Bolt just under Serpentine Belt is wet, looks like oil leak?

[bamertz93]

Hi, does anyone know what could cause this and is it a significant issue?

Sponsored

 

[airline tech]

From your pic - it appears the the oil is collecting on the attach bolt for the Crankshaft Position Sensor

A better pic of the RH side of the engine will reveal a more precise leak location, but from the Pic it is possibly - Bolt #17 or #19, if these areas are wet, then the gasket is leaking, you may get lucky and simply retorquing the bolts may stop the leak.
Torque to (97 in lbs) - ENSURE you use a Torque Wrench, or you risk cracking the cover.

I suspect the leak is actually coming from the (Crankshaft Front Oil Seal) which is circled and its slinging the oil and its collecting on the (Position Sensor - Bolt Head)
Note: The bolt head that's wet is not the leak point.

This (oil seal) can be replaced (on-vehicle) without pulling the cover but the Crank Pulley must be removed and this requires special tooling (Alignment Pins) Crank & Cam due to the 2.3 having a keyless pulley.

Severity - I would clean the area with brake clean and wipe it down and monitor it - if this proves to be the Crankshaft Front Oil Seal, Right now it appears to be minor but will eventually get worse.

 

[bamertz93]

From your pic - it appears the the oil is collecting on the attach bolt for the Crankshaft Position Sensor

A better pic of the RH side of the engine will reveal a more precise leak location, but from the Pic it is possibly - Bolt #17 or #19, if these areas are wet, then the gasket is leaking, you may get lucky and simply retorquing the bolts may stop the leak.
Torque to (97 in lbs) - ENSURE you use a Torque Wrench, or you risk cracking the cover.

I suspect the leak is actually coming from the (Crankshaft Front Oil Seal) which is circled and its slinging the oil and its collecting on the (Position Sensor - Bolt Head)
Note: The bolt head that's wet is not the leak point.

This (oil seal) can be replaced (on-vehicle) without pulling the cover but the Crank Pulley must be removed and this requires special tooling (Alignment Pins) Crank & Cam due to the 2.3 having a keyless pulley.

Severity - I would clean the area with brake clean and wipe it down and monitor it - if this proves to be the Crankshaft Front Oil Seal, Right now it appears to be minor but will eventually get worse.

Thank you for the extremely thorough reply. I really appreciate you! I will clean it up and see what happens.

 

[Friday yet?]

Well, this is the 5G forum so no doubt by about page 2 in this thread it will 100% be a transmission issue.

 

[RedDakooter05]

Well, this is the 5G forum so no doubt by about page 2 in this thread it will 100% be a transmission issue.

Nah, OP using the wrong oil.

 

[Deleted User 38384]

Does he have a tailgate assist ?

 

[bamertz93]

Does he have a tailgate assist ?

Hahah, in case you’re wondering, I have changed the EGR Sensor, added a tailgate strut, and used trim clean to make the window trim dark again. I would like to think I keep up with the forum… and fall victim to pointless endeavors.

 

[Deleted User 38384]

Hahah, in case you’re wondering, I have changed the EGR Sensor, added a tailgate strut, and used trim clean to make the window trim dark again. I would like to think I keep up with the forum… and fall victim to pointless endeavors.

Then you should be good...

 

[TJC]

From your pic - it appears the the oil is collecting on the attach bolt for the Crankshaft Position Sensor

A better pic of the RH side of the engine will reveal a more precise leak location, but from the Pic it is possibly - Bolt #17 or #19, if these areas are wet, then the gasket is leaking, you may get lucky and simply retorquing the bolts may stop the leak.
Torque to (97 in lbs) - ENSURE you use a Torque Wrench, or you risk cracking the cover.

I suspect the leak is actually coming from the (Crankshaft Front Oil Seal) which is circled and its slinging the oil and its collecting on the (Position Sensor - Bolt Head)
Note: The bolt head that's wet is not the leak point.

This (oil seal) can be replaced (on-vehicle) without pulling the cover but the Crank Pulley must be removed and this requires special tooling (Alignment Pins) Crank & Cam due to the 2.3 having a keyless pulley.

Severity - I would clean the area with brake clean and wipe it down and monitor it - if this proves to be the Crankshaft Front Oil Seal, Right now it appears to be minor but will eventually get worse.

It is unusual for front or rear seals to leak... unless there is bearing wear, or overfilling the engine oil, or a plugged PVC system, or other sources of crankcase back pressure?

 

[Cabose-1]

Crank seal. Unless it really bothers you. Live and let live. Or if it starys to leave puddles. Fix it. Crazy how there is no key for it. Seems strange

 

[TJC]

Crank seal. Unless it really bothers you. Live and let live. Or if it starys to leave puddles. Fix it. Crazy how there is no key for it. Seems strange

I don't like the idea of "no key" crank either. Mazda did this in the 1989-1990 1.6l engines, and it caused nothing but trouble resulting in a worn crankshaft end and wallowed out harmonic balancer. Even the dealerships had trouble with them.

 

[Dereku]

Nah, OP using the wrong oil.

It’s obvious fuel dilution…

 

[Dereku]

I don't like the idea of "no key" crank either. Mazda did this in the 1989-1990 1.6l engines, and it caused nothing but trouble resulting in a worn crankshaft end and wallowed out harmonic balancer. Even the dealerships had trouble with them.

I would hope 30 years later we improved on metallurgy a bit.

 

[TJC]

I would hope 30 years later we improved on metallurgy a bit.

Tell that to Hyundai and Kia! Everyone is getting free engines!
Thousands of Kias and Hyundais may qualify for free engine replacement

Class-action lawsuits have forced Hyundai to recall and replace nearly all 2.4-liter and 2.0-liter turbo Theta II engines if they fail prematurely. Manufacturing issues caused the engines to wear out prematurely and catch fire in certain situations.

Several models from 2011 to 2019 are equipped with the Theta II engines. Your vehicle might be protected by the lifetime class action warranty and qualify for a zero cost engine reimbursement if you have one of the following models:

• Hyundai-Sonata (Models 2011 to 2019)
• Hyundai-Santa-Fe-Sport (Models 2013 to 2019)
• Hyundai-Tucson (Models 2014 to 2015)
• Hyundai-Tucson (Models 2018 to 2019)
• Kia-Optima (Models 2011 to 2019)
• Kia-Sorento (Models 2012 to 2019)
• Kia-Sportage (Models 2011 to 2019)

 

[Dereku]

Tell that to Hyundai and Kia! Everyone is getting free engines!
Thousands of Kias and Hyundais may qualify for free engine replacement

Class-action lawsuits have forced Hyundai to recall and replace nearly all 2.4-liter and 2.0-liter turbo Theta II engines if they fail prematurely. Manufacturing issues caused the engines to wear out prematurely and catch fire in certain situations.

Several models from 2011 to 2019 are equipped with the Theta II engines. Your vehicle might be protected by the lifetime class action warranty and qualify for a zero cost engine reimbursement if you have one of the following models:

• Hyundai-Sonata (Models 2011 to 2019)
• Hyundai-Santa-Fe-Sport (Models 2013 to 2019)
• Hyundai-Tucson (Models 2014 to 2015)
• Hyundai-Tucson (Models 2018 to 2019)
• Kia-Optima (Models 2011 to 2019)
• Kia-Sorento (Models 2012 to 2019)
• Kia-Sportage (Models 2011 to 2019)

Those 2 have never been considered a high quality car brand. They have tried to move up market a lot the last 10 years. Basically a dawoo.

Sponsored