Got a tiny bit of oil coming over the top fo the front housing, near the "DA" of Mazda. I know the engine could be cleaner, but that part I did wipe off a few days ago, then this blotch got progressively bigger and darker. I searched this site for that leak, and from that location I assume it's a dowel pin leak.

I'm not getting a puddle of oil under the car (yet?), but a drop or two has fallen within the last two days. The edge of the oil pan looks pretty nasty, but I've read again on this site that they do leak and need to be tightened, and have the gaskets replaced.

Is there any measure to slow the leak, short of taking apart the engine? I've read about using fix-a-leak stuff, but I'm kind of nervous to try it. I've switched to thicker 20w-50.
Here's some background info that may help:
bone stock
90,000 miles on engine. just bought when it had 80k.
driven nice daily, I only rev it above 5k on the weekends.
oil change every 3k.

thanks.

 

you should rev the **** out of it everytime you drive it

 

it's no fun. rev buzzer don't work.

 

Doesnt look too bad so far.Although it usually occurs near the front housing,the dowel pin leak can happen anywhere along the top corner of the engine,on any of the housings.
The little puddle there could be from the filler neck or various breather hoses near the filler and crankcase ventilation system(PCV).Just keep an eye on it and your oil levels in the near future.If you wanna lock down the source sooner,pressure wash the area to get it really clean and you should be able to make a clear diagnosis.Just remember to cover the distributor with a plastic bag or somn' before you spray.

 

If it does turn out to be leaking from the dowel / btwn the two housings, isn't it possible to make sure the tension bolts are the correct torque spec (with the tranny down of course)...?

 

Man you need to give your engine a little TLC. degreaser and boiling water it a pecticide sprayer from wally world workd wonders. If you clean the **** outa the engine you can pinpoint all leaks and determine more. To asses the situation better.

 

Retorqueing the engine bolts will not fix, nor slow the leak, I've tried. The o-rings have either shrunk and hardened or split. There really is no effective repair, short of tearing down the motor. I know there is a thread floating around here somewhere about drilling and filling the o-ring area with some sort of filler. I'm not sold on that idea.

Clean your engine bay and keep an eye on it for where the leak is coming from. A dowel pin leak will usually puddle on the top of the housing on either side of the embossed 12A, just above the Mazda logo.

 

I had a leak like that on an 83, oil appeared on the "12A". Cleaned it off good with degreaser, then MEK (lacquer thinner) to get rid of the degreaser film, then JB Weld over the joint. Was still working several thousand miles later when I last saw it.

B

 

I am having the same problem on my 12A leaking around the same area and having a little pool of oil on top where the 12A MAZDA part is at. I clean my engine so I know where I have this oil leaks and still trying to figure out how to fix it with out the need of a rebuilt which I can not afford at this moment.

By the way I never heard of that redline Buzzer that this cars should have. How can I fix it or where should I look to see if it even have it?

 

My 83 never has buzzed, and I bought it new. The 85 buzzes.

B

 

okay, I forgot to get a sprayer yesterday, so I just scrubbed a lot with Simple Green and wiped it dry.

After driving for little under an hour, I notice some shiny stuff coming from this side. And it goes a little ways down the housing. you won't be able to see it in the pic.


It is small, and I've heard some people driving for year with bigger leaks, but I is there any way to slow it down?

and how much of a pain will it be to get the housings off if I go the JB weld route?