Roland

There are probably several primitive "field" fixes aside from the obviously preferred replacement of a splined pivot. I remember struggling to remove a wiper arm on another model that had some sort of copper foil wrapped around an extremely worn/rounded pivot. Looking back, the connection was extremely tight and probably worked fine. If I recall correctly, the pivot was filed flat on one or two sides, perrmiting "teeth" to seat the arm. I suspect a blob of braze, silver solder or jbweld might yield similar results. Of course, there is the danger of making the connection semi-permanent, but if the pivot is already rounded over, what's the harm?

Ever tried the brakes with the vacuum source for the booster disconnected/plugged? (Seems like you have a defacto brake booster delete) Sure sounds like the booster or vacuum accessories are part of the problem. If the booster does not reduce your braking effort by "boosting " your foot power, something is wrong. Hard to tell from your description whether the booster is actually holding vacuum. Assuming, for the moment, that your system is holding vacuum, there might be merit to the notion of too much slack in the brake pedal linkage, or as you yourself suggested, the pushrod length between the booster and master is wrong. As suggested, swaping out the previous booster might provide your most immediate answer. It might even save you further concern about linkage adjustment - if everything old - works properly. As a rule, brake boosters, vacuum hoses, plastic connections (one-way inline check valve) and the grommets are generally very reliable, but that is not the same thing as 100% impervious to leaks. Best of luck. linkage link: http://s226.photobucket.com/user/cd02md/media/02brakelinkageA.jpg.html Rid yourself of an unwanted booster??? vvvvv

It would be helpful if you more completely described what you mean by "never been right." Are you saying you have a soft pedal, or there is too much pedal travel, or the stopping distances have changed or . . . what ? There are many ways to bench bleed a master cylinder. What you are describing with hooking up all the ports sounds great, if you are equipped for that, but all of that effort is probably overkill and unnecessary. FWIW, here is a post from a once-familiar poster on the subject >>> http://www.bmw2002faq.com/topic/98580-priming-the-brake-master/?p=281449. There are plenty of other methods, including full immersion! I have not found complete bench bleeding necessary, although I try to avoid any dry installation. . Returning to the thrust of your post, I doubt bench bleeding is your problem, especially if you have bled the system numerous times and used the brakes to their full effect for over a year. I am assuming that you fully and completely bled the system at each wheel, and employed the recommended approach with each of the three bleed screws for each caliper. If you had done so, bench bleeding would likely be surplussage. Air or contaminates in the brake hydraulics are not the only causes of poor braking. Sticking strictly with hydraulics for the moment, bleeding will not overcome a bad or failing master cylinder or a bum wheel cylinder or caliper. Any one of these can leak, or weep externally OR internally. You need to establish that all these parts are in good working order, otherwise, bleeding is a futile effort. Respecting the replacement master cylinder you installed - a year ago - new and rebuilt parts are not supposed to fail, but on occasion they are dead on arrival or have a short working life. You also did not describe your replacement parts. Were they new or rebuilt, and for that matter, could they be parts ordinarily listed for a different vehicle? For example, if you used a master cylinder originally intended for a 4-disk system rather than a disk-drum combo, you might encounter issues with the rear brakes losing slight pressure. The issue is ordinarily negligible; however, that one-way check valve on the stock master cylinder is there for a purpose. Likewise, if you installed another brake booster, did you check to see that the linkage was correctly adjusted? Poor adjustment could mean increased pedal travel or pedal resistance. I am not saying these are your problems, since I really don't know your complaint, but merely engaging in a little gratuitous brain storming. As a final thought, you mentioned driving for a year with a replacement master cylinder and booster but never established the condition or maintenance of your friction components. Condition of pads and shoes? Are the shoes adjusted snuggly? The rear brakes may not do the majority of the stopping - but if the rears are not adjusted properly, they can add substantial unnecessary travel to the brake pedal operation. HTH

