i dont know what it is so i thought i should bring it up to the guru's. I think i've got a leak there(oil). it's been there ever since i took it to the dealership for a tune up.
to the right of the spark plugs and below the yellow wire.

 

There are several potential leak areas there,all of which are cheap and easy to fix.

The oil filter pedestal....2 small,cheap orings under the pedestal.Pretty common.
The oil pressure sender....just remove and reinstall with a little teflon tape on the threads.Make sure the sender isnt broken,bent or leaking....not applicable to 79 though.Check the oil cooler line fitting in your case.....
Loose filter or improper filter install.
The heater hose....can leak from a loose clamp,but VERY often will burst from oil saturation after years of spilling oil during filter changes.For a quick fix you can remove the hose from the engine nipple,then cut off an inch or two to elimintate the swollen/bad portion.Then reinstall the hose.Its also cheap/easy to just install a new hose.

 

Thanks,
we took off the pedestal and replaced the o-rings. dorve around for 5 mins. and still leekie. so i realized that the oil filter is very small. Mazda's... i just happened to have a replacement and put that one on. it's a bosch and about 1/2 inch larget diameter.
Moral of story:
Dealership's filters SUCK!

 

whoa you better watch what you say about those dealership filters! There are some people on here who will kill ya for sayin that! Nah J/k. As Long as its NOT FRAM!

But good job on finding the leak!

 

three projects today. i call it a good day. Rear hatch struts and front speakers.

 

I love my dealership filter O_O

 

I cant say that i do... it leaked! So the yellow wire goes to the temperature sending unit in the block. it leaks, put some teflon tape on it, still leaky. It's tight enough to be questionable about breaking in half. Where do i get a new one or what else should i try?

 

Arent dealership filters made by fram?

 

I believe that you are referring to the oil pressure sending unit. Hope this helps...

 

If Im not mistaken the older temp units are straight thread and take a sealing washer under the unit.The later cars were taper pipe thread and need tape/sealant.The temp sender is immersed in coolant/antifreeze,so its not the source of your oil leak.You can get a new one at most autoparts places and it should come with a new washer.
The 79-80 cars dont have oil pressure gauges,so theres no oil sending unit to worry about.

 

yeah, what i thought was an oil leak appears to be an antifreeze leak( other than the dealer filter). The antifreeze turned brownish going down my block because it is so dirty....
guess i need to clean whan it gets halfway warm (not freezing).