okay, i recently had some work done on my EVO and now i have a leak coming from somewhere and i can't find it. I've checked every hose, line, fitting i can reach, and can't find where it's coming from. it's somewhere on the passenger's side around/above the transfer case because the transfer case and everything below it is wet, and the fluid drips after driving. it only leaks when i've been driving for a while. the tc is wet, the subframe beneath it, the braces, and part of the oil pan. i checked all fluid levels in every resevoir and they are all good, and not going down. there's no lines into or out of the tranny or tc, and the drain and fill bolts on the two are not loose. the ACD line on top of the TC is tight, and every bolt on and around that area is tight. i checked the mivec line, and it's tight on both ends as well...

what i need is a picture or drawing of the backside of an EVO IX motor so i can see what else is back there so i'll know what to look for. doesn't have to be in the car, it would actually be better if it wasn't, so i could see everything. somebody please help. thanks.

these are pics of the wetness:

 

nothing on the driver's side is wet, and nothing passed the TC is wet on the passenger's side...only part of the oil pan's bottom side. above the TC there are things wet, like lines, hoses. the power steering line is wet, but it looks like it was splashed on. it looks like something on the back of the block is spraying the rest of the stuff, but i don't know what's back there that could be doing this. it's under the intake manifold for sure, but above the TC, and i don't believe it's the mivec line, although i could be wrong. it's not coolant for sure. it's definately some sort of lubricant. looks, smells like motor oil... could be tranny or tc fluid though because they all look/smell about the same. i normally use royal purple in my engine, but when the service was done, amsoil was used. if RP was in there, then i'd know for sure if it were motor oil. anyone have any ideas, or pics of the backside of the motor, please help!!!!!

 

Well it def appears to be some sort of oil whether id be motor oil or tranny or transfer case. Itsjust so hard to actually tell because its all over the place. When did you first notice all of the leaks? Maybe you could try to clean all the excess oil off the underside of the car so you could possibly distinguish a general area where its coming from.

Im assuming whoever changed your fluids reused the copper washers. That could cause a small leak. Also it is possible that you do not have any leaks but rather the people who changed the fluids just made an absolute mess. Maybe they attempted to fill without a pump?

 

i thought about that, so i wiped everything down thoroughly to make sure whatever i was seeing wasn't stuff just melting/washing off. the leak still happened, so the stuff is fresh. i just water washed everything down and i'm letting it dry. then i'm going to go drive it again and see what leaks. if i could put the car on a rack, i think i could spot the problem almost immediately, but driving it, then jacking it up and trying to look under it without burning my face off isn't working too well. when i just drove it and looked, the only thing wet with fresh fluid was the transfer case, but i don't know where it could be leaking from because all of the bolts are tight, and there aren't any lines that i know of that go into and out of the TC that would leak. after the water dries, i'll know everything is clean, so i'm going to go drive it again and look for fresh fluid. any ideas?

anyone with a drawing/pic of the backside of an EVO IX motor?

 

common seal to break is the o ring between the tranny and transfer case, part#MD727944

had this happen on my car.. good luck!

edit: that looks alot more like motor oil, what exactly did you have done to your car?

 

This is very familiar to me, as in . . . it's currently happening on my car as well.

Is there fluid dripping from that little brass bleeder nipple as well? I'm thinking that it's the seal between the tranny and the T-case, because I checked my tranny fluid, and we had to top it off --- meaning it had probably gone into the T-case. If you get the gears rolling and everything heats up, the fluid expands, and the tranny case is physically higher in relation to the transfer case, so when the fluid needs someplace to go, it'll probably find it's way out via the bleeder, or the axle seals.

That's what I'm thinking, anyway. I'll be taking mine into the shop in the next couple of weeks to confirm/deny my hypothesis.

 

that sounds like what i think it is. it's most likely the tranny/tc seal leaking. it only happens when the car gets warm after driving.

i had the clutch replaced, timing belt, pcv valve, engine oil changed, tranny/tc/rear diff/acd fluid all changed, tc/tranny seals replaced

 

Does the car have ARP headstuds....

 

Mine does. But they were installed correctly, ie: NOT the 1x1 method.

 

prob the seal between the t case and trans

 

no, doesn't need it. the engine is basically stock other than an HKS catback.

 

Rear main seal is a good possibility as well. That definantly looks like motor oil.

 

That was my initial assumption, but my oil level is remaining stable. And it's green. So as soon as I do a fresh oil change, I'll be able to see for sure.

In my case, my tranny fluid was a bit low, and I'm thinking that was the suspected fluid.

 

yeah my oil level is remaining the same. i normally use royal purple, i wish that was in the car now, then i'd know for sure. i'm going to get some oil dye to check it for sure.

 

Mine just got checked out this morning, and the tech eyeballed it and said, " Well, it's oil leaking from the pan and the head gasket". I immediately told them to clean off the bottom of the car, let it dry, and then run it in the shop to find the leak. I'm confident that they won't find an engine oil leak for a couple of reasons: A) I haven't lost any fluid onto the garage floor. None. So it's not a containment issue. It only leaks when the vehicle is running down the road. Most likely axle seals. B) I just changed my oil yesterday prior to taking it in, and I use the green racing oil. The driveline fluids are both tan. That much should help clear up the diagnosis. More to come.