is it really too much to ask......
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Joined: Apr 2013
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is it really too much to ask...... for your car to not leak fluids??
Have my car in the garage for the past month and a half (thank you Mother Nature for having it nice until mid Jan so I could drive my car) put a layer of plastic on my garage floor to act as a vapor barrier (also to spot leaks) crawled underneath today and I saw brown(under engine) and red(under trans-auto) thig that gets me is I replaced the trans pan/gasket 6 mths ago and no leak at all until I let it sit. And don't even get me started on the engine(already replaced the OPSU, rear main seal and rear engine cover, I crawled underneath and saw oil at each of the bolts that hold on the oil pan to the engine, don't know what that means, but I would love to take my car to the track but I hear they frown on you if your car is leaking. I tell you whoever said the work on your car is never done, hit the nail right on the head.
Have my car in the garage for the past month and a half (thank you Mother Nature for having it nice until mid Jan so I could drive my car) put a layer of plastic on my garage floor to act as a vapor barrier (also to spot leaks) crawled underneath today and I saw brown(under engine) and red(under trans-auto) thig that gets me is I replaced the trans pan/gasket 6 mths ago and no leak at all until I let it sit. And don't even get me started on the engine(already replaced the OPSU, rear main seal and rear engine cover, I crawled underneath and saw oil at each of the bolts that hold on the oil pan to the engine, don't know what that means, but I would love to take my car to the track but I hear they frown on you if your car is leaking. I tell you whoever said the work on your car is never done, hit the nail right on the head.
Joined: Nov 2001
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From: Schiller Park, ILL Member: #317
I've never owned a single car that didn't leak or weep a bit when it got older. Having said that, I've noticed that the old rumor about them leaking more due to sitting than driving doesn't seem to be true. My '98 Z28 has been a garage queen since day one, it's only at 17k miles currently and it's the tightest car I've ever owned in terms of leaks. It has some very minor dampness at the back corner of one valve cover gasket (something you would never notice without extremely close inspection) and a bit more dampness at the pinion seal but, after 18 years and 4-6 months of sitting still every winter, that's all. On the other hand, my '02 Z28 was a daily driver and it developed several more significant weeps by the time it was just 7-10 years old or so, at it was dripping oil from the rear main at about 10 years old.
Perhaps gaskets on much older cars were more prone to drying out and developing leaks and weeps from sitting, but the opposite seems to be the case with modern cars in my experience.
As for your trans pan leak, if you just recently replaced the gasket then my guess is that you either under or over tightened it. They often need a slight re-torque after the first heat cycle or two. If they are already extremely snug, then you might have tightened it too much and split the gasket. How forgiving the gasket is will also depend on the pan (stock or aftermarket aluminum?) and gasket material.
Perhaps gaskets on much older cars were more prone to drying out and developing leaks and weeps from sitting, but the opposite seems to be the case with modern cars in my experience.
As for your trans pan leak, if you just recently replaced the gasket then my guess is that you either under or over tightened it. They often need a slight re-torque after the first heat cycle or two. If they are already extremely snug, then you might have tightened it too much and split the gasket. How forgiving the gasket is will also depend on the pan (stock or aftermarket aluminum?) and gasket material.
I've never owned a single car that didn't leak or weep a bit when it got older. Having said that, I've noticed that the old rumor about them leaking more due to sitting than driving doesn't seem to be true. My '98 Z28 has been a garage queen since day one, it's only at 17k miles currently and it's the tightest car I've ever owned in terms of leaks. It has some very minor dampness at the back corner of one valve cover gasket (something you would never notice without extremely close inspection) and a bit more dampness at the pinion seal but, after 18 years and 4-6 months of sitting still every winter, that's all. On the other hand, my '02 Z28 was a daily driver and it developed several more significant weeps by the time it was just 7-10 years old or so, at it was dripping oil from the rear main at about 10 years old.
Perhaps gaskets on much older cars were more prone to drying out and developing leaks and weeps from sitting, but the opposite seems to be the case with modern cars in my experience.
As for your trans pan leak, if you just recently replaced the gasket then my guess is that you either under or over tightened it. They often need a slight re-torque after the first heat cycle or two. If they are already extremely snug, then you might have tightened it too much and split the gasket. How forgiving the gasket is will also depend on the pan (stock or aftermarket aluminum?) and gasket material.
Perhaps gaskets on much older cars were more prone to drying out and developing leaks and weeps from sitting, but the opposite seems to be the case with modern cars in my experience.
As for your trans pan leak, if you just recently replaced the gasket then my guess is that you either under or over tightened it. They often need a slight re-torque after the first heat cycle or two. If they are already extremely snug, then you might have tightened it too much and split the gasket. How forgiving the gasket is will also depend on the pan (stock or aftermarket aluminum?) and gasket material.
For engine leaks, my 99 Z28 had about 160k miles when I drove it home and it revealed some HORRIBLE leaks, I had to put card board down in our garage to contain it until finally it became unbearable. It was leaking from three places, my oil pan, rear main seal, and front engine cover (timing cover). I had the rear main seal replaced and 50% of the leaks stopped. I then switched from Mobil 1 Synthetic High Mileage to Valveline Synthetic High Mileage and its now to the point where I can look under the car and find no oil stains on the ground. It still is consuming oil though, but nowhere near as much as it used it. Currently it has about 202k miles. I havent had a transmission leak since the day I got the car except the incident that I caused myself when my improperly installed transmission cooler line snapped off and sprayed transmission fluid all over the highway while I was doing 70 MPH. FORTUNATELY it survived.
Also
I had a bad power steering leak aswell coming from my steering rack, pump, and lines.. all 3 had to be replaced. Used a Turn One pump, Braided lines, and a new rack.. no more leaks.
For the transmission... I replaced a trans filter on my 01 Z28 back before college..I'll say its not exactly a fun job to do without a lift mainly because the limited space. The stock filter was a paper filter if I recall correctly because I had to scrape this mess off the trans and pan but no, it didn't leak afterward.