I agree with others who suspect something is going on with your wheel cylinders and shoes. I had a similar situation where my parking brake went from wonderfully touchy to questionable. With the rear wheels off the ground I could lock them with 5 clicks on the brake lever. With the wheels on the ground, slowing the vehicle from a crawl in the driveway with the hand brake required enough force to make me wonder about the welds holding the lever in place. The drums were worn but within spec. and the shoes had several mm of meat remaining. The wheel cylinders did not outwardly appear to be leaking, but pulling the dust boots revealed some slight evidence of brake fluid moisture. Frankly, they seemed serviceable but since I had new ones available on the shelf, I installed them with slightly used shoes from another car. Voila, the hand brake was functional and reliable again. I know the brakes held pressure and worked before the cylinder and shoe replacement, but I could not explain the aberrant behavior described above. Adjusting the brakes with a drag on them only resulted in the drums getting extremely hot and did not improve the handbrake operation. My guess is that the shoes, which I washed in alcohol and later brake cleaner were impregnated with fluid or would become lightly coated with lube as the car was driven and the brakes were applied hard. It is also possible that the composition of friction material had degraded after years of use or exposure to brake fluid and too many heat cycles. Mike, not even your brakes last forever.

Conventional wisdom says that all so-called blue coils contain internal resistance, negating the need for any external ballast resistors. I would caution that conventional wisdom is not always correct and that not all blue coils are the same even though they can look the same mounted in your engine bay. Zenon's write up will tell you that Bosch coils originally came in three colors, Black, blue and red. http://www.bmw2002faq.com/_/technical-articles/electrical-and-ignition/ignition-coil-myths-busted-r52 They were actually painted those colors rather than merely adorned with a colored sticker. Back when coils were actually colored, Bosch made a substantial number of coils for 6 volt systems (mostly for VW ). While coils were predominantly black - some were blue. Bosch, of course, produced blue 12v coils too. I have reason to believe there were some 6v and 12v blue coils made without any internal resistor - that, in turn, required an external ballast resistor. (I remember wasting an afternoon going through parts books to determine exactly what kind of blue coil was on a dune buggy that ran dual bosch blue coils with external ballasts.) My point is that unless you check the part numbers usually imprinted on the coil bottom or obtain a coil with accompanying packaging/documentation, it is unlikely, but not impossible for it to be different than the so-called over the counter blue coil. (I'm pretty sure this topic was discussed before, see e.g., http://www.bmw2002faq.com/topic/75974-boschs-bleu-blue-coil-marketing/ ; see also http://www.ratwell.com/technical/BlueCoil.html#summary) As far as what coil you should use, the blue is probably the winner when it comes to underhood aesthetics, although red and yellow are close seconds. When it comes to performance (that you are unlikely to notice unless you drive competitively), you would be better off with black or red, in no particular order. Zenon's write up provides several reasons why, including: The marketing for the Bosch blue coil has not been particularly well articulated. It has often been described as "high performance" and "super." This brings to mind certain non-alkaline 9volt batteries that are labeled "Super Heavy Duty." Are the latter any better than the usually-more-expensive alkaline 9volt batteries? Are the more expensive platinum tipped Bosch plugs better than the standard copper core plugs? Marketing suggests they are but Toby may have a different opinion. I don't think there is anything wrong with using the blue coil but, aside from availablity, vanity and cost, it is no better than a functioning black coil and probably slightly inferior to the black coil. Again, this thread is worth re-reading. http://www.bmw2002faq.com/topic/75974-boschs-bleu-blue-coil-marketing/ Finally, something else to consider is that the blue coil was apparently an upgrade for some, but not all, ignition systems. The specs do not favor it being an upgrade for the '02 ignition system - unless the stock coil were dead or dying. One Saab site offers a pretty straight forward illustration: or 0r "Super"

Subject was recently addressed here >>http://www.bmw2002faq.com/topic/166190-car-bogging-troubleshooting-stumped/?p=1042755 Rev-limiting rotors came in many variations, each with different rev limits. To the best of my knowledge, the max speed was imprinted on the bottom of the rotor. As Mike noted, the rotor depends upon spring tension to short out the ignition when the distributor spins at a certain pre-defined speed. Thus, after a few seasons, the rotor's internal spring tension may change and reduce the rotor's cut-out speed. Testing is simple with a (stroboscopic) distributor testing machine, if you have access to one, or similar. In the absence of testing equipment, standard maintenance used to call for cap and rotor replacement at certain intervals (mostly dependent upon mileage). The rev-limiting rotor is no different. Not unlike other conductive ignition parts under the distributor cap, rev-limiting rotors can suffer from the same carbonization, corrosion and wear. If the working parts of this style rotor are corroded or carbonized, the rotor "may" continue to function, but the rev limiting feature may be less-than-reliable. On a related note, it's probably a prudent idea to test each rotor with an ohmmeter to determine resistance. (Like so many things, the procedure is in the shop manual)

