Burning Oil

[TJXtreme]

I have a '91 xlt with 157K miles. It appears to have the usual leaks: small tranny leak, medium engine leak etc. Neither leak is too bad though. However, when I drive for longer than 20 minutes or so, problems arise. I can smell burning oil and when I stop and shut it off, smoke comes out from the grille and sides of the hood.

When I popped the hood, I could see oil dripping on to the exhaust from the drivers side of the engine. It seems to be right above the oil pan. Does anybody know what the problem is? How bad is it?

Thanks,

Andrew

 

[Rob]

More than likely

TJ,
More than likely is your Valve Cover Gasket. I had the same problem. Look closely over the dip stick, below the valve cover and around the cover sealing area. It is a dark area so you may want to use a flash light when looking around. Sometimes the leak is at the rear, but you should see the evidence of oily run off where ever the leak is.