BIG f-ing oil leak! i hate oil leaks!

[wrongcamtiming]

so im in auto class today workin on some electrical problems and i ran the car at idle for about 15 min and then shut it down. i was checking something under the car and i discovered that the exxon valdez had capsized under my car. i always knew it leaked oil, but it never leaked THAT much. i threw a pig mat on it and let it go, only to find a nice large powersteering leak. i thought "oh great thats wonderful, ANOTHER LEAK !" so what could make this day any worse? a nice little squeal in the engine. i now leave puddles of oil everywhere i go. new cork/rubber pan gasket goes in tommorow, dont know what to do about the powersteering, but i know my chassis is nice an lubed. my car already looks like a POS, now it runs like one...man, i really hate oil leaks.

[HomeGrown]

Hey wrongcamtiming, welcome to the forum, and I see you made the obligatory n00b double-post. That's become a requirement for the Gen II forums.

Can you pinpoint the source of the power steering leak? (i.e. pump or hose connection)

[wrongcamtiming]

yea sorry bout that, i couldnt figure out how to delete it. the PS leak is a hose, i believe its the return (closes the the bulkhead) it seeps out thru the insulation. the whole passenger side is coated with lubes, the driver side isnt tho, i have a few problems with the car but overall i love her like i loved my '90 AE92 (after the toy. atlantic motor swap of course). and on another note, anyone know where i can get a drivers side lower control arm with sway-bar bushing, my local toyota dealer cannot get it and my whole wheel assembly moves a good 2-3 inches forward.

[SymtecX2003]

i seen them in a store on ebay once :? if that helps

[Kep]

The odds of it being a pan leak are pretty minimal. Hopefully the big puddle was from the power steering hose. That sounds easy.

Engine oil leaks that I know of can come from:
-Front & rear main seals.
-Oil filter fixture
-Two seals on the distributor
-Maybe the oil pump (?) in the timing belt area.
-Head gasket
-Valve cover gasket
-Spark plug tube seals at the valve cover (see if these have worked loose. Mine did frequently)

If the leak is just a few drops over time then you might consider a seal-conditioner like AT-205. It is an additive that you put in the oil and it "rejuvenates" the rubber seals. Neat stuff. Helped my rear seal leak.

Kep

[wrongcamtiming]

oil pump eh? ill check that out. got the gasket today, goes in saturday. figured id check and retorque the rod mains and main caps while i was in there. now i just need to find a tripod bar to support the motor incase the unthinkable happens, its the only way school will let me use their facilities. im pretty sure its the pan because it looks like oil is dripping out of the corner on the pan on the pass. side, 30 seconds after start up...ya know, come to think of it, thats when oil pressure stabilizes isnt it, im definatly checkin the oil pump now. damn oil leaks, if it was just a little i wouldnt care, but that much, im askin for trouble.