Thread: Small oil leak...

The Classic is running like a top. Drove the piss out of it yesterday.

However, I've developed a small oil leak, and have a missing bolt in the same location.

Got pictures and a few totally ignorant newb questions.

Some oil leaking, not too bad. This is from a couple of weeks of the leak.

Checking the oil daily. That little bit missing is not lowering my oil on my dipstick by any significant amount.

In fact, the oil level on my dipstick is slightly over the "full" hump on the stick. Maybe an 1/8-1/4 inch over the full hump. Which is strange because it was changed at my usual shop in Houston before I left, by my mechanic of over a decade.

Missing bolt right next to the upper radiator hose on the block.

Anyone know the exact size of that bolt that I am missing?

And could that missing bolt be the source of/or contributing to the oil leak in any way?

Here it is again, you can see the oil is all around that corner of the valve cover, and dripping down the tranny to the ground.


Is it probably just a valve cover gasket?

Is my abnormally high level on my oil (per my dipstick) causing any of this mess?

Bolt size to replace the missing unit?

Who do I miss the most in Houston? My long-time mechanic Mike.

Might be from the distributor too. That is right above the area in question. Have you wipe the excess oil/grease/grime off to see where the culprit is really coming from?

It could be the o-ring on the distributor. the high oil level doesn't help either, if I'm not mistaken that takes effect on one of the lower seals(crank or rear main)

Shawn i would pull the distributor out and slap on a new o-ring its probably turned into hard plastic like and brittle form years of heat .Thats most likely were the oil leakage is coming from .I dont think there is a bolt the goes in that location.

another vote for distributor o-ring, i dont see them missing bolt

There is no oil in the location of that missing bolt, only coolant. It's definitely the distributor o-ring that is leaking.

Replace the rocker cover gasket first...Not as common for the dizzy seal to leak also oil will not normally weep back up the head like that from a dizzy seal. Oil normally only goes down.....

next time search noob!








haha, j/k. 2 bolts and the distributor is out just make sure u don't turn it 180degrees and reinstall

the VC gasket usually leaks in other locations, not just the dizzy

Time for a VE..haha
I would suspect the dizzy oring too.I had this happen before with exact symptoms.It kinda leaks over onto the VC gasket and down,so it looks like a VC gasket,but not really.
I would just degrease that area and in a short drive you will see where its coming from.