I have a 95 SSEi w/ the supercharger. At this time I have a fairly significant oil leak on top of the engine. Both sides of the intake manifold appear to be wet...more on the driver'* side than on the passenger. The starter and oil pan are real wet underneath too. The back of the engine is not very wet.

I haven't yet sprayed off the engine to try and start with a totally clean block. I did just change the oil and wiped everything clean with a rag as well as I could. I also cleaned the garage floor so it was spotless. I came home from work and overnight there was a puddle of oil that was roughly 12-15 inches in diameter. It is motor oil, not tranny fluid or coolant.

I have been researching this site and it seems the common problem is coolant leaks with the non supercharged engines.

This car has been relatively trouble free, so I really haven't done much engine work on it. I have replaced the cooler lines on it, so they do not appear to be the problem. It doesn't seem to be the valve cover gaskets...that would be a relatively easy fix.

My questions follow:

Is it very common for this model to have such a significant oil leak from the intake area?

If the engine were off, and there was oil in the intake/upper head area, wouldn't that drain down to the oil pan rather quickly therefore not allowing a large oil puddle to start on the garage floor? Every day this oil puddle becomes about the same size (12-15") after cleaning the floor.

Is it that tough to replace the intake gaskets on this model?

A lot of the data here speaks about the non supercharged models. Are these much more difficult to do?

I've been thinking about doing this myself simply becuase it seems whenever you bring it to a garage, they damage or break something else and try to get you for other repairs. The mechanic I've been bringing my vehicles to for years is getting close to retirement and doesn't want to go on a leak hunting expedition, so I either have to find another reputable mechanic soon (hard to find) or do it myself. I feel confident I could do this, it'* just that I don't want to break off a bolt in a head and turn this into a major project. Time is also a factor. I work 50-60 hours a week. It'* hard to find the time to do a job like this. Plus I'd have to rent a car while mine was down.

If anybody has done this job (replacing intake gaskets on a supercharged 1995), how long did it take you?

have u checked the valve cover gaskets?

it seams to me that the valve covers are a common place for oil leaks on cars with plastic valve covers. From my understanding this is caused by heat making the valve covers temporarally warp.

Yes, I looked at the valve cover gaskets, but it didn't seem like they were the cause. Maybe I should just try replacing them first before ripping into the intake though.

How many miles are on the engine?

I had to change my valve cover gaskets recently. The symptoms of the leak were similar to yours. If you have a lot of miles, it wouldn't hurt to change them. They are too hard to replace, it'* just a pain sometimes to do since the car is FWD.

The car has 147,000 miles on it.

I have a similar problem but I don't know where the leak is coming from. I had to change my starter and I saw that it was covered with oil. This is what messed my starter up.

Does anyone know what is above the starter that can be leaking?

My thoughts are LIM and seals. You describe the sides, not the front and back. My driver side LIM seal leaks and manages to get all over the place.

What is a LIM seal?

Is a LIM seal above the starter?

Lower Intake Manifold seal.