[rtuey]

I would very much appreciate your thoughts on the source of a major oil leak on my 3.0L engine (+230K miles). I had just replaced the gaskets/seals in the oil return tubes, and tightened down the valve covers in prep for a trip to Driver's Ed at Streets of Willow. Prior to the trip, I had not been seeing any drips on the garage floor. The DE went fine, and I made the 81 mile trip home without issue. I stayed in 3rd gear during each of the 4 runs, and don't think I exceeded 4500 rpms during each run session. There are only two sections of track where I could get much speed.

The oil level during the DE was a bit above the lower mark when cold. After the DE, I added 1/2 qt.

The next morning, I saw a pool of oil on the floor. I didn't have a chance to look for the source, but I threw cat litter down to absorb the oil. The next day, I saw an even larger pool of oil. I believe about 1/2 to 3/4 quart leaked out.

To try to reproduce the event, I put the vehicle up on 4 jackstands and let the car warm up at idle to the above the 1st white bar. I looked under the vehicle while it was running, but did not detect any leaks. The following day, I saw some minor drips. This past weekend, I ran the car on the stands up to 4000 rpm several times for about 15 seconds each time. After letting it cool for a day, I took pictures of where the oil appears to be coming. It seems just past the #6 cylinder oil return tube. Note the very oily area to the left of the oil return tube.

In the 2nd picture, there is oil found on the back of the heat exchanger. When changing out the oil return tube seals, I had cleaned up the bottom of the engine, and the heat exchangers - so this oil is mostly new.

Today, I drove the car to work (about 2.2 miles away). There were only a few noticeable drips underneath the car after the work day.

Your thoughts on where the leak is at, and how to repair it would be appreciated. It would not surprise me if it requires an engine drop replace the offending gasket(s).