Since you asked . . . Front grilles appear to be from earlier model. As Mike noted, steering wheel is also from a later model. Hard to tell from the photo, but it looks like the instrument cluster may be adorned with faux wood. If this is the case, the instrument cluster is from a later model too. This leads one to speculate whether a replacement speedometer is correctly matched to the rear axle ratio (probably a 3.64) On second viewing, the instrument faces are definitely from a later model. Door fitment? These observations do not mean the car is an unworthy ownership candidate, especially if the body is straight and rust frei. Yet representations as to mileage and originality . . . probably deserve closer scrutiny.. Proper '73 front grille Not uncommon to see compressed open airfilter element. One wonders how this might negatively impact intake airflow. Could it be an answer to jetting that is too lean? Hard to tell if it has been serviced, or just tightened.

I suppose the so-called "early" control arms are fine - if left unmolested. But, realistically that is rare. A side by side comparison of a so-called "early" version control arm with the later style would make it clear just how fragile (susceptible to damage) the former is versus the latter. Over the decades, so many of the cars have been subjected to all kinds of unforseen or bizarre abuse. When, for example, someone uses a control arm as a jacking point, the early version tends to bend. Later version.

???? "Very good condition" and "nice" - but original? Or maybe something else is seeping out? . A lot of tire squeal????? Accurately? And this interesting gauge? Sommer setting? Purpose of duct work from snorkel toward exhaust manifold? . Valve cover breather plugged or left unconnected? Hard to tell. .

A manufacturer's imprimator is generally a good indication of quality. But - with the reality of globalization, even the so-called genuine part might not be all that you might expect. Food for thought? >>>> http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=711713

I have not eyeballed one of these in a long time but it looks like those are top and bottom views of the same filter. Hard to determine quality from afar, but it would not surprise me to learn that they are both from the same maker.

It might be worthwhile for you to reread some of the prior posts on this subject rather than working from memory. http://www.bmw2002faq.com/topic/136959-i-wish-esty-was-my-neighbor/; http://carpet-install.blogspot.com/; http://www.bmw2002faq.com/topic/51037-what-to-use-for-undercarpet-padding/ If, in fact, you are referring to natural ”jute,” it is ecologically sound but it may not be the best material. Jute is a traditional organic material that has been used for a long time as carpet padding/matting. Just like carpet materials and paint, not all of it is the same and some types work better than others when exposed to the elements. Some weaves are tight while others are not. Some poorly constructed jute has a tendency to shed and break down after a few years, and all of it tends to retain moisture. (Recent carpet removal from a convertible was both an eye and nose opener. Much of the dry jute underlayment was decomposed and moldy. The carpet was easily cleaned and reinstalled all of the jute was discarded.) Of course, natural jute will work, but if the carpet will be exposed to “weather,” synthetic jute substitutes may be a better choice. Although I would defer to Esty on this, I am not sure why your currently installed insulation is not sufficient both for carpet fit - and sound abatement in most driving conditions. If the car’s interior is bare, adding sound deadening material to the roof and both bulkheads can significantly improve sound abatement beyond the typical floor and tunnel treatment.

I tend to agree with others regarding ignition timing,. However, re-reading your original post gives me pause. Knowns versus unknowns? A "professional" conversion is usually better than an amateur conversion, but it does not guarantee against simple mistakes. The factory is filled with "professionals" - and dealerships seem to be filled with other professionals redoing the work of the factory professionals. You mention nothing about your carb or the two "good" carbs you have tried, e.g., how they are jetted. Although you describe a smooth running engine - even a slight jetting change can make a big difference in engine operation and that includes idle, full throttle under load - at different engine speeds, and hesitation. Filters and low pressure can affect fuel availability to the carburetor, but so can float levels and its hard for anyone to make long distance guesses concerning the level settings in the two or three carbs you have tried. Fuel and ignition have to be harmonious for an engine to sing well. Often, over-advanced ignition timing can mask or overcome carburetor deficiencies. You mention new plugs but fail to mention type, heat range, and gap - any of which can contribute to engine operation "peculiarities." (I didn't say they do cause problems in your case, only that they are possible causes.) Finally, there is the camshaft that you mentioned may or may not be original. Different profiles understandably affect torque and power production in different ways and at different engine speeds. I'd recommend exploring under the valve cover to confirm what you have or do not have. A different cam may or may not require valve lash settings different from recommendations for the stock cam. Those settings may or may not impact engine operation at different engine speeds.

