2001 Cavalier 5-speed manual 2.2 engine 186K

oil dripping off driver's side lowest points (bellhousing, etc....) for a few weeks after having new clutch and RMS installed......

then yesterday new, much worse clean amber oil leak started on passenger side. It's everywhere, again dripping off lowest points which are all suspension-related so I can't see where it is coming from. Was initially thinking the first leak was the rear main seal leaking, but now scratching my head with this new one on the other side and re-evaluating the possibility it could be from a tiny and very hidden/impossible to see section of the back of the valve cover gasket (unlikely) - maybe something else? Have heard that the oil pressure sending unit would explain a leak that runs down both sides (as it gets worse).....

I know the shop could have screwed up the RMS, but how could they cause the front crankshaft leak too? Any other options given what I have described? No oil warning light on and car still runs fine including the clutch. Just added about 1.25 quarts and still leaking badly.

Thanks

It has been since January 20th - the day after the clutch and rear main seal replacement - that I've been dealing with this leak. No clutch slipping after all that time and almost 3K miles driven. I took it to a shop and they said the whole thing was so covered/coated with oil that they couldn't tell where it was coming from. So they said to start with the valve cover gasket and work down from there.

Was wondering if anyone knows the most / least / comprehensive list / likely places that a 2001 cavalier 2.2 manual might leak oil from? I am way past the end of my rope and tired of both the bottomless-money-pit and stress of dealing with tracking this down. I sure can't go back to the transmission shop unless or until I am SURE it is from the rear main seal.

Any help would be appreciated.

I would say your rear main seal is bad. You would see th valve cover leaking, oil would be all over the engine.




On the inside my car looks like a fighter jet.

Id find someone with a pressure washer & clean the engine up as good as you can. A car wash is OK but takes longer if its really grungy but since its new oil that may work for you.

With it clean take it for a short drive on a clean road and keep it under 30 MPH or so. That way the wind does not blow the oil around. Idling did not work for me but revving the engine sitting still helped once I had it nailed down to an area. I tracked it back from the flow of oil. If the fan turns on & blows things around yank the relay. Watch the temp if you do.

Once back home or stopped where you can check it out, turn off the engine & wipe off as much oil as you can. Restart the car and watch for oil dripping. A mirror & a bright flashlight help for places you can see or are in the shadows. Thats how I looked for the leak in my cracked head.

From your description I would say the rear main is bad. I would think the front/passenger leak is the front crank seal or something in the way of the timing or water pump cover. Oil on the belt is going to make that one fun to find. It also could be the oil pan to block seal or cracked pan. The oil pan is sealed with RTV not a gasket.

Thanks for the replies.
I had the valve cover gasket replaced because this latest shop claimed they couldn't tell me whether the RMS was leaking - even after removing the starter - and that is the only reason I care about the oil leaks from anywhere. It is still dripping from the bottom of the bellhousing so I am right back where I was. Taking it back to the place that I got the clutch done is the last thing I want to do. The nightmare of that place is so long that you wouldn't read it all. I could write a novel about it. Suffice it to say that it was a complete and total disaster and I have no faith in them whatsoever to fix anything based on how much damage they caused and how many things were broken when I left the last time - my real question is this:

Assuming that this car is leaking from the rear main seal, and that it has been nearly 3 months and 3 thousand miles and the clutch has not slipped due to oil contamination - should that still be a concern. In other words, I am seeking opinions on whether / when that may be a problem or if it would ever be a problem. I have received widely varying information ranging from basically all old cars leak from the RMS and just ignore it, to your clutch will absolutely be toast in a matter of weeks if it is leaking one drop. So .......any experience with this?