oil leak on C5 Corvette
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Teching In
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oil leak on C5 Corvette I have a bone stock '04 Corvette coupe with 6300 miles on it.
Last time I changed the oil at 3300 miles, I noticed there was a thin dusting of oil on the bottom of the pan. I thought maybe I hadn't tightened the filter enough. So I cleaned it off and moved on.
Today I changed the oil again (6300 miles). This time, there was oil on the pan again. There was also oil around the filter (and whatever sensor that is by the filter), around a sensor on the opposite side of the pan from the filter (oil temp or level sensor?), oil on the exhaust by the pre-cats, oil around the drain plug, and a little up under the main pulley.
I cleaned it all off with brake cleaner and I'm going to check to see what gets dirty first, but I'm not sure if it will be easy since wind may blow it around.
There's never any puddling under the car, and the oil residue is confined to the areas I listed above -- basically no further back than the cats. Whatever gets back as far as the cats gets onto the cats and burns off there. I've been noticing an oil burning smell lately, so that explains it I guess.
Anyone have any ideas where it might be coming from (based on common LS1 trouble spots)?
Thanks for any help!
Last time I changed the oil at 3300 miles, I noticed there was a thin dusting of oil on the bottom of the pan. I thought maybe I hadn't tightened the filter enough. So I cleaned it off and moved on.
Today I changed the oil again (6300 miles). This time, there was oil on the pan again. There was also oil around the filter (and whatever sensor that is by the filter), around a sensor on the opposite side of the pan from the filter (oil temp or level sensor?), oil on the exhaust by the pre-cats, oil around the drain plug, and a little up under the main pulley.
I cleaned it all off with brake cleaner and I'm going to check to see what gets dirty first, but I'm not sure if it will be easy since wind may blow it around.
There's never any puddling under the car, and the oil residue is confined to the areas I listed above -- basically no further back than the cats. Whatever gets back as far as the cats gets onto the cats and burns off there. I've been noticing an oil burning smell lately, so that explains it I guess.
Anyone have any ideas where it might be coming from (based on common LS1 trouble spots)?
Thanks for any help!
Last edited by H20Vette; Sep 5, 2005 at 09:55 AM.
Thread Starter
Teching In
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Update Update: I drove the car after cleaning the oil off and put it back on raps to have a look underneath. Fresh oil showed up on the rear passenger side of the oil pan near the bellhousing. Are there two oil pans on the C5 LS1? Upper and lower or something? It looks like the leak may be coming from just above the lower pan. Then there is also the rear main seal possiblity... Is there a way to rule one of the two (pan or rear main) out?
Teching In
Joined: Sep 2005
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oil leak I have a 2000 c5 with the same oil leak its hard to belive its a main seal with that low miles if so there is a lot c5 with oil leaks. some one on here must know were that oil leak is from.this must be a common problem 
Originally Posted by H20Vette
Update: I drove the car after cleaning the oil off and put it back on raps to have a look underneath. Fresh oil showed up on the rear passenger side of the oil pan near the bellhousing. Are there two oil pans on the C5 LS1? Upper and lower or something? It looks like the leak may be coming from just above the lower pan. Then there is also the rear main seal possiblity... Is there a way to rule one of the two (pan or rear main) out?
Oil leak.... They do make a flourescent leak detector for oil leaks. If you have a black light great, if not, then it may not be worth the expense just to trace an oil leak. I'm familiar w/ oil leaks on the LT-1s since my vette is a 95' but yours is diffrent. I do have an 02 Denali 5.3 in my 75 camaro which is similar to the ls-1 but have one piece oil pan. No leaks to date w/ 61,000mi on motor. Good luck.
