I have a problem with this 2000 Chevy Malibu 3.1L V6. It is leaking lots and lots of oil from on top of the engine, on the driver's side, towards the firewall firewall. I've seen seals seep before, but this is a really big leak compared to anything I've seen in the past. My sis just bought the car, but two weeks ago, there was no leak. It seems like the problem just developed suddenly, and my experience in the past tells me that seals usually fail slowly. I'm unfamiliar with the chevy engine (most of my experience being with volvo's and subaru's) so any insight into what could be causing the problem would be greatly appriciated. Thanks in advanved.

 

it might be ir intake gasket but a friends pick has the same problem u can hear the cilinder fire like a turbo boost gate opening and he has a oil burner and it leaks bad so i would see is thats it

 

It's probably your valve cover gasket. Inspect it with a flashlight and if the leak is coming from that connection, check 1st for loose bolts, but you'll probably have no luck. I'd take it in to have the gasket replaced---and if it's close to 100k miles, you should just have the plugs done too. Haynes repair manual says although the plugs are rated for 100k miles, it's 100k miles or 5 yrs.

 

If I had to guess i would say either the back valve cover or the lower intake gasket.

 

the problem sounds like the rear valve cover I suggest replacing the gasket. most of the time valve covers leak on the 3.1 is due to oil sending unit failure.

 

Oil sending unit failure? Please explain.

 

my friend had a 3.1 monte carlo ls and had the same leak problem. his rear valve cover gasket was bad and it leaked alot of oil because the oil wouldnt drain to the bottom. when he took the car to jefferson chevrolet they told him the oil wouldnt drain down because of the oil sending unit. maybe they were pulling our legs but thats what they said.

 

The oil sending unit has nothing to do with the oil draining. In the heads are small holes for the oil to drain back down to the oil pan.