Oil dye, To locate leaks Options

[mtndawg]

I have a slow leak on the passenger side on the bottom of my engine and can’t find where it’s originating. Has anyone used an oil dye with success?

[ClayPerrine]

I used it a lot when I was still fixing cars for a living. It works great, provided you can actually see where the leak is coming from. Usually on a /4, I will do what I call a "full service". Replace the seal on the fan end of the crank, the oil cooler seals, the oil pressure switch, the sump plate gaskets, the drain plug washer, the pushrod tube seals, adjust the valves, and put in new valve cover gaskets. Whenever I do a clutch, I replace the flywheel end crank seal too. That about covers all the places a 914-4 can leak.

Right now, Frody seeps between the oil pump and the case. It takes a while to get low, and I am not too worried about it. I will get it the next time the motor is out of the car.


On a /6, it is much more complex. To get everywhere it could possibly leak, you have to pull the timing chain boxes, and that means retiming the cams. And the oil return tubes don't come out unless you pull the cam carriers. So I evaluate what is leaking and just fix that. Elwood has a slight leak on the left timing cover. I need to pull it and fix the leak, but I have not had any time for anything other than the engine for Igor, so it is waiting for the winter.