98 Stratus Oil Seaping down back of engine

[fritcr]

My headgasket is starting to leak a bit. It does not drip on the floor and uses very little oil at all. The car still runs great but I was wondering how long it will run ok like this? Also, I'm pretty mechanicly inclined do you think I could put a Head Gasket on it myself? The tab on the front side is sandwiched metal so I assume someone has already replaced the head gasket at somepoint. Sorry for all of the questions. I just bought it and I don't know anything about Dodges at all. One more...if the timing belt comes off will it bend the valves in this engine. OH it is a 2.4 DOHC.
Thanks in advance!
Rob

[wafrederick]

Could be the head gasket,cam seals popped out or the camshaft position sensor is leaking.If it is is the cam sensor unbolt it and put a bead of RTV silicone where it seals and bolt it back on.

[dawnnewsome3]

It would be wise to go ahead and change it. I had the same problem with mine , what it is , is a design flaw the exhaust manifold cracks next to the head causing it to make the back of the head to expand more than the rest causing the leak. The reason it still runs ok is there is a oil gallery between the combustion chamber and the back of the head where it is leaking. If it is cracked it needs replacing also or the same will occur again . It is a time consuming task . I was ASE certified until 99 and it took me a day and that included removing a broken head location pin in the block. It can be done at home with the right tools . Also the head bolts have to be replaced as they are tourqe stretch bolts which means after tourqed to the right specs they have to be turned a certain amount.I hope this help let you know a little more . Get a manual and try just bag and tag all hardware and you'll know where it goes back. As for the valves they say it is a zero clearence engine and they say they will hit but I checked on mine and they didn't , I rotated both cams without any contact but my engines pistons may not have been at top dead center.

[fritcr]

Thanks for the advice. It does seems to sort of sound like it has a bit of an exhaust leak when it is cold around the engine. Wonder if that is a crack in the manifold. It is leaking just a bit from the cam sensor too. It looks like the head gasket has been changed before. The tab sticking out on the front of the engine looks like 2 pieces of metal sandwhiched together with something.
It looks like my power steering pump reservoir is leaking is that a common problem? It is either a host up there or the tank itself. It sure looks like the tank.
Rob

[dawnnewsome3]

Mine was a multi steel gasket from the factory only had 78.000 miles replaced with oem parts as for the power steering reservoir it is remote filled with the reservoir on the back of the head a real pain to get off, but easy to fix when the head is pulled off . I also had valve cover leaks so I replaced all top end gaskets ( all from the head gasket up ) While it was all apart .

[dsramprat]

The advise dawnewsome3 gives you is golden. Originally these cars came with a paper head gasket, but there was a Service Letter issued by Dodge in 98 or 99 to change this over to a multilayered steel gasket. This was due to the different expansion rates between the aluminum head and the cast iron block effectively grinding the paper gasket to pieces.

As for the other issue, I have a 97 and a 00, both have the 2.4 in them, and a few months ago, the 00 did throw a timing belt. I took it out in three pieces. I was worried about the zero tolerance issue, but there was absolutely no damage to the engine internally. Once I put on the new belt, everything worked beautifully. By the way, the reason the belt broke was because the bearings in the tensioner pulley were worn out allowing the belt to oscillate back and forth into the block. You can tell when that is happening because you hear a pulsating swishing sound from the passenger side of the engine compartment. Just thought I would pass that along.

[fritcr]

Well I put a valve cover gasket on the car. It was for sure leaking and so was the cam sensor. I got a new gasket and then put some silcone on that too. I'm just going to keep and eye on the head gasket for now and drive it.
Thanks for all of the help.
Rob

[jwalker1970]

Another quick fix idea for the 2.4 headgasket oil leak....

Clean off area of leak with brake cleaner & dry with an air nozzel until perfectly clean.

Use permatex "form-a-seal" leak repair as directed.

That will put a clear rubber seal over leak area. Stuff works great. I have used on stratus and stopped leak. Maybe just a temporary fix, but better than changing headgasket on a cheaper car.