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Leak on 8.1 ???


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Hey All - Got a mystery fluid leaking from a small hose underneath the front drivers side wheel well opening. It's a small hose with what appears to be a breather cap on the end. The hose is just kinda swingin in the breeze right above the driver side upper shock mount. It's not engine oil - the fluid/oil that's leaking out is a nice clean golden color & my current motor oil has about 5000 miles on it (too dirty to be 5W-30). Problem is, the hose is wrapped with tape into a small bundle of other hoses & just sorta dissapears into nowhere so I can't tell where it's coming from. It's not a huge deal I guess but it's annoying enough that it ever so lightly sprays a fine mist of oil over time onto my wheel liner & makes a mess of things.

 

Could it be front diff fluid from a breather hose? If so, why has taken 4 months to start leaking?

 

Any ideas?

 

Thanks

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my '01 8.1 just started doing the same thing last week. i noticed the quarter sized oil stain on the driveway and a thorough search fails to reveal the source. All fluids are full and normal-- the leak looks like a coolant line, but since its motor oil, thats not it. i know oil has a way of migrating around and road wind will push it back. i followed the leak from the motor oil filter-- thats where it was dripping onto the skid pan and onto the concrete. followed the oily mess further fwd to the aforementioned coolant lines. quite perplexing to say the least. looks to be right below the PS pump, but its not PS fluid...

 

stumped here as well...

 

mb

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im not gonna name any names, but i knew a guy once that would wake up for work in the morning and stop by his brothers truck on the way out with a 1/2 quart of 10-30. He would crouch under the truck and pour about a pancack size pool of oil in different spots each week. Man that was a fun few months.......at least thats what the guy said..... :seeya:

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Hey All - Got a mystery fluid leaking from a small hose underneath the front drivers side wheel well opening.  It's a small hose with what appears to be a breather cap on the end.  The hose is just kinda swingin in the breeze right above the driver side upper shock mount.  It's not engine oil - the fluid/oil that's leaking out is a nice clean golden color & my current motor oil has about 5000 miles on it (too dirty to be 5W-30).  Problem is, the hose is wrapped with tape into a small bundle of other hoses & just sorta dissapears into nowhere so I can't tell where it's coming from.  It's not a huge deal I guess but it's annoying enough that it ever so lightly sprays a fine mist of oil over time onto my wheel liner & makes a mess of things.

 

Could it be front diff fluid from a breather hose?  If so, why has taken 4 months to start leaking?

 

Any ideas?

 

Thanks

 

 

 

 

most likely it is the front diff breather tube. take your finger on the wet area and smell it. If it smells bad then it's diff fluid

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I've also noticed about four dime sized drops in my driveway.

 

I was under mine this past Saturday while on a lift. Looks like I'll soon be replacing the oil cooler lines, the were coated from what seems to be a small leak at the radiator end.

 

Hopefully they are as easy as the ones I had on my old S-10.

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Update: Just changed the oil and drained/filled the tranny with some Mobil 1 this weekend. I did the finger-sniff test to the suspected leaky fluid & it was definitely stinky. :chevy:

I took the skid plates off & checked around & didn't see anything too unusual. A quick check on the front diff fluid level seemed ok. I did notice a little oil 'spray' on the inside of the tire too, seems to have gotten all over the place. FWIW - it seems like the leak gas stopped for the time being.

 

Weird stuff

 

:seeya:

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upon further review, mine also look like its the oil cooler lines--- a leak somewhere, likely the coupling between rubber and aluminum components of the hose. The leak is intermittant-- sometimes it happens, other times not. this w/e i'll try to degrease the area and closely watch for a soiurce of the leak. what a mess tho-- all over the skid plate, oil filter, front drive line yoke/ujoint, etc...

 

mb

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Hey All - Got a mystery fluid leaking from a small hose underneath the front drivers side wheel well opening.  Any ideas?

 

Thanks

 

 

 

 

I agree - It sounds like your oil cooler lines. Mine leaked where the pressure fitting (metal) and hose (rubber) met. Remove the clamps used to secure the lines to the frame. The quick connect/disconnect lines on the vehicle are fragile. Don't worry if you break the flat round plastic pieces. They're included in your replacement parts. Use a screwdriver to release the pins. Start at the highest point (radiator). Once the pin is released pull gently with a twisting motion. Use a rag to catch the overflow. It is not necessary but try to plug the ends with a piece of cloth. This will only slow down the drainage. Now, you have three more to go...

remember to clean the contact area. Remove any deposits that may have formed.

Oil Cooler Hose (inlet)#93440852 $41.36

Oil Cooler Hose (outlet)#93440853 $54.45

:sigh:

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So the next qyuestion is:

 

why not do this at your next oil change ('cause those pesky 8 litres suck oil, haha) so the fluid level will be lower and avoid making a mess?

 

I doubt the cooler and lines retain fluid even during a change. Or maybe like a heater core, it stores fluid? Gotta go check my service manual

 

Thanks, i believe you also solved my mystery leak issue. Now for the repair...

 

mb

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So the next qyuestion is:

 

why not do this at your next oil change ('cause those pesky 8 litres suck oil, haha)  so the fluid level will be lower and avoid making a mess? 

 

I doubt  the cooler and lines  retain fluid even during a change.  Or maybe like a heater core, it stores fluid?  Gotta go check my service manual

 

Thanks, i believe you  also solved my mystery leak issue.  Now for the repair...

 

mb

 

 

 

 

You had me thinking Renolaw... for a sec. I was like Homer Simpson... "Doh! Oil change??... Why didn't I think of that?" But, Here's my answer. The lines that connect to the bottom of the engine (next to oil filter) has a vertical - 90 degree bend in them... perfect to block all flow of oil till its time for removal. This is when it gets messy. In order to get the lines out and because of the various bends you have to pull and rotate the lines around obstacles. I did not block off my ends... Oil got on everything! I advise after removal you should tape both ends together (like a horseshoe). Because these darn things will spring back to life once you throw them away. (Or, to prevent an accident). I tossed them into the trashcan with the ends up... continued the installation... turned around and noticed a huge oil pancake on my floor. Ooops! Better safe than sorry. Good luck guys!

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thanks...

 

i consulted my service manual and the awap is covered at page 6-1479. It shows 15 steps, the new plastic retaining clips look like the most difficult issue-- they must be perfectly positioned to seal the line.

 

i think i'll keep addinf oil for now until i can get it in the garage for a serious R&R. Off today to drive to Ely, NV (can u find that on the map?) for 5 days of ghost town wheeling, exploration, funky remote saloons and the like. its a 8 hour drive from here on US 50 w/ many straight-away sections, no passing vehicles and last year when i did this, got the rig up to 112, thabnks to the Garmin GPS, which has a pretty accurate speedo-- the one oin the truck is off due to the H2 wheels and 315 mm BFGs. That 8 hours of driving is all still w/in the state of NV.

thanks again

 

 

mb

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