Hey Scotty, I have a oil leak I noticed the other day. Doesn’t seem to be much as it’s not leaking onto the ground and making a puddle. Below, I attached some pictures of where I think the leak is coming from. Looks like it could be leaking from one of the bolts but not completely sure. Thanks.
What part of the engine is that? Also, should I try to tighten up that bolt and is there a certain torque that it needs to be tightened to?
I would tighten the bolt and.see if that works. You have nothing to lose trying that.
What part of the engine is that where the oil is coming from?
It looks like the timing cover bolts just above the oil pan. If tightening them doesn't do it, you might have to remove them and reinstall them with thread sealant.
Looking more into it. I have figured out that it’s the front crank seal that is leaking. Not sure if I can do this repair so how much would I be looking at paying a mechanic to fix this issue?
Before you decide you can’t do it, join the Dodge Dakota forums and look for a tutorial. At least you’ll know exactly what the mechanic has to do. Also look to YouTube. I don’t consider myself a mechanic, but I replaced the timing chain on my 1990 Dakota using the Internet as a resource. I was slow and methodical, taking pictures of every step so I knew how to get it all back together. I think I spent four days putting the new timing kit on. A lot of the time was spent cleaning surfaces where new gaskets would go. I replaced a lot of other stuff in the process, too. Belts, hoses, thermostat, water pump. When I got done, truck was good to go for a long time, but a tree fell on it in a storm. Bed is all crunched up now but it still runs and hauls my firewood in the winter time.
If it is the front seal, sometimes, you can just get away with removing the harmonic balancer, putting a repair sleeve on it and reinstalling. Realistically, though, you need to remove the balancer, replace the main seal in the cover and reinstall everything. It is not going to be inexpensive.
Yep. Right behind the harmonic balancer above the oil pan. Either a loose bolt or a compromised gasket. With any luck, a gentle torquing of the bolts is all that is required. If it needs a new gasket, well, I would probably live with it as long as I could and then get a new High quality timing kit and install it.
