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Post by luckymchl on Mar 24, 2015 7:28:11 GMT -6
I did my first oil change since buying the car and I knew it had a leak. Just a couple drip spots, now I have about 8 drip spots in a square shape. Like the shape of the oil pan. I don't know what oil was in there before I bought it and I put Max Life 5-30 in. I need to replace the gasket. Are there any right ups on how to do this? Was this the wrong oil? I have used it in the past and never had any trouble with my previous cars. Thank you again for your help.
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Post by rorafan on Mar 24, 2015 8:08:44 GMT -6
Oil leaks are pretty much a fact of life with these motors. It's not really a question of IF but WHEN they will leak unfortunately. Generally it's not only the oil pan gasket but the lower crankcase half seal too - very common issue on our 4.0s and the Caddy 4.6. The bad news is to fix it right (not just seal from the outside), the engine needs to come out of the car unless you cut & weld the exhaust crossover pipe. More here: aurorah.proboards.com/thread/18358?page=1 and aurorah.proboards.com/thread/25692I'd try tightening the pan bolts first, as best you can. Many of us run Max Life - it's good, high-quality stuff. Personally I've noticed it will slow down the leak. Keep running that or you could try Max 10w-30 too. Also make sure your PCV system is up to snuff. Edit: added link
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Post by luckymchl on Mar 24, 2015 8:11:23 GMT -6
I've been digging around for info and from what I've been reading, this is a long and costly job. Some saying no to $1000. That stresses me. I just bought the car and I feel taken by the person I bought from. Then I came across this and please give me your opinion. "
"The oil pan can be repaired by lowering the pan and reinstalling the bolts without removing. This is a common practice of dealerships with the Northstar engine. The pan does not have to be completely removed. The gaskets on the other hand must be changed. Don't let them rip you off, PM me for more info."
I hope I am reading this correct as it says, on the other hand, the gasket must be replaced. And this is the last comment in the thread where I saw it.
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Post by luckymchl on Mar 24, 2015 8:14:18 GMT -6
thank you for your response. how do I check the PCV system? I can do some work on my car but there are just things I don't know and can I check this myself or should I put it in a shop?
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Paulaurora
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Post by Paulaurora on Mar 24, 2015 8:14:24 GMT -6
Hey luckymchl i had same issue with my car and My mechanic fixed it without removing the engine. What he did he cut the pipe that on the way of the pan changed the gasket and then welded the pipe back . i paid 400$ for the job with parts.
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Post by sall on Mar 24, 2015 8:43:24 GMT -6
You can get to every single bolt on the oil pan(on the classic). However, I really don't think you can do it that way as the oil pick up tube would be in the way of getting a new gasket in there in one piece. The oil pickup is also what prevents removing the pan with crossover in place. Most re-seal with RTV and not a new gasket anyways but would not be an easy task running a bead. Like mentioned above though another source for leaks is the half case. aurorah.proboards.com/thread/25692
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RCA1186
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Post by RCA1186 on Mar 24, 2015 9:42:27 GMT -6
I wonder, is this the 3.5 or 4.0? Is the 3.5 the same? (crossover covering pan)
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Post by luckymchl on Mar 24, 2015 10:06:56 GMT -6
Thanks everyone, I really do appreciate the help. I'm starting to think I bought a lemon, I just broke 90,000 miles on it and when I bought the car it seemed quite solid and I bought it from a mechanicwhat recently I bought tires new brakes transmission service and I had to have work on rear suspension done. which has cost me over 1000 dollars and kinda broke me. Now I'm stuck with this and I don't have the money to fix it and as I'm sure most of it us get, it's stressing me. Like I said I do appreciate your help from everyone. I'm gonna try the rtv sealant. I'm not going to worry too much about not being able to get it everywhere as long as I can take care of most of these leaks, if they are coming from the oil pan.
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Post by luckymchl on Mar 24, 2015 10:29:34 GMT -6
I just reread Salls comment and as for RTV sealant, does the pan have to be down. I know it's an odd question, I just don't know
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Post by luckymchl on Mar 24, 2015 12:22:09 GMT -6
one more quick question, can the lower crankshaft seal be replaced if I can find somebody that will cut the crossover pipe and get to the oil pan seal that way?
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Post by rorafan on Mar 24, 2015 16:08:35 GMT -6
I think what Sall mentioned is without removing the pan you'd have a really tough time getting the RTV in the right spots in the right amount. Did you see paulaurora's comment? At $400 that's not bad...the 'pull the engine' route is ~$2,000. Just take one thing at a time with your car. Personally, I'd tighten the pan bolts, run Max Life or any high mileage 10w-30 next time, check the PCV system, and run it that way for awhile and see what happens. Oil is cheap; the pan fix is not. My car leaves spots on the garage floor and I've just learned to live with it. Unless yours is REALLY bad it's not going to leak enough to risk damage unless you go weeks without checking the oil level. PCV valve is a $4 part in the rear (firewall side) valve cover. Easy to check and change. Some info here: aurorah.proboards.com/thread/5796There's a pic towards the bottom of the thread.
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Randy T.
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Post by Randy T. on Mar 25, 2015 5:49:33 GMT -6
It's not that hard to drop the sub-frame and trans, just need an engine support and lift, then you can access everything you need to reseal everything.
If the oil pickup tube is stopping the oil pan from coming down, it makes me wonder how hard it is to remove the pickup tube with the pan on? I have pulled a couple oil pans on other vehicles by removing the pickup tube with the pan on. I doubt it's possible or someone would have done it by now.
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RCA1186
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Rob
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Post by RCA1186 on Mar 25, 2015 6:18:57 GMT -6
If the oil pickup tube is stopping the oil pan from coming down, it makes me wonder how hard it is to remove the pickup tube with the pan on? I have pulled a couple oil pans on other vehicles by removing the pickup tube with the pan on. I doubt it's possible or someone would have done it by now. Looks like one maybe two bolts, maybe not out of the realm of possibility, it IS on the edge, I wonder how much space you could get between the block and pan to slip a ratcheting wrench in there...good luck getting it back on though haha
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Post by sall on Mar 25, 2015 6:35:44 GMT -6
One bolt. Would probably be very difficult to get the bolt out. Yet alone getting the pickup tube back in place and get the bolt in.
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Post by genedjr on Mar 28, 2015 11:54:31 GMT -6
Just a thought, how pliable is the new gasket? If it is pretty pliable, you can make a single cut (or if pretty rigid 2 cuts) then you would only need to use RTV to reseal the cut(s) after you get the new gasket in place. And you can make the cuts knowing you need to reseal them.
I was going to tackle that in a couple of weeks but another issues arose (see new thread).
...gene
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