Slow oil leak - CAS seal? [Archive] - MX5 Miata Atlanta Owners Club

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streetlegend
01-23-2009, 11:11 PM
Hey,
So I've been driving around a couple days now, and I notice that there are like 3 drops of oil on the floor coming from the rear of the engine every time I park for a couple hours. So I have a couple questions:
1) If it's leaking like 3 drops of oil for a couple hours of sitting, will it be that much greater during driving?
2) I read up a little bit, and the symptom seems to point to the CAS seal. I know it's a pretty cheap job, and I'm planning on cleaning the engine bay tomorrow - so is there any other places I should look after cleaning the bay/driving around a bit?
Thanks

RotorNutFD3S
01-24-2009, 12:10 AM
After the CAS, check just rearward of where the engine meets the transmission. If your rear main seal is leaking, there's a drain hole on the bottom of the bellhousing that will drip the oil out.

metalman
01-24-2009, 12:18 AM
Keep in mind, a CAS leak will often drip from the bottom of the bellhousing as well and can make you think its a rear main. My money is on the CAS as thats the most common oil leak on a Miata.

RotorNutFD3S
01-24-2009, 12:52 AM
Yup, my CAS made a big mess. However, you'll be able to tell the difference. The CAS will leak oil all down the top and side of the bellhousing, the rear main will cause the oil to come out of the drain.