Engine oil drips, but from where?

I took some pics of the various places I am finding drips. They are on both left & right sides of the truck, so any pic works for either side. I can’t find anything around the vcg’s & my manifold vacuum test was a steady 21. The oil pan has some caked fresh-ish oil on the right side & rear. No drip type. Also, not much oil loss at all. I do think this has been going on a while. Just got backshelved & other stuff had been leaking on the floor, so I didn’t do a thorough investigation.
I was going to clean everything up, but thought I’d take pics 1st & post.
Oh, & when I park, it seems as if the three points where it ends up on the floor is the front & rear of the lca’s & the axles.

This 1st one is a part I am not yet familiar with. It it probably the highest point with oil under it.


Very front, right before bumper

Motor mounts

crossmember behind steering rack

front dif brackets. It’s also on the underside of the front dif & axles.

lca’s front & back


Under the frame next to coilover housing

 

Have you checked the valve cover bolts? I couldn't find an obvious leak spot either but i after i replaced the missing bolt AND cleaned ALL the oil off i haven't noticed any new residue.

 

No, I haven’t. Guess the next step is clean. It’s just so fresh & everywhere (it seems). Will do a thorough clean….

 

The valve cover bolts are notorious for coming loose especially left and right sides nearest the exhaust. I tighten mine every time I do an oil change .

 

If the valve cover gaskets have never been done, it’s likely best to replace the gaskets, check valve clearance, clean it all up, and monitor. 90% of the “large” leaks on the 3.4 is from the valve cover gasket or the rear plug at the back of the head (which requires valve cover removal to replace)


If you check them, the bolts will likely be loose and can slow down the leak. The rubber washers on the bolts compress over time leaving the bolts loose

 

I wouldn't totally rule out a bad cv seal. It can throw fluid all over the place especially at highway speeds. I had that stuff everywhere too. unless your sure its motor oil

 

Ill 2nd that.....I caught mine early an was able to pack the boot an reclamp it down then cleaned it all up an its been fine since. Im sure water and some other unpleasant things probably found its way in but 15000 miles an no issues. It threw grease everywhere even to the point I was thinking transmission oil etc

 

could indeed be compounding leaks. but being the top of the starter is wet as well as the head under the exhaust manifold its likely more so valve cover gasket


best course of action is degrease and watch it all

 

Just out of curiosity what did you you use to clean underneath with? Like a foam then rinse off degreaser? Low water pressure rinse I assume

 

power de greaser, a brush and a hose works well enough for me

 

Gaskets, intake manifold & valve cover, done 6/21. Also did rear seals & half moons. Something went awry with the vcg's, so I had a redo a couple? of months later. I try & do a bolt check every 3 or so months. I gotta say though, these "washers" do seem particularly squished already though. Or maybe it's just the way it goes & we should add it to the list of things I am more in tuned to now.
That aside, I am not noticing much, if any residue around the valve covers. I did figure out I needed an oil fill cap, however I switched that out four or so weeks back.

I did the cv/dif seals, however I'm not ruling out that I might not have the right one in perfect. I notice some gear oil after I have the truck in traction.
That said, what I am noticing most is definitely motor oil. More of a bronze color as opposed to the yellow, I guess is how I'll describe it. & it's not dirty. Or rather, it matches the present state/color/texture of the oil on the dipstick.

What do you mean by this "was able to pack the boot an reclamp it down"? I'm just not making the connection between the boot & the cv seal. Or maybe we're talkin' two different seals?

 

This is what i used. It worked good. A dont know of any chemical that takes the place of a good brushing though.
Spray it, let it soak and i used a high pressure setting on my hose sprayer. Not a pressure washer.

 

Might have multiple leaks, the front by bumper might be coolant if yours is greenish vs red. Looks quite substantial, is powersteering fluid low?

 

We were.....late night reading for me is not advised lol. Thanks for the clear up!

 

nope. No red or green-ish. Definitely bronze-ish.


(The black is just some wool wax)

 

Definitely been going on at least a month or two. With multiple spots it could be one leak higher up and the oil flows down different paths. If you can see a cleaner oil spot with fresh oil in the sludge, obviously that is the leak. Otherwise every idea is right, clean and observe

 

darn it! I thought maybe you had some “magical” way to avoid dealing with having to remove the cv axle. I have the extended ones & they look like a PITB to remove, or more so than the standard ones because it looks like there’s no lip on it or anything to hook over or use a crowbar to tap it, etc.

The truck kept rejecting aftermarket axles & I didn’t have time to learn how to rebuild the originals. Quite happy though with the extended ones. Rebuild is still on the list though.

 

How many gallons of oil do you need to add per 100 miles of driving??

How many days has your truck been parked inside?

I have had water puddles with oil drip off the truck for a week.

 

Down 1/2 qt in 400 miles. I typically go down about that much in 5,000.
& not quite sure how to answer that 2nd one. I put it in the garage if it’s going to rain/storm & depending on the job & predicted weather, when I’m working on it.
& are you sayin it’s normal to leak oil for days after going through puddles? I have not been through many? any? recently, however I am curious about that in general.

 

Clean it up good, put some dye in your engine oil and get the black light and you'll see where all it's coming from,, it'll be a brilliant green.

Also, is the PVC free and clear,, I was thinking something plugged and it's pressurizing the crankcase a little and pushing the oil out, just an idea to check.