Pictures are rarely as good as an in person inspection. They may fairly depict cosmetics but do not necessarily offer an accurate or complete recitation of mechanical condition. It is also hard to measure "running like a dream" or "clutch is good." It would be comforting to know what, if any, mechanical work has been performed on a four-decade old car. The polished valve cover suggests something beyond mere maintenance, but that is just a guess. The mention of "unrestored" and "patina" seems to refer only to the paint. The polished aluminum and/or chrome valve cover and air filter housing may be attractive customizations, but unless they are special one-off examples, they are unlikely original. This may matter to a matching numbers purist. It may not matter at all to an enthusiast. The seats appear to have been nicely recovered. The text states: "I had the seats Upholstered to it's original condition see pics." Elsewhere, the listing specifically mentions leather. This would be a big plus in my mind, although I would prefer a closer look since I do not recall original seating offered in leather. Of course, there may be rare exceptions. The disclosure of a couple of headliner tears can be trivial or significant. A picture or two could be helpful. From the pictures included in the ad, a nice and extremely clean specimen.

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Although possible, it is highly improbable that you have a cracked block. It is far more likely that you have a defective gasket, a warped head and/or fasteners that are improperly fastened. I am unfamiliar with your gasket brand; however, for all I know, it is a rebranded version of the same gasket commonly available at certain dealers. Bear in mind that a gasket is designed to bridge any irregularities between the two dissimilar mating surfaces. If the gasket was mishandled (even unbeknownst to you) it may have been destined to fail. You mention that the head was resurfaced. But you did not mention the surface finish. Often head gasket manufacturers recommend a specific "Ra" or roughness average. Cast iron heads typically require a slightly rougher Ra than aluminum alloy heads. Not unlike Goldilocks, too rough or too smooth may lead to a sealing problem. A decent machine shop should be on top of this. Parenthetically, it is hard to gauge any margin of error since I have seen many "hand finished" surfaces that have lasted for decades. Nevertheless, there is some science behind the recommendations and deviation may court failure. http://www.enginebuildermag.com/2007/06/common-mistakes-to-avoid-when-resurfacing-cylinder-heads-blocks/ Another possible issue is your fasteners and the torquing process. Unless you are using an old-style beam-type torque wrench, it may be that your wrench is inaccurate and out of calibration. I recall seeing a friend rebuilding an engine and using his click style torque wrench to remove and install nuts and bolts The engine had been previously "rebuilt" only two years earlier. It turned out that a 100 ft./lb setting actually measured 70 ft/lbs. You do the math. You also mentioned using ARP studs. I am assuming you followed ARP's recommendations regarding any thread locker on the studs and any lubricant on the nuts. My uneducated guess is that your 80 ft/lb torque is within the margin of error, but it is better practice to follow ARP's recommendations. I seriously doubt there is any harm in torquing the head nuts to a fourth stage of 90 ft/lbs. If these were head bolts, I might be inclined to slightly loosen each nut prior to re-torquing (as described in the shop manual). Because you are using a different type of fastener, you might want to consult with ARP regarding their recommended "re-torque" procedure. You also mentioned using a dynamometer without describing the process. Repeated dyno runs often reveal cooling system shortcomings. Even if normal care is exercised, it is not uncommon for the engine to push the heat level after several hard runs. In other words, you may have unwittingly cooked the engine to the point of causing either a head gasket failure or slight head warpage, irrespective of gasket quality, head work or fastener torque. I am not saying this happened. Instead I am merely posing the possiblity. One last thing. Most gasket manufacturers recommend surfaces being extremely clean and dry for installation. Were your surfaces super clean and dry, prior to installation? There is a divergence of opinion regarding the use of gasket sealants. If I were performing a field repair, literally popping in a new head gasket to correct a leak similar to your symptoms, I might be inclined to coat the gasket with copper gasket adhesive. Fingers crossed.

