88 4-cyl oil leak

[clkinaz]

Hi,

I have an 88 Camry wagon, 4-cyl, auto, 215k mi.

I have oil on the front of the block, primarily in the area between the exhaust manifold and trans, from the top right corner of the block down to the oil pan, as viewed from the front of the car. It extends from the head gasket down... and of course drips onto the lower parts and eventually onto the driveway : (

I've cleaned it, driven it, cleaned it, driven it... and can not seem to find the source of the leak.

There is a small drop or two around the base of the dip stick tube but not enough to really suspect that. If I didn't know better, it would seem to be leaking from the head gasket but I don't see how that's really possible. (Is it?)

I replaced the distributor o-ring a few months ago and that doesn't seem to be the prob, either. Some oil does puddle in the webs of the tranny case near the speedo cable but the back of the block is dry.

Because of the way it's disbursed on the block, it sees that it could be getting blown upward on the block from wind in the compartment(?) That's one theory, anyway.

There's no leakage around the head cover gasket.

I'm not losing much oil but I get a couple of quarter-sized spots in the driveway most every day and it's getting to be rather annoying.

Otherwise, the car runs great, gas mileage is right on average: 25 w/AC on, 28 w/o AC.

Where could this oil be coming from?

Thanks!

Charles

[white90dx]

Before you suspect the head gasket (which is a small possibility), check the oil pressure switch and the distributor.

The oil pressure switch is located on the front transmission side corner of the head - it has a single wire going to it and a rubber boot over the connector. The fitting has tapered threads and is known to leak. You should be able to use some thread sealant (but not pipe teflon tape!) on that.

The distributor o-ring also often leaks and will put oil on the top of the trans, though not down the front of the block. You can get the seal at the dealer or other aftermarket sources. While you are there, check inside the distributor for oil - if you find some, you can get a distributor rebuild kit to fix that leak too (it can cause ignition problems).

-Charlie