OK... so I have an oil leak and when I posted a pic on here all said head gasket.
talked to a couple of respected mechanics and they look at me like.... ??? ??? ??? oil leaking from a head gasket ??? ??? ???
last night I took it to one of them to have a look....
and he said... looks like it's leaking from the intake.
I have a 73 with the 2.0
Is it possible that oil could leak from the intake ???
No that does not make sense to me either. The intake should be fairly dry, there should be no oil flowing thru it. The only time I had oil in the intake was when the turbo let go on my 86 turbo coupe. The oil would cause huge plumes of smoke out the tail pipe. I seem to think it is the head gasket as everyone already said. Good luck
there are oil passages thru the block and to and thru the head but it's more likely the valve cover gasket
OK... awhile back I was gonna put a new valve cover gasket on and when I opened the box it was the wrong one...
box had been opened previously and so I assume that someone put the wrong gasket in the wrong box...
so I ordered a new one and it took a few days to get... in the mean time I used permatex black to "make" a gasket and haven't gotten around to putting the replacement on.
To solve the question... is it the valve cover gasket leaking I put the new one on tonight...
gads I hate working in the cold. I was dripping snot on everything and my fingers are numb. it's about 40 degrees outside.
I'm gonna let it setup tonight and I washed everthing down again... I'll check for leaks again tomorrow after work.
I'm looking at the pic you posted and it looks like head gasket to me, mine leaks from the same place but it's not bad enough for me to worry about . when you cleaned off the engine and took the pic was there oil on top of the intake? if the highest point of oil is at the head gasket line it cant be from a source higher than that.
Joe
Ther has to be an oil port somewhere to get oil TO the head. On the 2.3 it has it on the back of the head on the drivers side (I think). The head gasket has an o-ring there for the seal. Where does the 2.0 have the oil passage?
Bill
You need to invest in a space heater! I cant think at all when im cold.
Bill, not sure where the oil passage is... I have pics at home of the head with the valve cover removed but I don't know where the oil ports are located.
Joe, I do see oil above the line for the head gasket and looks to go up to the intake. But when I check the top of the intake above the leak I see no oil from the valve cover. However it could be leaking from a different part of the valve cover and somehow ends up following some unseen path and the oil ends up showing up somplace you wouldn't expect.
When I get home tonight I'm gonna check for oil leaks with the new valve cover gasket.
If I have to... I will cover the engine with baby powder and perhaps I will be able to find and follow any leaks that do appear :D
Hey MattG, I would need a BIG space heater... car is parked outside, no room in the garage ;D
I just looked at one of my 2.0 heads. the oil passages are (while facing the engine)
left rear and right front. mine leaks at the left front and follows the top of the block down to the middle of the engine and runs down. mine takes about a week to run down to the oil pan.
I'll fix mine when I get around to putting the cam in it.
Space heater ??? what happened to all that global warming i been hearing about?
Joe
Joe, you said.... "the oil passages are (while facing the engine) left rear and right front. mine leaks at the left front and follows the top of the block down to the middle of the engine and runs down."
I would guess when standing in front of car you were trying to say left rear and right front.
but then you said it leaks at front left and follows the top of the block to the middle and runs down from there. I'm guessing you said left when you ment right...
I could see that if the oil port is in the right front (when standing in front of car) that it could leak from there and follow the head and come down the engine from there. But could also see the valve cover leaking in the front and oil working it's way down the motor and leaking on the side where I see it at too.
I'm just going to have to find the source of the leak... I'm gonna get in every crack and crevice I can get to and make sure it's all clean and oil free tonight. Then start er' up and find that leak!
well.... it's the head gasket, no question about it anymore.
cleaned the motor up and took pics...
then started it up and watched. As soon as I saw oil I killed the motor, looked and took pictures.
durn it :(
Congratulations on finding the leak.
Just wanted to clarify a previous comment made to you. The two holes visible when the valve cover is removed are drain holes to the crankcase. There is a small one on the driver side front and a larger one on the passengers side rear.
