What could this be????

[Billy Blaze]

I got home from work just a second ago and happened to look under the Miata, I noticed that there was a lot of oil on the concrete.
I popped the hood and checked the valve cover gasket and them crawled as good as I could under the car and it does not look like the oil pan bolt is loose.
What do you guys think this is? rear main seal?
If so what do I need to do?
I have been driving the car real hard since the Auto X day thinking it could take it, now I fear I may have messed something up.
Any advise/help would be greatly appreciated.

[Billy Blaze]

p.s. I have not hit anything and didnt see any type of cracks in the oilpan with a flashlight.
(there goes my fun money) damnit!!!
I guess I will putting off Auto X and Auto X school til I can figure out what is causing this and fix it, til then the Car is parked and not in operation, to avoid blowing the engine.
I am seriously bummed out

[rjosey8385]

Billy - exactly where was the oil spot located under the car? What's above that area (engine, transmission, rear diff, British car previously parked at that location....)?

[Screamin'Screw]

What color fluid?

Black, Red, Green?

Check ALL you fluid levels.

If it was just a few spots I would keep an eye on the fluids, but it should still be drivable. You are going to need to better pinpoint the leak.

[sammm]

How much is a lot? Are you sure it's oil? Are you sure it's your oil? What's the level on the dipstick? Did you just change the oil?

[Titus]

British car previously parked at that location?

[MadMerv]

[quote="Billy Blaze"].....it does not look like the oil pan bolt is loose.
What do you guys think this is? rear main seal?
quote]

Maybe that's the problem....there should be, at least, TWO bolts

[rjosey8385]

If it was just a few spots I would keep an eye on the fluids, but it should still be drivable. You are going to need to better pinpoint the leak.

Maybe it's just marking its territory

[Ataim]

I'd get some old news paper, cardboard of somehting that is clean and lay it under the car and see exactly the fluid is comming from. You may have to drive around the block to get it to leeking again, But of course check your fluids before you drive it

[Billy Blaze]

I am about to go outside and betyter observe whats going on but I can answer some of the questions now.
1. the color is the color of Motor Oil, and smells like oil
2. the oil was changed less than 2K ago
3. There has been no other car parked in its spot, and there was no oil on the concrete before it started parking there.
4. The spot of oil was over 12 inches in diameter
5. I will be going after lunch to get some ramps so that I can get under the car to get a better look, my wife has to bring the other car home.
from what I ould tell last night it seems to be right where that noise in the clutch is coming from (at a glance, in the dark) where the engine meets the tranny.
I will post my other findings soon....

Thanks

[rjosey8385]

Make sure your oil filter is tight.

[Billy Blaze]

better yet I will take a couple of pics from both sides of the car.

[sammm]

from what I ould tell last night it seems to be right where that noise in the clutch is coming from (at a glance, in the dark) where the engine meets the tranny.

rear-main oil seal?

[Billy Blaze]

upon further examination I think I may have found the problem.

However I am not sure I can articulate this correctly so bear with me.

I found under the car oil from the oil pan back to the tranny fluid bolt.

The problem,..
On top I found,......
from the drivers side of the car I looked around the valve cover gasket again and found a fairly large plug made of metal, about an inch and 3/4 in diameter... it covered a hole in the engine, this was laying lose on a hose. It just fell out.
This looks like something should be or could have at one point in time been hooked up to the engine here.
its right under the first cylindrical hump that runs the length of the valve cover (in the rear), there are two bolts above where this plug is.

Any suggestions on what this plug is?
what I can do to keep it in?
What used to bolt up there?

Thanks
I would take pics of this but I cant fit the camera in there its at the very back top portion of the engine on the drivers side right below the back portion of the valve cover.
I appreciate the help.

[rjosey8385]

Ummmm...assuming that the plug was in the block (was it up high or down lower...you mentioned valve cover gasket, so sounds kinda high, or maybe that's just where you were looking when you looked down and noticed it?), sounds kinda like a freeze plug...and if one did pop out, there shouldn't have been oil coming out of it (ummm...you do have coolant and water in the radiator and the car hasn't been overheating....right?) .....anyway, I'm not familiar with Miatae engines, and I'm sure someone who is will have a better idea of what that plug is...

[altiain]

Without a visual reference, it's going to be hard to make a guess. Any pictures you can take (including one of the whole engine bay with a "this is the problem area" arrow) would be very helpful. I know it's hard to manuver the camera around in there, but that's the beauty of digital photography - just keep taking pictures until you getone you can use.

[Billy Blaze]

its up high, directly under the valve cover there is oil underneath where this plug was so some was coming out.

I will take some pics if I can this evening after the wife comes home, she has the Camera.
After seeing the plug I am hoping its nothing major, as I mentioned the car has 41K so I wouldnt think something has already happened to the engine like a blown seal.
I did notice that the engine is moving around a bit, its missing slightly also.
just put new plugs and wires in.

[riverracer]

Billy is that at the back of the motor on the driver's side below the valve cover? That looks like a pressed in plug to me. How hard have you been driving that beast to make that plug come out?

Jerry

[Billy Blaze]

Thats exactly where its at.
It looked like there was some sort of compond on it I tapped it back in, drove it around the block and it seems to be staying in right now, but I would like to get it back in there good so I know it wont come out again.
I have been driving it pretty hard...not overly hard though.
I dont know why it would fall out, Im just glad I found it before I lost it.
I will post pics tonight when the wife gets home with the camera

[sammm]

Here are the engine parts diagrams...maybe you can identify what it is you're talking about.

LINKIE