here is my question. I have seen it said that the top timing cover leak is typically a "seeping" sort of leak; not really a dripping sort of leak. Also, most of the pics I've seen show the leak on the right (exhaust manifold) side.

Mine engine leaks down on top of the AC compressor and from there, to the driveway. At first I thought it was PS fluid, but it is in fact motor oil. Probably fifteen drops or so hit the driveway overnight. Pretty significant leak.

Is this leak likely to be the infamous U-Gasket? One person posted that his leak was fixed by tightening a bolt. Wonder what bolt that might have been?

Anyway, opinions?

Thanks

It could also be a leak from the engine bolt on the belt tensioner bracket (the far left one, it opens directly to the crankcase). Oil will weep out of the hole if it's not properly sealed (or if the sealant wears out), and the fan will blow it everywhere.

Have you tried cleaning up the area a little bit to see where the leak might be coming from?

Yes, I cleaned it up at the spray car wash. Well, as best I could. This leak is long-standing and the front of the engine is nasty. I finally decided to go after it when it started drooling all over my driveway.

Anyway, I got everything apart down to the top timing cover. The top cover is NOT leaking. I notice that the way it slants, it would be more likely to leak down the right side of the engine.

Now I am eyeing that bolt you mentioned. I can see an orange sealant around it. It looks a little sloppy so maybe it's a previous field repair.

Mine was pretty much the same way - I let it leak for a long time before I decided to fix it. The front of the engine was absolutely filthy, and I spent a lot of time cleaning up the parts (it was leaking from *both* the front cover and the tensioner bracket bolt).

If it turns out to be the tensioner bolt, you'll have to take the fan and the belt off to get at the bracket, which then needs to come out to properly clean the area around the hole (I didn't do this very well a couple years back, hence the leak). You might want to check and see what condition the belt tensioner is in before you do this, if its bad you'll need to get a new one before bolting everything back up.