Oil leak 1985 300 SD

[jack avant]

I have an oil leak at the two tubes coming from the oil pan at the front left of my engine. One tube goes to the turbo charger and the other goes to the bottom of the breather. Can someone tell me how much pressure is on these lines? I am thinking about trying to calk around them or use goop until the weather gets a little better. Has anyone out there had the same leak? Can I do a temporary fix. Thanks in advance for you help. Jack

[Junkman]

Not much pressure. This thread has pics of what I did to replace seals.

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?t=292856

It was warm so I repaired & didn't have to stop gap.

[jack avant]

Thanks for the link. It is raining hear and I would like to try a temporary fix,or a shadetree fix. Jack

[charmalu]

Here are 2 from the DIY Resources.

http://www.peachparts.com/Wikka/OM617OilSepCheckValve

http://www.peachparts.com/Wikka/OM617TurboDrainTube


I have seen pictures where it has been gooped up with RTV, clean it offf good with some solvent, and wipe it down with brake clean, then apply the goop.


That is just a stop gap, but cleaning it off will be a PITA. If it`s not leaking a ton of oil, I would wait a few months until spring or good weather anyway. Did this just start or has this been doing it and you just noticed it?

Charlie

[jack avant]

I just noticed it this week. I drive the car about 600 miles a week and in a week it is using about 2 quarts of oil. I just took it to the carwash and sprayed some degreaser to make sure that I could see the leak. After about a mile driving slow the oil was running down the pan. I am going to clean the area with brake cleaner an try the sealer and hope it will slow it down enough to drive the car. Thanks for the links. Jack

[kerry]

By the way, that's the front right of the engine.

I believe there's a check valve in one of those tubes? Can anyone confirm that on an 85SD? Without the check valve being stuck closed I can't imagine those tubes having enough pressure in them to leak that much.

[SD Blue]

Those lines are both literally "drains" for oil return. If the grommets aren't severely cracked, sometimes just keeping them clean will help to slow the leaking of oil.

Also, both of the wikka links have great explantions. I will have to disagree with a couple of points in the installation of the lower grommet for the turbo drain. I tried it that way, twice, and split the brand new grommet both times. After reading several other posts on doing this job, I found out that the best method is to install the lower grommet, before the bottom o-ring, and slide it up the tube an inch or so. Once the tubes are installed, including bolting to the bottom of the turbo, slide the grommet down and press it into the oil pan. Silicone grease or KY gel works best for lubricating the rubber. Once the grommet is seated, clean the excess lube off with brake cleaner and give the grommet a shot of silicone spray.

Doing it this way is considerably easier and after 4 years has shown no signs of leaking.