OIL LEAKS

[Paulie]

A number of times my Avanti has developed an oil leak here or there which IS the problem; the here or there! As with most older cars, our Avanti engines, transmissions, and undercarriages have become covered with any combination of oils throughout the years. When a leak develops, it is difficult to immediately note its source.

What I have found to be the best thing to do before spending a lot of money to randomly replace various gaskets and seals is to do the following. Have your engine, transmission, and undercarriage professionally steam-cleaned. I mean professionally done, not by some high school drop-out who doesn't know what he's doing and could make a mess of your engine's intake, wiring, or car's finish! Then, have your oil, power steering fluid, and transmission fluid changed, all with dyes added to them--one-at-a-time. Drive your Avanti for two weeks for each change and return to the shop that changed your fluids and ask them to check the locations of leaks using their ultra-violet dye testing light.

After doing that, you'll finally really know the REAL here or there of your leak! In the meantime, you'll be so happy that you've saved some money on not repairing things that didn't need them, all of your oil changes will be up-to-date, and your Avanti will look so much more pretty with the hood up again!

Best regards,

Paul D. Eikenbary

[IndyJimW]

Good advise! I would add the dye too one item at a time, our dyes look the same under the black light.