This is getting annoying...

Ever since I bought this car, there has been a whiff of burnt oil on occasion when I park after 'highway driving' (faster than 35mph for argument's sake). This became more than a whiff during a vacation trip to Indiana, where I actually saw light amounts of smoke coming from under the car after three hours of high-speed running on the Ohio Turnpike. The burning smell / smoke is due to oil blowing off the oilpan onto the frame member, then this residue blows back onto the resonator. You can see the gunk on the resonator from this, and follow the airflow path back to the subframe member just behind the oilpan.

The car doesn't seem to be using any more oil than a normal rotary, which is why I am calling this "seepage" instead of a leak.

Getting under the car, you see wetting of the oil pan from the grounding strap block on the left side of the engine (over the oil level warning sender) around to the right side in approximately the same position. The front of the pan is bone dry, the engine itself shows no signs of any fluid leaks forward of the center iron (eccentric shaft, water pump, etc.). Left side of the engine is streaked with dust-caked 'spillage' around the fill port on the center iron, and the oil filler adapter is also same condition. No leakage at all from the oil filter adapter or filter cartridge. The right side of the engine seems to be dry / clean, but for wicking along the rear iron / bellhousing mating line. The OMP and associated piping up to where they disappear under the UIM / LIM are pristine.

I spent a half-hour Saturday under the car, with the engine idling / revving to about 5k or so for that period of time, and could not get it to leak. Gets fairly warm under there when the radiator fan kicks in. Came back from bedding in a new set of brake pads, found some wetting of the area but no drops.

If it was OMP nozzle leakage, I'd think there would be visible traces down the rotor housings, but what I can see under all the manifolds is pretty much dry except the mating line for the bellhousing. I'm discounting rear eccentric shaft seal leakage because I don't have clutch slippage.

I am at a loss. Anyone have any idea what could be leaking under load, since the 30-minute idle gave me nothing? Is it possible that the oil filler extension is cracked? What's up with the wicking on the back side only on the right?

Photos if I can get the lift this evening...

 

I had that once to me before about two months after I bought my 8. I had the dealership do the free complimentary oil change and right after it, I had the same symptoms as you do.

What happened was that the dumbtards took off the filter before draining the oil so oil was all over the place. What sucked most was that once the engine gets up to temp, the oil smell would be overwhelming and your vents will actually suck in the smoke, cake it on your windshield when you use the defroster.

What I did was pressure wash my entire engine bay, especially between the firewall and your motor, and that sure as hell solved the problem.

 

Often oil will leak from the seal on the oil filler neck. There are 2 nuts where it attaches to the block. It is right in front of the oil filter area

Check there

 

Thanks, starting in that area during my "copious spare time".

Drenched that side of the engine with Krud Kutter, blasted it off with clear water, and then the bloodsuckers attacked... no, not lawyers, the true native birds of the Eastern Shore:

Mosquitoes

While I recover from blood loss, what am I looking for once I can get near the car? O-ring in the 2-bolt juncture, possible loose sleeve into the center iron? The picture study RotaryResurrection built up shows a short-block with the oil fill still in it, so I assume that thing isn't meant to be removed or leak. The filler neck adapter shown here is about as filthy as the one on my car before the Krud Kutter attack.

 

The first picture shows the flange on the block with the 2 studs...there is an o-ring between that and the 2 nut flange on the 2nd picture ( can't see it on the picture) . Try tightening up the nuts ....they often loosen off because of vibrations....

Clean it off..and check that it is coming from there

 

Double-dozen welts later (damn mosquitoes, 13-hour workdays and getting home at dusk)...

Cleaned it off, got in there with a wrench to find they were down tight and hard. The flange area seems to be dry. The underside of the filler neck extension, where it makes the turn down to the intermediate iron, that was harboring oil.

(grabbed an inset from RR's breakdown montage)



Got it all wiped down / hosed off, will run it tomorrow and see if something decides to reveal itself. In the meantime, I'm trying to find any indication of where the extension itself might be dribbling / cracked or a hose chafed where it would leak oil under positive pressure...

 

Any update on the oil leak?

 

What value are they suppose to be torqued to?