This is not looking good, but I'm not sure what the part is called

[roboman]

My 99 SOHC has been throwing a check engine light since this spring for a "System too lean, bank 2." I had a shop look at it in May, and they saw that the intake manifold gasket on bank 2 was shot, so they replaced it and the light didn't come back until the past month. I keep erasing it, and it comes back very soon. So then today, here's something I found...

It's obviously oil that's leaking around there, except I don't know if it's pure oil or not because the smell and consistency seems a little off - I'm wondering if there's gasoline mixed with it? So what's the metal chamber that the oil is coming from? And why the hell is it doing it?? I'm kind of scared about all of this.

 

[colintrax]

Post a picture of it from farther away. For those of us without the sohc we can't tell what that's a pic of.
Just as an fyi, gasoline evaporates, and at a pretty steady rate to. So I doubt thats gas, antifreeze? Maybe?
That also dosen't look like much, or is it running down the back that we can't see?

 

[SoNic67]

That looks like an coolant hose. So it would be antifreeze.

 

[2000StreetRod]

crankcase inlet hose

The hose in the photo connects the main air intake hose downstream of the MAF sensor to the right valve cover. It supplies metered air to the crankcase for the positive crankcase ventilation system. The air flows into the right valve cover, thru the crankcase to a breather located at the rear top of the block valley, then to the PCV valve and then splits in a T with hoses going to each side of the upper intake manifold to be burned. If the hose connection to the valve cover is loose then engine oil from the valve train could be what is collecting on the valve cover. I suggest installing a hose clamp to prevent the oil escaping and unmetered air from entering the valve cover. I also suggest checking or replacing your PCV valve if it is due: SOHC PCV Valve Mod thru 2000 If the lean codes persists then you probably have an intake leak but there are other possible causes. See my helpful thread: Lean condition procedure
If the shop only replaced your upper intake gaskets then the lower gaskets could be leaking. They dry out and shrink with age causing lean conditions that increase during cold starts.

 

[roboman]

There's no fluid that's leaking down the side, but I'm pretty familiar with how everything looks under my hood so that's why it all seemed alarming - since I've never seen it before. I'll get a hose clamp for now and see if that makes a difference. Then maybe check out the PCV.

And wow 2000StreetRod, it seems like I could follow different writeups from you all day. You've got a ton of helpful stuff, so I'll have to remember to come check them out in the future if needed.

 

[roboman]

I know this has been a couple weeks ago, but I thought I'd just type up what I had to do for others in the future to see.

First, I installed a hose clamp on the hose that went into the valve cover. The light came on the next day, so while the hose clamp was still helpful to stop the leaking, my problem obviously wasn't solved. I checked out my PCV valve, and low and behold, that ******* wasn't even hooked up to hose that came from the breather that StreetRod mentioned. I decided to just change it since a new one was only $3 and it looked pretty dirty as it was. I bought a Purolator valve, which was metal and not plastic like the stock valve. It didn't actually fit into the plastic elbow that connected all the hoses, so I had to use my bench grinder to smooth it out ever so slightly. It took a couple trips back and forth from the workshop to the driveway, but eventually I got the valve shaved down enough that it slid on without straining the plastic elbow, but was still very snug.