From memory, very little pressure, 2.5 - 3.0 lbs/in2 Although unlikely, it is possible to deform or mess up the needle valve tip so that it does not seat correctly and leaks. Blowing into inlet while manually manipulating the floats is ordinarily is easiest test. You did not describe the extent of the flood. If the accelerator pump diaphragm pump is compromised, it is possible to get dripping from the pump nozzle/s - down the carb throat. This is probably not what you are encountering. I'm more inclined to recheck floats and level adjustment. NB: Gasket thickness may alter settings. Good luck.

Flooding, as you described it, is likely due to one or more of the following: 1. The floats could have developed a leak, in which case they will sit low and leave the needle valve open to receive more fuel. 2. The floats could be adjusted improperly resulting in same situation as above. 3. Either the needle and/or seat is defective, dirty, or improperly fitted to the carb so that it does not shut off fuel. 4. Fuel pump provides too much pressure for needle and seat assembly. This ordinarily only occurs with electric fuel pumps. More DIY pictures http://www.tercel4wd.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=7872

EGR fitting (exhaust gas recirculation). Search EGR and it should provide plenty of insight. Surprised you did not mention the tremendous sucking noise it produced when unplugged. Some of us simply cap it off with a plate And the existence of this fittings strongly suggests you have a similar plug at or near your exhaust manifold. http://www.bmw2002faq.com/topic/131608-how-does-this-smog-pipe-come-off/

Like the others, the primary idle jet is where I would start. Parenthetically, I think we are all assuming you have a spark and your distributor has not been inadvertently moved, as can occur if the 10mm hold down is loose. Edit: I see where you do not have an electric idle solenoid, so I am revising my comments regarding the same. Carb cleaner under pressure in both the carb orifice and the jet is the next order of business. Even the mixture screw can be affected by dirt and/or gum, so remembering your starting point (X turns in to lightly seat), it may be worth cleaning. The.idle jet typically fitted with a rubber o ring. If the ring is compromised or missing it may prevent the jet from properly seating in the carb body. Likewise, a loose jet can function as nonexistent jet. . Another thing that might cause or contribute to your hard start-no idle problem is your choke. Yes, I am aware that you did not mention a flooding or rich condition. Closing when cold is good but if the choke hangs or fails to open you may experience a very poor or nonexistent idle. hth

If you want to get hyper-technical about your brakes, consider reading the shop manual which provides for several tests involving brake pressure and performance. Being somewhat more pragmatic, I recall a friend who mentioned her '60s sports car (equipped with power brakes) had "bad" brakes because she was unable to lock the wheels as she easily could in her 68 Cadillac and other older US cars she drove. I found nothing wrong with the car's stopping power, except that maybe it required a little more pedal effort than the typical full sized US cars of the period. When she complained that the wheels wouldn't lock, I asked her if she was absolutely sure and slammed the pedal. The wheels locked and produced tire smoke and four skid marks. Most of us prefer to baby our vehicles and this typically prevents us from knowing the vehicle's true potential. My 02s have tended to have sensitive brakes that are probably too easy to modulate and lock up. I also have owned much older non-power brake equipped cars that required so much pedal effort that you might think the pedal could be torn from its mounts. Nevertheless, the wheels could be locked when necessary. The subject of pads and various friction compounds has been mentioned several times on this forum. Same with "bedding" in new pads with new rotors. Not all pads require the same bedding process to ensure good braking, but maybe yours do?

I agree about being able to lock the brakes. I have both stock and upgraded brakes, and both are relatively easy to lock up in a panic stop The advantage of most upgrades is the ability to better tolerate repeated hard use of the brakes - without failure. It provides an extra margin of safety for cars that handle harder use, and higher speeds as well a potential competitive advantage in racing situations. You didn't describe what pads you are using. Certain friction compounds are not particularly effective when cold. Other softer compounds tend to work best when "relatively" cool but can be prone to fading when overheated. Glazed and/or contaminated pads and rotors tend not to perform well. While you may not have any issues with them, older rubber flex brake lines may hold pressure, but may also expand in the process providing a softer pedal feel. This should not prevent you from locking the brakes in a panic situation, but just how old are your's? Original hoses often carried a printed/embossed date or a band with a date. hth

