Hey guys, I've had a leak for a while under the truck. It's minimal for sure, but I'm about to go on a road trip and need to be sure this truck is 100%.

It looks as though it's coming from under the oil pump (near the crank, slightly above, closer to driver side, right?) or from possibly the power steering? I checked the power steering when I first noticed this leak and kept an eye on it, and power steering levels were fine. I checked them again recently, after ignoring the leak for a while, and noticed they're a bit lower. Should I really worry about my power steering if there is an issue? I don't really care for it, at least it's not something I care if I lose during a road trip.

If that's not to worry about, then more concerning, I'm losing a decent amount of coolant, but it's not on the ground. Just changed the oil after an overdue oil change, it was pure oil, no coolant in the mix. It might be possible the leak is oil; I didn't notice any loss of oil, but then again the leak is tiny, with it rarely even dripping. Exhaust is burning clean, no smoke. I plan to rent a pressure test kit for the coolant system to see if that helps me find a leak.

Also worth noting, the liquid on the bottom of the oil pan used to drip, not steadily but maybe one drip every 10 minutes after warming the engine up. As we got toward this summer season, it's actually stopped dripping.

I'm going to need to do the timing/acc belt, spark plugs, and a few other items before this trip, so any advice on this would be appreciated before I get in there. I'm trying to order everything I need and do all of my maintenance work on Saturday and Sunday. Of course, I'd prefer not waiting til Saturday to find out what's going wrong, then having to leave my truck in pieces for days.

 

The best way is to clean the bottom part of the engine completely with some sort of oil degreaser. Then, drive around for 15 mins or so, and recheck the bottom. This may help you locate the source of the problem.

 

I’m thinking I may just do timing belt, serpentine, plugs, wires, and hoses, and put her back together. After that I can give that a shot. If it’s a head gasket I’m assuming it’ll make it for a 2,000 mile road trip considering how long it’s been running fine.

When I get back I can degrease it and see what I see after regular driving. Is that a bad idea? Coolant loss is moderate, maybe a quart or so every week or two. No smoke in exhaust, no noticeable performance or driving issues (its pretty dang slow but not concerning-ly).

Thanks for for your input!

 

Cleaning the bottom of the engine takes less than 10 mins or so. I would do this before guessing what the problem is. After all, it is your car, so do whatever it makes sense to you. Good luck.

 

I’m getting a much better look at the engine right now to see where things are gunked up the most. I’ll have a second opportunity to do that here soon, but there’s a ton of gunk on this engine and nowhere to rinse it without it being able to run.

 

Get some heavy duty degreaser, spray a whole can there and wait 15 mins. Use a water hose and rinse it (if you have pressure washer, it will be ideal). Repeat these steps if needed.

 

Guessing I should cover spark distributors, anything else though? Thanks for your help!