The car in question is a 95 Galant 2.4 SOHC with 134KM. There is oil leak around the crankshaft pulley area. The problem is that the oil pan is also right there and takes a twist around the base of the pulley. The leak is relatively minor for the most part and just annoying, so when I wipe everything and run the engine I can’t see the source. The timing belt from above is clean with no oil and the drive belts same. So the question is; Could this still be the crankshaft seal or it is the oil pan gasket? Would clean belt rule the crankshaft seal out? The crankshaft seal was supposedly changed along the T belt 20KM ago, but the mechanic who did the job turned out not to be one of the best to say the least so anything is possible.
I think it is important to distinguish the difference between seepage and leakage. Leaking oil means there is a drip and a stain on the ground where you normally park. Your symptoms sound more like seeping oil, which is less of a concern on a car this old. If it is seepage, learn to live with it.
I’d bet luch that it’s the crank seal. I wouldn;t be too hard on teh mechanic if he changed it 20,000 miles ago and it’s still seeping. They can actually wear a groove in the crank, and besides that in old engines there can be more crankcase pressure. It’s not unusual to have seepage on old cars.
Check your PCV valve too. If that’s stuck there’ll be no relief for the crankcase pressure and that’ll push oil past a worn seal.
But don’t worry about it. It’s common for old engine sto seep and they’ll run forever like this as longa sthe oil level is checked regularly.
Thanks for the responses so far, keep them coming.
OK, to clarify; My issue with the mech was mostly related to the acute complications that came out of the job requiring a partial redo at the dealership with a partial refund.
Back to my current issue, well it seeps for the most part but if you take it on the hwy in the California heat then you can see couple of drops on the floor, usually the size of a dollar coin. I was suspicious of the PCV myself esp since oil started to seep around the oil cap but the PCV seems fine on testing and it is relatively new.
Then it’s really just old age. More blowby means the crankcase pressurizes more and old sealing surfaces mean less integrity of the seal.
You might want to try one of these high-mileage oils on the market. These have additives that cause the seals to swell slightly reducing or stopping oil leaking past seals.
I never believed in these oils until my son started using Valvoline MaxLife oil in his 93 Jeep Cherokee to see if it would stop a rear main seal oil leak. And sure enough, the leak stopped! That was three years ago, and still hasn’t leaked.
Tester