i was wondering if you guys could help me with some questions. i just recently purchased my GSL and i love it.
it needs some work though.

it has an oil leak, it's either the front gasket or the housing is cracked. im not sure which. what is a good way to determine?

also i want to know some things i can do to increase performance. i was thinking about putting a GSL-SE in if my housing is cracked, is that possible?

thnx

 

whoa ... slow down there

first of all, welcome the the club! secondly, exactly where is this oil leak you speak of? if a housing was cracked, oil leaks would be your secondary concern because the engine would not be able to run right. if you're talking about the front cover ... then change it before it breaks!

however, something tells me there is no crack. just maybe a worn seal/gasket/washer - so you must give us more information on the location of the leak.

next we have to work on terminology. an SE what? engine? suspension? see what i mean????

take care of getting the car in GOOD shape first, then worry about performance. it's really easy to get more power and better handling, but first you need knowledge ... and that's the easiest of all.

just hold your mouse and say, "search button" 3 times ...

 

so you say that if its cracked, it will run bad? well its running good, and it only leaks when its running. it is comming from the front housing between the front assembly and the front housing. the reason i thought it might be cracked, is i had someone look at it and said he saw JB weld on the housing and though some one was trying to fix a crack.

when i said SE i meant the 13B that comes in the GSL-SE. the 135hp one. and i meant jsut the engine.

yes i want to learn this stuff, becuase i want to build this car myself, so i will be asking lots of questions. heh thanks for you post.

if you know any way for sure to tell if its cracked or not i would much appreciate it. thnx

 

if one of the housings are cracked, yes ... i would imagine that it would not be able to hold it's vacuum. can't say for sure because i've never had to deal with that, but it's my guess.

so it's the front cover then, right? the best way to check for sure is to clean it off, and look (use a magnifying glass if you must) and check for a crack.

if it is cracked, like i said, change it before it breaks - but it's not a matter of "if" it's a matter of "when".

 

Once again, from the people at www.rotaryenginesillustrated.com:


Now then, now that you know what each part is called, where is your leak coming from?

~T.J.

 

alright, whats the best way to clean off JB weld? wire brush? im gonna check it out this weekend, i really appreciate your help, thnx

 

Theres one together just in case you dont understand the other one...

~T.J.

 

beats the hell outta me ...
where was it? was it along the edge where the cover meets the front housing or was it going across a part of the cover?

 

If it really is JB Weld, the best way would be with a chisel, scraper, and maybe a hammer, as that stuff hardens REALLY hard and sticks really well. Personally I think JB Weld is the cat's *** when used properly. I once used it to fix the cracked oil pan on my 87 Transam (after I hit it on a speed bump) I took my time, cleaned it inside and out, and patched the cracks with the JB weld and it never leaked again. It lasted for 8 months of daily driving after that, then I sold the car to a friend (he knew), and he told me recently that the JB weld is still holding, and he never bothered with it even after he rebuilt the motor. I fixed a magnesium case on a motorcycle engine with it too.

You said that the oil leak only happens when the car is running, but you didn't say how bad it was, like is it seeping, dripping occasionally, dripping constantly at a slow rate (drip every few seconds), dripping constantly at a fast rate (once or twice every 2 seconds), or totally bleeding out. If it is the first two, then I'd leave it alone for now and keep an eye on it. If the third, then I'd keep two spare quarts of oil in the car and keep my eye on it, and plan and prepare for fixing it soon. If it is the last two, then I wouldn't drive the car until you fix it.

 

it is comming from between the front cover and the frontside housing, from the seam and not along the housing.

the leak rate is somewhere between an occasional drip and a constant drip. i've had the car for a good 2 weeks (driving it, have had it longer) and haven't had to put any oil in it. (i check it everyday). so it must not be that fast i figure.

 

It comes off really well with a torch. Just be careful

 

Where along the seam? Could it just simply (simply...yeah right) be a bad oil pan gasket? Like if its towards the bottom where the front cover meets the front housing AND where the oil pan all meet, it could be a bad oil pan gasket. Otherwise, Id have to say theres probably some kinda gasket up there thats gone...Id probably just plan on fixing it in the future at some point in time, and just keep and eye on the level, and watch the pressure while your driving. Hell, I have a leak in my 83 GSL also...The oil actually leaks out the end of the pressure sensor where the wire connects, but only when the engine is running and the system is pressurized...Anyone have a spare they wanna get rid of?

~T.J.

 

OHH!! IDEA!!! Which side is it on? Could it be a leaking Oil Metering Pump (a.k.a - OMP)? Its the thing on the passenger side of the front cover that has the two plastic tubes coming off of it...

~T.J.

 

sadly it's the top driver-side of the front cover... i'm thinking it's a gasket more than ever now, but what kinda risk and i taking if i go to replace the gasket and it is a cracked housing? will i HAVE to replace right then? cuz i don't have the money yet :\