308 oil seepage normal or a problem??

I would appreciate some input on oil seepage. I know that some cars like the Porsche 930 usually have some oil seepage and that is considered normal. How about the 1985 308? Attached is a picture showing the seepage. Is this normal or not? If not, how expensive is this to correct generally?

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oil leaks are not "normal" on a 308, or a Porsche.

 

As far as expense to fix, it can range from $0 to $10,000+.

 

I am going with normal if it isn't a lot of seepage. Here is the deal though. The more you drive her, the less she leaks. At least that has been the case with me. My engine was rebuilt 5 years ago. Within 2.5 years, she was dropping a drop of oil a few days. If I ran her consistently a few times a week, no dripping. I swear ever 3x8 I've seen has a least a little fluid on her.

 

Joe is right ......... the more I drive mine the less it leaks. The seals at the diff output used to be terrible >>> take it for 2 days a week drives and pretty quickly no leaks from that particular spot.

Cam covers and sump bases are the other popular spots , , they are not tricky to fix honestly ... there are a few threads running on this subject currently.

Do you have a bad speedbump nearby .... the photo shows a few scrapes , , maybe a sump bolt has been bumped and is a little loose ...

 

I agree (although with the Porsche 356 it is borderline normal...)

If you're seeing a few drops on the floor on the right (passenger side) of the engine bay, it may be the cam o-ring seals. A major service on a 308/328 involves a valve adjustment, and when the valve covers are off that seal can be replaced.

Mine leaked noticeably after a timing belt service at Sport Auto, starting about 4-6 months afterward. Bobileff did a major service in 2008, at which point it stopped leaking there. My 328 was bone dry from then on.

I would say that if your car is coming due for a major, this would be another reason to do that. At the very least, have a look up there and make sure oil isn't getting into the timing belt path.

 

Another leaky spot are the studs on the oil pan and trans. pan. I had 23, 50cent size spots on the floor and had to change all the nuts to nylocs to cure the problem. $6 and less than 30min. and that problem was solved. Lost

 

Personally, I've never seen a ferrari without oil leaks. If there isn't a leak then it's either a) right after a major service, or b) the owner is a particularly fastidious fellow. If you looked at 10 308s you'd find visible oil leaks in 9 of them.

The more complex the engine, the greater the opportunity for leaks. In other words, the more seals and gaskets, the more she's gonna leak. Some engines have just a head gasket, output shaft seal, and valve cover gasket(s) - pretty simple. A ferrari engine is on the other end of the spectrum. Pretty difficult to keep bone dry.

The key thing is to not let a very minor oil leak progress into a big mess. Oil all over the engine tends to collect road dirt and that can in itself cause problems and make servicing difficult. Basically, you have to be on a semi-regular routine of changing cam cover gaskets, distributor seals, sump gaskets, output shaft seals, etc. If you don't then you'll end up with a very dirty engine.

Incidentally, my 911 engine is pretty dry so long as I change the valve cover gaskets regularly. Other than that she's pretty darn dry.

 

+1

Right after a major, she stays bone dry for a while. Then you find the odd drop here and there to chase after. I also agree that the more it sits, the more it leaks. I've had leaks "heal" after taking the car for a good long drive.

 

My 328 is bone dry. Leaks not a drop. It has sprung leaks, but I always fix them immediately. Same with my 308 that preceded it.

I'd agree that leaks on 80s Ferraris are "common," but that doesn't make them "normal." Leaks on ANY 20-25+ year old car currently on the road are "common," but that's because they are old cars.

I don't think the V8 Ferrari is significantly more complex than a lot of other, more "normal" twin overhead cam engines.

I think the real reason there are so many leaky V8 ferraris isn't because these are some extraordinarily complex engines, but because (1) with the relatively low-ish prices over the past many years, they have fallen into a lot of hands of people who can afford to buy them but not maintain them, (2) there aren't a lot of even medium level DIYers, and (3) shops charge a fortune to do something simple like change a leaking valve cover gasket, so people don't do it.

 

You call that a leak?

Come see how much my E-Type bleeds...now THAT'S a leak!

 

Jags don't leak it is called "controlled seepage" . The reason for this is to make sure that you know there is oil in the engine without pulling the dip stick and also to lubricate suspension and drive line components . This is done automatically , that's why they have a large capacity sump. LOL from another XKE/XJS nut.

 

every ferrari i've had has not leaked or seeped oil. however, if they sit for a while (as in winter hibernation), they will put a few drops of oil on the floor. that should go away when the driving starts again.

 

As above the studs for the oil pan go through into the oil pan so a bit of seepage around those could be considered common. Mine had some seepage around the cam seal o ring, not uncommon but I just replaced those so hopefully cured. Then before I tore it down I started getting a bigger spot on the driver side. That was a leaking oil cooler line, and it developed over a couple months and appeared to be getting worse. If I hadn't been due for a 30K I would have torn it down to do the cooler lines anyway. You may need to research, see where your leaks are coming from and then clarify your question. That of course may be easier said than done. I do second that many of the common issues tend to lessen themselves with driving.

 

With the old Truimphs we used to call that a built in oil cycling system that extended the oil change intervals as they always had some fresh oil in them.

 

LOL ,,, on my Series 2 XJ5.3 it was brilliant how the leaky joints were always right above something vital like the alternator which didnt like being lubricated at all ........

The good side was with so many leaks as you drove down a dirt road there was always a freshly tarred road behind you ---- neat trick hey.

I dont think people avoided maintaining it ... when I got the car I found 4 spanners and 2 screwdrivers in the engine bay stuck / hidden in various places. LOL .. thats PROOF that it was being maintained.

 

You forgot the under car rust proofing feature of the Brit total loss oiling systems!

Rick

 

You gotta hand it to the Brits - they were brilliant engineers...way ahead of their time.

I actually call it my "Evil Pursuers Oil Slick Evasion System" - a la James Bond's Aston.

Seems my car came standard with that option.

 

You forgot c) No oil in engine/sump...

 

thanks alot guys I appreciate the feed back very much

 

Dang (LOL), I was thinking the same way. My '67 XK-E pee'd so much oil (and blew fuses) that the auto parts place knew me as, "Back Again".