If you develop a strange leak from the bottom of the oil filter and you know that the filter is tight, do not be alarmed. Look on top of the engine just behind the distributor and down into the round hole in the sheetmetal. You will see the red and green wire connected to the oil pressure switch. If you see oil around it, replace the switch and stop the oil leak. If the switch is dry, then the oil pressure seals are leaking, as the oil coolers themselves RARELY if ever leak. Replacement of the seals entails removing the oil filter, loosening the three oil cooler nuts, spray down the cooler with brake clean, silicone grease the seals and stick to the end of a long screw driver, stick up into the oil cooler mating service, push the oil cooler up against them, recheck the mating, and retighten the bolts, and reinstall the oil filter. It is that easy and should take about a half of an hour.
If the oil leak is coming from in front of the oil cooler, then the two galley plugs are loose and leaking. Stop the car and do not drive again until you remove the engine and replace these factory plugs. They have been known to, when loose, suddenly blow out, leak all of the engine oil, and seize the engine!

Good tip!

I'm planning on pulling my engine out soon to repair a little in the engine bay. Good reminder for me to replaced everything that has the potential of leaking while it's all appart.

Cool tech tip, George..
These leaks can also be the oil filter adaptor as it bolts on directly beneath the oil cooler.

Also a leaking oil pressure sender can leak right onto the oil cooler area.

I believe he said that .................

In my professional opinion, I don't think anyone can do the seals in a half hour, but that's just my opinion based on 37 years of wrenching on 914s, and I could be wrong ..................

The Cap'n

Great tip George. Thanks!

Sean Buckley can! He is much younger than the two of us Cap'n!
I bet that I could do it in two hours!!!

The Gauntlet has been thrown! Wrenches at twenty paces...

-Josh2

Oops, my bad. I read it too fast.

I have to be careful when I do pull my engine now. I'm remembering all the type4 seals to replace, oil cooler, push-rod tubes, filter console etc.

I'll just grab a full gasket set, pull the tin off, clean fins etc. Re-seal everything.

5 years later, I'll probably have it back on the ground.

George just wanted to say I enjoy the tech tip of the day. Thanks

Time it. Start the clock with the car on the ground, set the lift, run it up, do the seals, put the car back down, swing the lift arms out of the way, and stop the timer. Report back. The lift skews the time waaaaaaaay in your favor, but that's OK.

The Cap'n

[/quote]

The Gauntlet has been thrown! Wrenches at twenty paces...

-Josh2
[/quote]



err, young fellow I do believe it is spanners at twenty paces...

I did it last year that way and its not 30 minutes...the inner nut it a real challenge.

rich

I think that Sean should chime in here!!!!!

Now no wrench throwing boys -- play nice

Older then Cap'n & George

It sounds so easy sitting here reading this.

Older than me? I may not have been around when dirt was invented, but I wrote the environmental impact report for it ..........................

The Cap'n

I will not try this just to see how long it takes. I won't.

About 20 years ago I had a 912E that was leaking oil off the filter. I was about to pull the fan shroud off ( not that difficult on a 912E) to replace the oil cooler seals. Before I started , I called George, He told me to check the oil pressure switch first. Saved me a bunch of time, listen to the Dr. AL