I presume any leak is a bad leak, however, given the location of the leak seen in the pic (right behind the S/S plate) The leak is actually happening right behind the Code & Type portion of the S/S Plate, any oil seen above that is from wiping it. How critical is this leak? What do you think are the causes? How costly would you assume the fix?

FYI, this is not my motor.-

photoA.jpgphotoB.jpg

Thanks,

Important Note- This is from a Briggs / Vanguard motor

Crankcase gasket. A very common problem with the "Big Block" Vangaurd engines.

Depends. If the engine is still under warranty you need to have it replaced. If not i would let it go until it really became a problem. Check all the bolts and re-tighten to spec. As far price...I'm not sure.....depends on how much the person changing it charges. The gasket itself sells for about 20 dollars....

Had the same problem on a 35gdsd about six months ago. I changed it myself. Its fairly simple to do, its just a matter of taking the lower unit off to get to the crankcase. The most troublesome part for me was getting the belt realigned on the pulleys right. If you have all the tools and parts it'll be about a half day project.

Before going to see the motor I asked about any leaks and he said no. So when I seen this leak after running for a few minutes, I asked the owner about the it and he says- "never really noticed it before" so I ask if he'd ever worked on that portion of the motor and he says no. But as you can see from the above picture, the bolts (about 3 or so) around the crankcase are brand new looking stainless and the other half are the green paint that look factory.

Please inform me if I'm wrong, but I assume all the bolts would come factory green and would only be stainless if he'd replaced them or the green paint came off by working on the original bolts.

hes asking $4k
At this point Im just ready to go buy a new one from GT

Sounds fishy....if your having doubts, go with your gut instinct. If you can afford it, go with a new one from gator tail.......