car is leaking oil from somewhere lost as to where now need

[sgiles93]

Nothing is cracked as far as motor and head and all had the rear main seal replaced at first it was belived to be the power steering pump hose because it had a hole in it so now with both repairs done and 400$ in the hole I need to know where to look next

Smoke comes from under the car and out of the right side of the hood under the cowl panel also occasionally thru the section where the radio sits on the inside I need to know where to look next and what other possibility there may be

also the car is not losing much oil about 2 weeks before i need to add a quart

but there is a lot of smoke!!

[nissanfreak12]

1 quart in 2 weeks is a LOT of oil. It is very possible the valve covers need to be resealed. If it is coming out the back side by the cowls, its possible its from the valve covers and the seal at the VTC. It would require a plenum pull, that would also be the prime time to delete the coolant lines from under there.

[sgiles93]

Is there any way I could check for that before I tear it apart again

[nissanfreak12]

Yep, if you have oil all over the side and the back of the engine, more than likely the covers. How many miles on the car? If over 100k or they are original, more than likely the issue. Its really not that hard except the egr tubes, that just have issues going back in sometimes. The first time is always the hardest because of all the coolant lines. Once those are deleted, its all candy after that. I can take mine off in 45 min, taking my time. 15 if I really buckled down and wanted them off. I also have my EGR deleted.

[sgiles93]

If it was my valve covers wouldn't there be oil buildup on the headers?

[itsa300zx]

Could also be the exhaust half moon seals at the rear of the engine(ie all 4 valve covers should be done at the same time)

[nissanfreak12]

You have 4 different valve covers, 2 for intake which are more on top of the motor and 2 for exhaust which lean off to the side. The half moon plugs are on the back side of the exhaust covers, and yes, they leak when they get hard.

The exhaust covers only use sealant, the intake covers have a gasket. They both a special washer that keep the pressure on the covers.