So I recently had an oil leak that put my alternator down for the count.
I assumed that it was coming from the distributor seals because it was mainly leaking onto the metal shield that is below the distributor and then the alternator.

So when I got a new alternator I also replaced the 2 o-ring seals on the distributor, both the small one and the larger one. And there indeed was a leak there so feeling satisfied I put it back together and installed my new alternator and went on my merry way. Now a couple weeks later there is oil back on the metal shield below my distributor and I'm wondering where it might be coming from.

What other places in that area might be leaking oil?
What else should I be looking at or considering as the cause of this leak?

 

Cam covers...?

 

Do those have a gasket on them or something of the sort that might degrade? Or would the entire cover need to be replaced if this was the problem?

 

Yes they have a gasket that sees all sorts of heat, and overtime they do tend to leak. Also, might be worth looking at the o-rings you installed to see if by chance one was torn during dizzy install. I tore one of mine years back when I replaced the o-rings, replaced it again, but put a little grease on the ring before putting the dizzy back in.

 

Did you try at-225 it seems to restore seals and stops leaks and it is only 9 at amazon.

 

, what is at-225? I really hope your not suggesting a stop leak additive, or (based off the "at") automatic trans stop leak.... There is only one proper way to fix a leak, and thats to actually fix the leak.

 

So what are we supposed to gain if I buy that at-225 for $9 rather than the $2 oil seal? LOL

 

Alright I'll give them a look.
She stalled out on me about 4 days ago and the dizzy rotor is lookin all kinds of nasty so I ordered a new one, should be here tomorrow and I can inspect the o-rings when I replace the rotor. Not lookin forward to markin down timing again, I have an irrational fear I'm going to ruin my timing, and I actually thought that's what it was when my car stalled out, but considering it started a couple hours ago I at least know it's not the timing that threw me off.

Thinking back on it, I didn't grease the ring at all when I installed it and the way it goes in I can definitely see how I might have torn it. Hopefully this is the problem, I'll check in about that tomorrow if the rotor arrives. I'll also look into the cam cover gasket. Just in case.

 

If the distributor is still leaking oil and you double checked your O-rings you may need to replace the distributor.

I replaced my alternator 2 or 3 times because the distributor had an internal leak that was getting inside my cap, leaking on the metal tray, then onto the alternator. Did the O-rings twice on it before I figured it out.

The metal behind the cap (where the rotor bolts up) was a light gold color like camshaft caps turn over time. My cap also had a light oil film on it.

There is also the chance it could be something else, just sharing my experience with this situation.

Best of luck