General Maintenance & Repairs - Oil smell but can't find a leak

Hello, I just picked up a 2000 T.A. rag top last week with 77,000 on it stock. Today is the first day I have had a chance to drive it!!.

This is going to be a 2 part question. I have never had one before so I am getting myself familiar with the car. When I test drove it, It all sounded fine so I bought the car. Today, staring it up from cold, I noticed a tick sound from the engine. It did go away after the car warmed up Like 2 or 3 min. Is this something to be concerned with? I had a mustang that did this and I drove that thing to 160,000 miles. I don't know if it just the way this engine is?

Part 2. I drove it for about 30 or 40 min and started getting on it. After the 3 or 4th time, I noticed a oil smell and a little bit of smoke from under the hood. The smell only lasted a few seconds and so did the smoke like 15 - 30 seconds at most. I took it home, and looked around for a leak. I cannot find one! I ran the car for another 30 min nothing. It runs fine, I let it sit idol for 15 min. Still nothing so I took it back out and hit it a few times and again the smoke and the smell. Any suggestions? I put it back in the garage and there is nothing on the ground. It is dry. valve covers look dry also. I am at a loss. I thought rear main but wouldn't I see a drip on the ground? And why only when I get on it? Driving normal it seems fine.


Thanks all for the help!!

Don't worry about the ticking when its cold.

Did you see smoke coming out of the hood while the hood was locked closed? That would be a pretty good amount of smoke.

The oil could be coming from a gasket leak on the valve cover and its leaking onto an exhaust manifold. Check for leaks around them. You could also try tightening the valve covers down.

Thanks for the reply. I was hopping the cold tick was normal phew!!

It was not a lot of smoke but, enough that i could see it. The hood was closed and it was only right after I had some fun with it and got on it. I saw it at a stop light. Driving it normal, I did not see any smoke and it seemed fine. Only after hitting the gas a bit hard.... OK very hard.
I was surprised that I could not see any dripping.

I have tomorrow off so I will give a crank on the covers.

ticking sound is normal.

look for leaks

check the oil, does it look brand new?

sometimes when i change the oil and i dont use a funnel, or im not paying attention i will spill some and it will get on the exhaust, and burn and smoke a little bit, it usually goes away after the first time i drive it.

The oil does look newer but not brand new. I am going to take a closer look at it today and see if I feel anything around the valve covers since I cannot see any darkness or dripping around them. Might just be when I hit it hard it is enough to push it out. Makes sence to me!!

The oil could be coming from a gasket leak on the valve cover and its leaking onto an exhaust manifold. Check for leaks around them. You could also try tightening the valve covers down.

My old eclipse did this. Oil leaked out onto the exhaust manifolds and burned, so I never saw a drop of it on the ground. Tightening the valve covers helped.

The oil does look newer but not brand new. I am going to take a closer look at it today and see if I feel anything around the valve covers since I cannot see any darkness or dripping around them. Might just be when I hit it hard it is enough to push it out. Makes sence to me!!

Get some white chalk board chaulk. Like a teacher uses to write on a chaulk board.

Rub it all around the valve cover directly under the gasket on the head. If it leaks down while driving it will stain and absorb into the chaulk line and remain there till you hose/wipe it off. You will then see the drip line that little bastard makes when you pop the hood.

:D

Get some white chalk board chaulk. Like a teacher uses to write on a chaulk board.

Rub it all around the valve cover directly under the gasket on the head. If it leaks down while driving it will stain and absorb into the chaulk line and remain there till you hose/wipe it off. You will then see the drip line that little bastard makes when you pop the hood.

:D


Thats a good little trick.