Small Oil Pan Leak

[CharlieM]

92 LS400 145000 miles.

I just noticed a very small leak coming from what seems to be the oil drain plug. i gave it a couple turns with a wrench, and it did nothing. knowing that i can't turn the plug too much so not to ruin the pan. it's not a lot of oil, the dipstick still reads full. need a quick cheap fix. any suggestions?

[91LS400vgb]

When's the last time you changed the drain plug gasket? Service manual says to do it at each oil change. Worst thing you can do is to try to fix it by over-tightening it.

[CharlieM]

When's the last time you changed the drain plug gasket? Service manual says to do it at each oil change. Worst thing you can do is to try to fix it by over-tightening it.

Wow i love this site. I had a jiffy lubel type place do it, so i have no clue if they even did it at all. I'm gonna take it back and have them look at it. Thanks for the reply I'll post the news.

[ono8ono]

I used jiffy lubes years ago once for safety check; they sucked! They screwed up my head light aim ; the guy did not know how to adjust the head light! I will never use them; the guy who did the oil change for you probably did not put the drain plug gasket back or he just probably lost it. My advice is do your own oil change; it is so easy; just invest in a pair of Rhino Ram from Checkers.

I had bad experience with Midas and Jiffy Lubes; don't let them touch your LS.

[etex]

I am in full support of ono8ono in the post above. The worse thing you can do for your car (any make or model) is take it to a Jiffy Lube type facility for any kind of service.

You may even find they cross-threaded your drain plug. Of course, if you take it back for them to "fix", no telling what additional problems you will bring home.

[CharlieM]

I am in full support of ono8ono in the post above. The worse thing you can do for your car (any make or model) is take it to a Jiffy Lube type facility for any kind of service.

You may even find they cross-threaded your drain plug. Of course, if you take it back for them to "fix", no telling what additional problems you will bring home.

i'm getting that idea more and more. my car's in really good shape, near pristine, little nicks and stuff here and there. i am not really mechanically inclined at all. i'm a smart guy and all, i just never did work on cars. i have a buddy who does it so i'm gonna start doing my own oil changes. i'll start there and see how much i can learn. thanks for the info guys this forum is unbelieveable.

[nc211]

The best thing you can do is to do it yourself. This sounds like a bad washer, they probably reused the old one. The LAST time anyone but me changed the oil, cost me $550 for a new oil pan, because the moron overtightened the plug and stripped the threads of the pan.....new pan had to be installed. Walmart did it, they paid for half, and I've done the changes myself ever since....32k miles worth.

When you start changing your own oil, one little piece of advice, keep the left over 1/2 quart for the next change. When your oil has all drained out, pour in that 1/2 quart and it will flush out all the old oil still hiding in the corners and groves of the pan. You'll be amazed how much old oil can actually hide in those groves and corners.

[CharlieM]

Thanks for the advice. I got a new drain plug from toyota dealership, drained the oil out, put in the new plug and gasket, put in fresh oil, and all is good so far. From now on I'm a DIY guy. Which means I'll be back here plenty! Thanks for all the help.