1/2 qt. ATF vs. lifter noise.. LEAKING SEALS??? HELP!

About a month ago it was very cold over here and a couple of times I started my car, lifters were ticking.. So I decided not to wait until they start to tick every start and added 1/2 qt ATF to the oil. Today, less than 100 miles later (about 2 weeks later) I was changing oil..and found out that the tranny pan is all oily!!! Oil was all over the place under the pan gasket level even the filter was all oily.. and it was looking like it was leaking from the pan gasket or from under the timing cover (there was oil on the timing cover and in a lot of places on the front of the engine). I didn't remove the cover (it's cold outside and I dont have a garage), but it looks like the front seals are leaking. Checked dipstick with the front of the car jacked and it was showing normal amount of oil. All of my front seals are brand new, changed about 4-5 months ago when the belts were changed. And last time I changed oil (it was about 2 months ~ 2900 miles ago ) I didn't notice any leak. I didn't drain any oil before adding ATF.. Is it possible that ATF (which is thinner than my 10W-30 Mobil 1 Synth. oil) just found it's way out through the seals? And what's with the seals now? Are they still usable? What's with the belts under the timing cover? Should I bring a car to service for an (expensive) check immediately, or just watch the oil level for a couple of weeks? Tonight I'm going to wash and degrease everything under the hood to try to find the source of the leak, but still want your thoughts about the seals and ATF.

the engine has 93k miles on it, half of them are highway miles

Hmmmm...never had or heard of that happening before. I poured some 1/4 quart of ATF into my motor and drive no more than 150 miles after pouring ATF into the motor. I changed the oil...and after that the lifter tick was MUCH MUCH quieter and at times not even there. I did though put some Marvel Mystery oil into the motor and am running 10-30w synthetic Mobil 1 when I did my oil change...and no leaks so far.

just washed the car and everything under the hood..
it's leaking from under the timing cover https://www.thegalantcenter.org/styl...efault/sad.gif and it's leaking brand new mobil 1.. so it still leaks https://www.thegalantcenter.org/styl...efault/sad.gif must be one of the seals. that would be my tax return money because it would cost at least as much as timing belt job :roll:

It could be ANY of the front seals...and you are right, its gonna cost $$$ just to check it...more to fix it.

Dont know any backyard mechanics?

i wouldn't trust any backyard mechanics when it comes to timing and front seals.. if the service messes up, they are buying new, or fixing it.. if backyard mechanic does something wrong, than that's your fault..

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(4-G-rim)</div><div class='quotemain'>It could be ANY of the front seals...and you are right, its gonna cost $$$ just to check it...more to fix it.</div>

that's not an oil pump seal.. that's for sure... because in this case i would have lost all my oil a long time ago (i had a broken oil pump seal once). that leaves 3 possible seals.. i hope it is cam seal - because i have a spare one at home.. but the leak looks more like it is coming from the balance shaft.. but, again, who knows.. i have new timing cover seals... so both of my belts might be floating in oil now.. (which sucks cause Mitsu says to change the belts that had contacts with fluids)

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Originally Posted by 4-G-rim

Hmmmm...never had or heard of that happening before. I poured some 1/4 quart of ATF into my motor and drive no more than 150 miles after pouring ATF into the motor. I changed the oil...and after that the lifter tick was MUCH MUCH quieter and at times not even there. I did though put some Marvel Mystery oil into the motor and am running 10-30w synthetic Mobil 1 when I did my oil change...and no leaks so far.

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I use Marvels for a few things but never knew you could put it in your engine https://www.thegalantcenter.org/styl...ault/smile.gif

The balancer shaft seal is leaking.. don't know how much would they charge, but it should be enough to make me sad https://www.thegalantcenter.org/styl...efault/sad.gif

In reference to your original questoin, I would guess that the seal was worn out already but was just clogged with enough crap that it didn't leak. Adding ATF removed the crap, and so it started leaking. The detergents in ATF are pretty harsh.

You might want to replace any other seals that are easy to get at while the
timing belt is off, just to be safe.

All front seals were replaced when the belts were changed - 4 months ago
everything under the timing cover is brand new