There are also three oil feeds (pressurized) to the head feeding each cam tower. They all pass through the head gasket on the driver's side (intake side). They kind of share the head bolt holes at the gasket. The head bolt holes used are the front, middle, and rear. Looks like your leak is near the center head bolt oil pressure feed hole.
In case you were wondering what the words VORN and OBEN (stamped on the gasket) mean, it is top front. I asked a German speaking guy at work. This assumes the gaskets are still coming from Germany (have not purchased one in years).
Thanks oldkayaker... this explains why/where it's leaking. Mechanics have all looked at me like ??? ??? ??? when I tell them "oil" is leaking from the head gasket. I'll pass this on to the mechanic doing the work and then he will understan why and where and then perhaps they will quit looking at me like I'm weird...
Quote from: Cookieboy on October 05, 2006, 11:25:22 AM
Mechanics have all looked at me like ??? ??? ??? when I tell them "oil" is leaking from the head gasket.
I'd say that most mechanics around haven't seen a 2.0 pinto motor. Good job finding the leak. Oil leaks are right up there with electrical gremlins.
Quote from: DragonWagon on October 05, 2006, 06:01:15 PM
I'd say that most mechanics around haven't seen a 2.0 pinto motor.
Ain't that the truth... has me worried about getting it fixed.
and on that note... I took the pinto into the Tire Shop here in town to get an idea what condition the front end was in... must say I watched the 2 young guys (early 20's) that looked at it and I think they diag'd it correctly. The first mechanic I took it to said I had bad wheel bearings... once I jacked it up and took the wheel off and looked for myself I knew it was outer tie rods. I checked and replaced the bearings on the driver side but there was no reason to, bearings look to good to be bad. I watched the young guys and had them show me what they thought was bad... both lower tie rods and lower ball joints are starting to get weak and are just starting to show signs of wear. I can wait on fixing them but they will need to be addressed.
and when I got there I heard..... "the Pinto is here...." in the background, just gotta chuckle evertime I hear... it's a Pinto! or OMG!... it's a Pinto! or is that...a Pinto?
But the best one by far is the day that the guys at Auto Value (parts store next door to where I work) told me that a customer came in looking all excited and proclaimed loudly... did you know there's a Pinto! in your parking lot?... even they chuckled at that one.
I haven't worked on a 2.0 before, but I've wrenched on the 2.3 quite a bit. Any reputable mechanic shouldn't have too much trouble with it. I'd say go for it yourself if you're able! Of course, doing it out in the cold would zoop. They are definitely easier to work on than anything rolling off the assembly lines these days!
Good luck which ever way you get her fixed.
I have been considering doing it myself... and if I was really up to the task the cold wouldn't stop me.
however the fear of goofing something up I think is the real problem. been a long time since I dug this deep into an area I have no experience in (removing heads with the expectation of putting them back on and actually working.) I have "helped" do a lot major car stuff in years past and done a fair share on my own but the last time I had a valve cover off an engine and dug deep in the bowels so to speak was when my kid was in diapers. I replaced a push rod in a old dodge slant 6 pickup I had. My son is 14 now and "wondering loudly" if dad is gonna give him the mustang for his first car, scrawny little runt is as tall as me. I know it should be easy but... :-\
It sounds like the head is going to be removed infrequently. If you are considering going to a hi-performance cam, this would be the time for it. Unlike the 2.3, the 2.0 cam comes out the back of the head (very inconvenient). So to replace the cam, the head has to come off or pull the engine. I did have a friend suggest putting a hole in the firewall (this would have been more work in a street car than pulling the head and was not done).
I would like to "beef" the motor up but that's a whole new can of worms...
I would have to find a header (almost impossible for the 2.0) and consider intake and carb replacement...
I don't even want to think of the "Fun" I would have finding parts.... I think I'll stick w/stock.
unless I could find a complete setup that has been done from carb to exhaust...