Hey, I have a Ke25 with a 4K. I have recently found an oil leak after having none for the last 15-20 years (its been in the family since almost new), It seems to be coming from around the headgasket area! i have cleaned it up tonight and topped up the oil for further inspection 2 moro after a drive to see if i can see where it is coming from. I'm guessing its not the headgasket cos i'm not burning oil etc.

I was wondering if anyone knows of somewhere they commonly leak in the 4K? i'm hoping to fix it myself (apprentice Mechanic for a holden dealer), mayb if big work time for upgrades!

thanks!

it wouldnt be the rocket cover gasket leaking oil ?

 

also, around the spark plug shrouds.. they usually make a nasty mess when they rubber seals crack.

 

another possibility is the headgasket is gone, but around the pushrod area... ? - slowly seeping out oil from around there?

 

How much oil are you loosing ?

i,ve got a slight oil leak that i thought was coming from the head in the galley area.

turned out to be a bad o-ring on the dizzy

i'd be pointing towards the Rocker cover leaking.....mine was leaking as well and we couldnt get it tight enough....

 

could be just an old rocker cover gasket....just grab a new one if thats the case.

 

if the car has be overheating or been running rough on idle....thats a blown headgasket.

corollas always leak oil, just keep cleaning it up :down:

not leaking out the dipstick tube?

 

it took me awhile to realise mine would lift the dipstick when giving it a good flogging. a couple of cable ties around the engine mount to hold the dipstick down work a treat, but make checking the oil a bit more of a chore.

 

also check your fuel pump (if orig mechanical unit) isn't leaking oil from underneath.

most common leak going by the parts we sell, the sparkplug tubes and gasket. although when the go they tend to make a huge mess. so yeah, rocker cover gasket

yeah i thought there mite b spark plug tube thingys leaking cos that seems to be where it starts from. how is that fixed? i usually check oil and stuff regularly but hav bn buisy the last 4 mths or so and checked it other nite and was very low!!

thanks!

pull the spark plugs out and the alloy tube and there should be an "o" ring type seal on it.

replace the "O" rings and put a little sealant on them and put them back in.

Another trick is because they've had 30 years of Gorillas tightening them, you might find the top flange (the bit the o-ring sits under) requires a bit of tap-o-metric attention. Dress it back down to about right-angles again and it will also improve sealing.

i usually tap the hole (where the plug goes) with the back of my ratchet before putting them back in, have never had a leak

if you are not running a pcv valve it will tend to leak too as the internal pressure has farther to go and will just find the path of least resistance.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

2c

I endorse all the suggestions made above. All K series engines leak oil, but with close attention to detail, they can all be eliminated. Luckily they are all on the distributor side of the engine, which is easy to get at.

 

First rule is to keep engine clean, so oil leaks are obvious as soon as they occur. SuperCheap $ 1.78 degreaser & hose !

 

The rocker cover is easy to fix. The older, the rocker cover gaskets get, the harder they get; and hard gaskets don't seal well. Get a new gasket. Clean surface of head where gasket contacts head scrupulously. Final wipe with metho & dry. Put a fine bead of silicon gasket sealant right around the gasket in the centre between those two tiny little "flaps" on the gasket. Tighten down rocket cover nuts tightly. Problem solved, guaranteed

 

Those pesky spark plug aluminum tubes are the greatest culprits. They are horribly expensive. Someone on RollaClub, recently posted they bought a set of four (4) and it cost

$ 80.00. I've paid less for whole engines than that !

You can get more life out of them by squaring back up the top flange, and opening up the spark plug hole a little with a tapered reamer (or large file handle end) so that they do not bind, & rotate when tightening up the spark plug. Always fit new rubber "O" rings and put some sealant around "O" ring, as suggested elsewhere in this thread.

 

The mechanical fuel pump is always an annoying source of oil leaks. The pump has a little well inside at the bottom, and a drain hole in case the diaphragm perforates and leaks petrol. That's so it does not build up, & flow into sump. Trouble is, as I see it, the oil gets splashed / blown onto the lever & runs down into the bottom of the pump and comes out the drain hole designed for fuel. Others might have other ideas as to the reason. If sump becomes pressurised, then any outside opening in the engine to ambient, is going to be an easy path for oil to the outside world.

 

The other factor in all this, is the keep the pressure in the sump area of the engine down by making sure the breather valves etc. are always clean & working. Remember, both top & bottom of pistons act as pumps, An oil catch can, & breather can help here if necessary. Ever seen how much oil gets pumped out of a race engine into those catch cans. Rob, could probably throw some more light on this. Not sure whether oil catch cans breathing to atmosphere are legal on a street car. Most PCV valves breath back to the inlet manifold.

 

Anyway, attention to detail in this area, can eliminate oil leaks in K series engines.

 

:down:

^^^^ Wiki please!

Those pesky spark plug aluminum tubes are the greatest culprits. They are horribly expensive. Someone on RollaClub, recently posted they bought a set of four (4) and it cost

$ 80.00

they got had! i bought two sets (8 tubes and 8 o-rings) and it cost me $72

but then again i get trade price...

holy hell! i think i sell full sets of tubes and gasket sfor like $50

 

the tubes also rust out around the bottom