please help with 98 stratus oil leak..

[chris177]

i just recently acquired this car from parents..it is a 98, 2.4 4 cyl, with about 99k miles on it..they gave it to me for free, but it needed some fixin, most is done already..i lose about 1 quart maybe more of oil every 3k miles...it is leaking on the REAR of the engine, appears to be passenger side of engine block but not 100% sure..
i cleaned it off yesterday trying to find out where its coming from, and when i went to check it today..its all over the place again! so of course i couldnt check it out..so my question is...whats on the rear side of the engine that would make this leak oil at a relatively fast rate?? i know it is not this sensor right below the exhaust manifold..my dad brought it to the shop right before he gave it to me and they said it was the cylinder head...but i have doubts as to it..up top the gasket appears to be holding....so i dunno....any ideas PLEASE!!!! i gotta get this fixed the landlord is having a fit....btw i believe its only leaking when it is running.
thanks for the help
chris

[LB3711]

They mean the head gasket. That is a common problem on the 2.0 engines. Buy what I think you said you think the gasket for the valve cover. Head gasket is in between the cylinder head and the engine block.

[chris177]

it is leaking from the REAR of the engine..i know it is not the valve cover(this is a 2.4 not a 2.0) are 2.4 engines known to blow cylinder head gaskets???? any ideas as to what would cause this oil leak? thanks
chris

[jmiller126]

Yes, I have a 2.4 and it developed a head gasket leak. The new gaskets are Multi-Layer-Steel (MLS). It is highly recommended that you have your head re-surfaced when you replace the gasket. These alluminum heads are known to warp easily.

Did mine myself and ended up putting in piston rings, seals, and a full head job. I wouldnt recommend doing it yourself unless your pretty mechanically inclined and have a nice garage with LOTS of tools. You will use ALL of them as this car is definetely like brain surgery to work on.

[Humboldt]

You know, I have a 98 with the 2.4, and was loosing oil at a rate I felt was a bit too high, and after looking around and finding a bit of oil here and there, discovered the culprit. Durning the last oil change, I neglected to replace a sealing ring on the drain plug, and wouldn't you know, it was leaking a bit. I am sure this is not the issue we are discussing here, but someone out there has the same headscratcher. My car has 112,000 miles and nothing amiss thus far save some cruise control issues (see post on performance side). I do have some pulsing brakes (mostly from higher speeds), and am looking at ABS sensors, etc. Anyone with other suggestions, please feel free to send them.