oil leak

[darksky47]

Ok here my trouble i have had a oil leak for about 6 months the sparks plugs holes were full of oil and the smoking was very bad so i replace the Cam Covers gaskets on both sides and drove it for three weeks thinking maybe that was old oil that has not burned off but it still smokes only from the right side i check the oil cooler it was dry i looked down the spark plugs holds they were dry so i replaced the Cam Covers again on the right side i even used oil dye trying to find the leak but i have no idea where it may be can anyone help me my wife is all over my a@& please help me befor i go crazy.
my email is darksky47@cainpro.com

[wildrage]

Same thing happened to me last month...changed cam covers twice. Make sure that your breather system is completely cleaned out. By that I mean the box is cleaned out, and the terminals where all the hoses going to the box go to are clean as well. Use carb cleaner on them.

In my case, I cleaned it out right, but the O-Rings on the breather box were shot and there was a vacuum leak that resulted. Pressure built up in the crank case and there was almost immediately smoke. My covers initially were smoking from the sides, but after I changed them the first time they leaked from the back, which confused me even more.

If you're sure the breather system is okay, check the oil filter and housing. There are not many points of failure for burning oil (as there is for coolant), so it shouldnt' be too hard to find.

[darksky47]

is the box your talking about on top of the motor that the four rubber tubes go to and the O-Rings where are they at is it only one on the bottem of that black thing on top of the motor.

[darksky47]

i for got if the o-ring is bad where can i get one and what do i ask for?

[darksky47]

if that o-ring is bad where do i get one and what do i ask for?

[wildrage]

Yes, it's the box with the 4 tubes and a Cadillac symbol on it. Since you asked, I'm assuming you haven't cleaned it out. There are step by step instructions and pictures here:

http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1152598350


The small tube on the passenger side of the breather goes into a little brass fitting not too far from the breather box. There is a little hole in the brass fitting - be sure it isn't restricted (you can use a small pin, but don't poke too far) The two larger tubes join and go into a much larger fitting near the rear of the engine. I had a harder time getting the larger one off, as there was a hose clamp on it and it was a real pain to loosen. The small tube on the drivers side appears to go into the EVAP system..and I didn't mess with it.

If you look at the breather box there are a total of 5 O-Rings. There are 2 connecting the main box to the smaller piece that goes into the throttle body, and 2 more that connect the smaller piece to the base of of the throttle body. There is also a larger one that connects the nipple on the bottom of the breather box to the hole on the top of the plenum. I didn't bother going to the dealer to get these Orings...I just went to an auto supply store and bought a huge set of Orings of all different sizes for around $15. You may wish to coat them with oil or lubricant before installing, as it can be a tight fit.

If your O-rings are shot, you should probably hear the vacuum leak, as it's right up on top of the engine. I couldnt hurt to replace them all, as they are very cheap and would probably take less than 1/2 hour. The breather system MUST be working perfectly, or you will blow oil out of your valve covers. As I said before, I started smoking again less than a day after I did my valve covers because the breather system was screwed up. Thankfully, after I got the breather system working the leak stopped...I didn't have to do the covers again.

[darksky47]

Ok i found the i found the box where the brass fiting with the little hold i dont have to take that hole thing off to clean it do i.

[wildrage]

No. Just use a little carb cleaner on it. There should be a small hole in the middle...just make sure it's clear.

[darksky47]

Hey no more smoke i did just what you said im so happy i dont know how to thank you.

[wildrage]

I'm just glad it worked. I was just as frustrated as you last month...I waited a week for the parts to come in, tore apart the engine (it was my first time, so I was a little nervous), replaced the gaskets, and still got smoke. I started second guessing myself and getting paranoid.

Now, if I had to do both the valve cover gaskets, I could probably do them in under an hour. At first doing things like removing the plenum and fuel rails seems really complicated, but after your first time, it's no problem.

The Catera is a little finicky, but thank god it isn't that hard to work on. It took me over 4 hours to do the valve gaskets on my Lincoln Mark VIII lol..