Soot on your spark plugs may or may not have anything to do with your use of platinum spark plugs. Plugs that are too cold for your application could easily account for sooty plugs. So could retarded ignition timing, poorly jetted carburetion and/or adjustments. Rule of thumb would be to start with the manufacturer's recommendation .024 - .028 and experiment from there. Not knowing anything about your particular driving style and the relative health of your engine, you might consider running a hotter plug, i.e., NGK BP5ES. Spark plugs and gaps have been discussed on this forum since its inception, so I would recommend using the search function for the "widest" range of perspectives. Although larger gaps can be helpful in smoothing out an overly lean idle, the same larger gaps typically require higher voltages to fire reliably. Add higher compression and engine speed to the equation and the plugs may require even more voltage to fire. Gaps of .035 somehow seem to have been the default standard for many cars, other than M10 and M30 engines of the era, and they likely work fine on most 02s. Upgrades, such as Capacitive Ignition or later electronic systems permit even larger gaps. (See what MikeS has said on the subject.) As an aside, even when later BMWs, e.g., E21s and E12s were equipped with so-called "high energy" electronic ignitions, the factory continued recommending the smaller .024 - .028 gaps. Why they continued to do so remains a mystery - unless it was a simple matter of reliability and not wanting to disturb a proven formula. More gratuitious ignition photos.

I thought you ran a capacitive discharge ignition add-on like the Delta Mark10? In my experience, from their inception, the platinum plugs were prone to problems when used with the standard kettering ignition and leaded fuel. I was under the impression that they were designed for the "newer" lean burn electronic ignition equipped engines, most of which, made use of larger plug gaps jumped by shorter duration but higher voltage electrical arcs. Despite emissions reduction progress, most stock 02 engines tended to run the fuel mixture spectrum, rather than a tightly controlled lean-burn, managed mostly by smart fuel injection and exhaust catalysts. Yes, there were precious metal fine-wire plugs available when the 02 was first sold, but those were primarily for racing and they were not designed for long life or reduced maintenance. Also, through much of its production life, the 02 engines required more frequent maintenance due to leaded fuels. I am not aware of any authority that recommended the first platinum plugs for use with leaded fuels although parenthetically, it is hard to image any plugs that were specifically recommended in the case of fuels that were prone to leave deposits. Early platinum plug reputations were not enhanced since, as noted, platinum plugs that might test the weakness of the '02 standard ignition system, could be further compromised by increased tetraethyl deposits. (Add this to the '02s reputation for sucking oil past valve guides and seals and it is hardly any wonder why the more expensive plugs were disfavored.) I experienced quite a few Bosch platinum plugs that mysteriously lost their tiny platinum electrodes shortly after installation. That even included the once-available nonresistor versions. Even if the above "bugs" had been eliminated, the newer air gapped multi-electrode platinum plugs present the same problems for the stock points fired ignition system. Those plugs may test the limits or expose the weakness of the stock ignition system resulting in an occasional misfire. Incidentally, most of the FAQ'ers are aware that plug makers other than Bosch have their own versions of so-called "platinum plugs," e.g., Autolite and Champion. Although the designs are slightly different and some have double the platinum, even if you could obtain plugs with the appropriate heat range, in my limited experience, these plugs in a standard ignition-driven '70s or earlier engine, provide little if any benefits over the stock copper-core or silver-core plugs. That being said, new plugs of virtually any sort are likely to be an improvement over severly worn and fouled stock plugs. But the improvement will usually be short lived. Meteor-supplied Iridium plugs in the stock M10 or M30 engines may present a different situation than that created by use of the standard Bosch platinum plugs. Toby? Gratuitous pictures? Without Johnny.

A pinhole leak may seem much larger than it is when the leaking oil is under pressure. It seems counter productive drive the car or pressurize the oil by running the engine. From your earlier description I would think it might be better to clean the engine and place the car on jackstands without starting the engine and/or driving it. Cranking the engine without starting it (pulling the plugs and cranking the engine a few times) - with you watching things - ought to create enough oil pressure to make the source of the leak fairly obvious. Although I doubt it, could it be that your engine is cursed with too much pressure, making your otherwise nicely sealed bottle, blow its cork? Did you possibly perform any recent engine work involving the oil pump or the oil filter housing support? (Not saying this is the case, but throwing it out as food for thought.) The idea of "leak detecting dye" suggested below, is a good one, but probably better used for detection of a slight drip or an ooze in a dark and (too often) dirt covered drivetrain. If your leak is as significant as you describe it, and your engine is as clean ( e.g., as clean as MikeS' NASA-certified and flame-sterilized kitchen counter - or cleaner), you probably can do without it. Good luck