1999 Plymouth Voyager Oil Leak.... HELP!!!!!!!

[Exxon Valdez]

OK, so by my name, you might surmise that I have a bit of a problem at hand. AND, this is not the first time. 1999 Plymouth Voyager, 3.0L 6cyl with just under 115,000 miles. Except for a transmission issue, strike that, transmission failure (who hasn't had one with these van???) at about 30k, which was taken care of by the dealer and has not been an issue since, the oil leak has been a pain in... well lets stick this little guy in here , get the idea?

At about 70k miles it started, and at about 85k I was creating hazmat incidents where ever I went. I had the following work performed at a Napa AutoCare Center

Main Bearing Oil Seal replaced
Crankshaft Front Seal Replaced
Oil pan gasket replaced
Valve cover gaskets replaced

While all that was going on, I also had the timing belt, water pump and new belts installed. $800.00 later, the oil leak was not fixed and they had to go back in and replace the Crankshaft Front Seal, under warranty and at no cost to me.

Fast forward a year and a half and 29K miles later, and the EPA will soon be after me if I don't do something about the new oil leak. The leak is so bad that it is dripping off the entire bottom of the van when I come to a stop after getting off the highway, it also coats the rear hatch. About 1 QT every 100 miles... if only I could get that in fuel mileage.

The leak is at the front bottom of the engine. What is likely leaking? Are these leaks common with this engine? Is this now going to be an every 30k mile repair? What other words of experience/wisdom do you have?


Overall, I like the van, it has been a good strong vehicle.

[peterjon1]

Ha! Mine was a qt in 5 miles when outside temp was in the low single digits. That was fixed by replacing the valve cover gaskets. Low on the front side of the engine could be a leaking oil filter, or the oil pressure sender, right by the filter. At least the oil on your hatch (and mine) will deter rust until it warms up enough to wash. Were the cam end seals replaced along with the valve cover gaskets? They can shrink enough in the cold to leak pretty good also.
Also, I have read a few posts on another forum regarding someone who had a worn camshaft at the front seal area, the seal would be damaged/leak from the wear. He installed a repair sleeve to fix that.
Is your pcv valve operating properly?
Here's some study material for you.
http://www.emprepcourse.com/mitsubishi/index.html

[peterjon1]

OK so I see you're in TX, so hopefully the cold temps don't apply.

[DirtRaceFan79]

Camshaft seals!! These are VERY often mistaken for oil pan leaks. They are often hard to find because they are located behind the timing cover and not easy to access. I would bet that is what is leaking, and if it is just dumping out oil, one of the cam seas may have worked itself out of its bore.

[Exxon Valdez]

Originally Posted by DirtRaceFan79

Camshaft seals!! These are VERY often mistaken for oil pan leaks. They are often hard to find because they are located behind the timing cover and not easy to access. I would bet that is what is leaking, and if it is just dumping out oil, one of the cam seas may have worked itself out of its bore.

This man wins the prize... not sure what the prize is other then saving the environment.

$585.00 at the dealer to repair. I have done my part to bailout an auto dealer this year.

[hundahunta]

they should have replaced the cam seals when they did the timing belt