When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Just bought this low mile Ws6, it leaks oil. So far I've done all of the top end gaskets. Valve cover, valley cover, cam sensor and oil pressure sender. I also have replaced the oil cooler cover. So, it's basically either the rear main, rear main cover or the oil pan? It has oil dripping from rear oil pan bolts, NO oil dripping from starter🤷 So basically I just need to pull the engine ? Thanks Passenger side rear corner of pan. Driver's side rear corner of pan.
Last edited by 02Ws6Carter; Feb 18, 2025 at 07:02 PM.
Sure wish I knew if it was just the rear main, it's going to be a chore to do the pan! I don't even know where to start, drop the k member so the pan will clear? Lift engine? Or just pull the whole dam motor and have full access to the engine🤷
Anytime you have an oil leak you basically trace it up to the highest point. If the back of the Heads or the sides of the Heads were clean I wouldn't even have touched anything up on the top side of the engine.
If the sides of the block are clean and it's wet in the back I would be leaning toward Rear Main Seal over it being the Oil Pan Gasket.
So, I bought a new rear main cover as every suggest. The matching marks have me concerned. Do you think this will leak? It's the bottom edge of rear main cover.
The procedure is a dab of RTV in each bottom corner where the Gaskets meet.
That looks a little more than what I've seen on them.
We said Rear Main SEAL so not sure where you got a new Rear Cover out of that..
When I first asked I was as trying to evaluate the best mode of attack but quickly realized I may as well do the pan and rear main. Got it apart and the rear main itself is original and not leaking, the cover was leaking a little and the pan gasket was the culprit.
Reasoning behind the cover is that I've read they redesigned the rear main seal a few times, the last seal is ALOT thinner than the original, so it'll set further back in the original cover, which isn't a problem I'm sure. I also read that the new cover is an "improved" version🤷 I may just use the original, it didn't seem to have any porosity issues. Hell, the car only has 39k miles.
Also, I bought the new thinner rear main seal as I'm not reinstalling the original seal, although it wasn't leaking.
The procedure is a dab of RTV in each bottom corner where the Gaskets meet.
That looks a little more than what I've seen on them.
We said Rear Main SEAL so not sure where you got a new Rear Cover out of that..
It is easier to buy the entire new cover with gasket, seal, locater for centerline of crank, and it comes with the larger headed fasteners. For like 80 bucks. So the hell with trying to just replace the seal.
OP I would do an aluminum oil galley barbell as well while you are in there.
While installing the oil pan, the driver's side rear corner cracked. I torqued them all in stages and on the final 18ft lb pass I cracked the pan. I removed the pan and inspected the rear main cover and made sure it was flat, which all of it is, I used the rear main seal installer and made triple sure everything was aligned.
The only things I can think that may have caused this, torque wrench is wrong. Second possibility, I noticed their is the embossed rubber further inboard that the bolt, it seems that raises the pan, and when torquing it allows the pan to flex and snap🤷 You'd think the rubber would compress. Also, maybe I let the silicone dry too long while I was aligning the pan bell housing plane? Anyone have an opinion as if love to avoid this on the next pan! Cracked on that area of pan. With gasket removed, it is straight as can be from cover to block, though it sure doesn't look like it in this pic!
Last edited by 02Ws6Carter; Mar 28, 2025 at 05:18 AM.
If it were mine I would either find a new pan or find someone to tig weld it. I had to have that done to a TH400 many years ago and it held up just fine.
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them
Slideshow: From wobbling harmonic balancers to failed EBCMs, these are the issues that define long-term C5 ownership and what repairs typically involve.
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph
Slideshow: A modern Camaro transformed into a retro icon, this limited-run "Bandit" build blends nostalgia with brute force in a way few revivals manage.
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked
Slideshow: Cadillac didn't just crash the high-performance luxury vehicle party, it showed up loud, supercharged, and occasionally a little unhinged...
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes
Slideshow: A one-off sports car that looks like a vintage Italian exotic-but hides a C6 Corvette underneath-just sold for the price of a new mid-engine Corvette.
02 5.7 oil leak 
