jlm_photo

Had a mechanic check out my leak today and discovered what feared it might be. The rear main and oil pan gasket are leaking. I'm not tackling it myself so I'm sure I might let him do it. Any idea on prices to have it done? Kinda wanted to know so I would not be going in blind. Thanks in advance!

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smokenssz

iTrader: (24)

Most shops will cost you about 5hrs of labor for the oil pan but a buddy and mine knocked them both out in 2 1/2hrs

dailydriver

I would think about doing the; clutch, flywheel, slave/throw out/pilot bearing, etc. (and maybe installing a Tick remote bleeder) IF you have a T56, and IF you did not just replace these recently.

It ALL has to come down/apart anyway, so why not save the labor?

jlm_photo

Id love to do all that right now but really don't have the money. I know it's better to go ahead and do it but the clutch is working fine.

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demonspeed

iTrader: (7)

If it's not leaking much then I'd just run some thicker conventional oil for a bit. This way you can buy some more time until you can afford to do the clutch while it's all apart. I'm personally switching back from Mobil1 5w30 to VR1 20w50 partially for this reason.

jlm_photo

He said it was leaking pretty bad. Crazy question though. I'd been running conventional/syn blend and when I switched to Mobil 1 full synthetic it started leaking. Would that have been the cause? Can I run a thicker oil and get by for a while?

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

Synthetic oil is a better lubricant that will get into places that conventional sometimes will not. In other words, synthetic doesn't cause leaks in healthy gaskets, but it may find a leak (or worsen a leak) in a marginal gasket that wasn't quite ready to leak yet with conventional oil.

I wouldn't worry about how bad your mechanic "says" it's leaking (after all, he would like to sell you the repair ASAP) and instead pay attention to how much oil it seems to be depositing on the ground and/or any loss that can be measured on the dipstick. I say this because the rear main was leaking on my '02 car for several years, made quite a mess on the bottom of the engine (looked like a bad leak) but only left a few drops on the ground occasionally and caused no additional drop in oil level between changes. So I just ignored the leak and it didn't get any worse during that period. If yours has recently started leaking there may not be any rush to repair it in the immediate future, if you would rather wait.

jlm_photo

Thank you. I'm thinking I'll wait and see how it does the next 2 oil changes.

notsue

This is how the leak on the front of mine is... horrible mess under the car, but never see anything on the driveway, and I'm not having to add any more oil than usual... so it can wait.

dailydriver

You could also try the Valvoline Max Life (red bottle) oil for a couple of OCIs (oil change intervals) in a thicker weight like 10W-40 (or even 5W-30 for a winter OCI), as some have actually seen their leaks slow down with this great oil, if not totally STOPPING the leak.

It is a partial/semi synthetic (they make a FULL synthetic version {silver bottle}, but it is usually even MORE coin than Mobil 1), and as a plus many have said their engines have been the quietest they've ever heard using this stuff.

If you want to stay full synthetic, the Mobil 1 HM (high mileage) oils are also excellent, and also contain seal swellers/conditioners, but it may not slow/stop the leak(s) as fast as the Ashland (Valvoline) Max Life product.

demonspeed

iTrader: (7)

What all those people said ^^^

The synthetic just finds its way into everything. This doesn't mean it caused the leak; rather, just signaled that you've got one where the conventional wasn't able to find it.

jlm_photo

Do I need to stay with a full synthetic or is it okay to switch back to conventional? I've only ran it for 1300 miles.

dailydriver

You CAN switch back and forth from a full, or semi synthetic to a full mineral/conventional oil, and vice versa, with NO ill effects, or increased leaking, but personally, I think your best bet, both cost wise and functionally, is the Valvoline Max Life red bottle semi-synthetic (it is actually LESS coin than some of the full conventionals at Sino Mart).

RJDio

Mine leaks same way from rear, and so does 2 of my fbody friend's cars. I'm wondering if all these cars leak oil lol

demonspeed

iTrader: (7)

I agree -- you can switch without worry. I'm switching back to conventional this weekend after running the M1 for about 2000 miles. Valvoline VR1 20w50

It's a common thing with all Gen III/IV engines. It's fortunately very minor, but annoying nonetheless.

jlm_photo

I'll be taking this advice and switching back asap. Thanks again. Saved me some moolah!

JDEP162

ive learned that a small leak can look like the exxon valdez crash if conditions are right. summer and driving spread a few drops of oil very far. pour a capfull of oil on ur garage floor and see how big it gets in a week. ud be suprized.

RevGTO

iTrader: (12)

First I had to put cardboard under the car to catch the drops - just a few here and there. When it starting puddling on the cardboard, I had to do something about it. So while a thicker dino oil might help for awhile, it's likely to get worse with time.

The techs at my buddy's shop did it for me. I think it took about 4 hours with two guys on the job at times.

JRENIGAR

iTrader: (37)

If you can pull the trans then you can replace the seal. Its that easy. Buy the whole rear cover from advance for less than $50 with the gasket and new seal already pressed in. Anyone intrested can P.M. me for an easy way to guarantee you get the rear cover and oil pan alignment right for no leaks at the rear seal or oil pan with no special alignment tools needed.