96 2.7 oil leak

My 96 2.7 has an oil leak. Not sure where. The previous owner thought it was from the oil pan. I got a pan gasket but haven't changed it yet after seeing how much of a pain it is. I'm not certain it is coming from the pan. It leaks about a quart every 4-5k miles. What can I clean my engine with to help find it? I see oil on the front passenger side of engine. Is there a common place that leaks on these engines?

 

Any good degreaser, the cleaner you get it, the easier it will be to pinpoint. Just don't go to crazy on cleaning up top around plug wires and distributor, etc.

 

Possibly coming from the distributor seal, mine leaks from there quite a bit...

 

Clean the engine, wait to see where it comes from. Most likely its the oil pan.

 

Start with a good degreasing and observe as it starts to leak. If it's up high might be valve cover and/or timing cover, I had a high mileage 2.4 which did that.
Seals/gaskets don't last forever....truck still ran great though.

 

My truck had 61k on it when I got it last year and the valve cover was still leaking. Apparently valve covers and rear main seals are common leaks on the 3rz

 

I agree with all about cleaning up the engine to pinpoint the leak, all common areas are oil pan, valve cover, distributor and rear main seal. If it hasn't been replaced yet it would be a good idea to schedule some downtime to do so.

 

Thanks guys. It's got 177k. It's not dripping on the ground. I think it's dripping or running down into the skid plate so the cardboard thing wouldn't work unless I take the skid plate off. I have a company vehicle so I only drive it on the weekends. If I drive it about an hour I can smell the burning oil when I stop. I'll get some degreaser and spray it this weekend and look for the leaks after that in the areas you guys mentioned.

 

Another common leak source on the passenger side of the engine is the oil filter housing. Mine just started leaking from there. Looks like an easy fix, just gotta do it.