Slowly Leaking Rear Main Seal

[D.C.]

OK, I have a 98 Lexus ES 300, with about 150,000 miles on it. Still runs great.

It leaks a small amount (about an .5 or less ounces a week.

My mechanic said that if I replaced it, there is still no guarantee it'll stop the leak, because of the wear on the trans axle? (I might be slightly off here, but apparently something that is worn would be prone to still leaking after replacing the seal)

I have no problem continuing to putting oil in it, but it does make a mess on the driveway as it is kept outside.

Anyone have advice?

[mburnickas]

what I do not get is if he replaces the seal, it will stop, unless the HSG is bad. Sounds like he does not know if that is the leak.

[wwest]

OK, I have a 98 Lexus ES 300, with about 150,000 miles on it. Still runs great.

It leaks a small amount (about an .5 or less ounces a week.

My mechanic said that if I replaced it, there is still no guarantee it'll stop the leak, because of the wear on the trans axle? (I might be slightly off here, but apparently something that is worn would be prone to still leaking after replacing the seal)

I have no problem continuing to putting oil in it, but it does make a mess on the driveway as it is kept outside.

Anyone have advice?

"have advice?"

Yes, put a cookie sheet under the car.

[D.C.]

OK, I have a 98 Lexus ES 300, with about 150,000 miles on it. Still runs great.

It leaks a small amount (about an .5 or less ounces a week.

My mechanic said that if I replaced it, there is still no guarantee it'll stop the leak, because of the wear on the trans axle? (I might be slightly off here, but apparently something that is worn would be prone to still leaking after replacing the seal)

I have no problem continuing to putting oil in it, but it does make a mess on the driveway as it is kept outside.

Anyone have advice?

"have advice?"

Yes, put a cookie sheet under the car.

Yes, this is the most popular idea. Most people pretty much say deal with it:)

[D.C.]

what I do not get is if he replaces the seal, it will stop, unless the HSG is bad. Sounds like he does not know if that is the leak.

HSG - Head Gasket?

I think he was saying perhaps that the shaft could be worn, and when you replace the gasket, after all that work, there is no guarantee the wear on the shaft won't let oil through.

Does this sound feasible?

[gbhrps]

First off, just wiping up the oil and living with the problem is the cheapest way to go, as well as continually monitoring your oil level. Secondly, I had a similar problem with my 90 300ZX ( normally aspirated, V6, similar to the ES ). A check with the guys and gals on the Z forum I follow found that as these car age, the PCV valves (Z's have two of them) stick a bit, then the crankcase pressure builds up and pushes a small amount of oil out the rear main seal after each run. I replaced the PCV valves about 10 years ago and I've not had the rear main seal leak reappear. Since the valves are cheap ( I think I paid $32 CDN for the pair of them way back then) it may be worth a try in your case. If you decide to give it a try, please get back to us and let us know how you made out. Good Luck!