Oil on the filter?

[tlong]

Upon inspection on the lift I see a drip of oil down the front of the filter and some blown around on the crossmember. What should I be checking? Is the front of the engine prone to seal leaks there, or maybe a bad gasket seal on the filter?

I am going to clean it all off and monitor this. Just looking for suggestions and moral support. LT-1 with 51K

 

[Moonunit 451]

Upon inspection on the lift I see a drip of oil down the front of the filter and some blown around on the crossmember. What should I be checking? Is the front of the engine prone to seal leaks there, or maybe a bad gasket seal on the filter?

I am going to clean it all off and monitor this. Just looking for suggestions and moral support. LT-1 with 51K

Sure would be nice if it was just the filter seal If you have to look further, I think there is a dye you can put in the oil, then start at the backside of the intake

 

[ljbest]

I have a '96 LT1 that had a persistent drip of oil on the filter. There is an oil filter adapter that allows for the smaller PF52 filter to be installed, making room for the cat. That adapter is held on with 2 bolts, and there is a gasket and an o-ring between the adapter plate and the block. The GM kit of parts is p/n 88893990 that sells for $3.49. The hardest part is getting the old gasket off the block, but a small gasket scraper should do the job. For me, this fix stopped 'that' oil leak. The front dribble is likely to be the crank position sensor, which is tough to get to, but probably needs a new o-ring too. There needs to be an after-market diaper for these cars.

Regards,

Larry

 

[ljbest]

The 'oil on the filter' syndrome can originate from other sources. For me, the gasket and o-ring fix came after the re-gasketing/sealing of the intake manifold eliminated a leak at the back of the intake where it meets the block surface. If the top-rear of the block is dry, work your way down. Also, make sure what you are seeing is oil - and not ATF, which has a way of getting to unusual places, and when mixed with the road grime, looks like engine oil.

Regards,

Larry