Oil Leak Advice

[zockslexus]

Got a 1996 es. 250thou miles. runs fantastic...however, there is some oil leakage...I need suggestions on what to do....

thanks!!

[justind89]

ok, i ahve a 93 and had similar issues (but only 270k KMs) first thing to check is the front tapet covers, these can come loose and have a bit of oil leaking out of the seal, rear tapet covers can also get a little loose but your main problem is likely going to be the main engine seal. also check around your sump as mine got a dent in it from going over a large speed bump on the up ramp at my work's car park building :( (it's now leaking slightly)

[zockslexus]

ok, i ahve a 93 and had similar issues (but only 270k KMs) first thing to check is the front tapet covers, these can come loose and have a bit of oil leaking out of the seal, rear tapet covers can also get a little loose but your main problem is likely going to be the main engine seal. also check around your sump as mine got a dent in it from going over a large speed bump on the up ramp at my work's car park building :( (it's now leaking slightly)

I can see that the front of my engine is wet....can tightening the cover help? I also use synthetic oil...i know that that can cause leaks in high milage cars...

when i look underneath...its all wet...i guess i will have to take it in...i want to get atleast 300 thou. out of her.

[motoroil]

I had several oil leaks on mine, valve covers, oil pan, distributer o-ring.

The way I found mine is I drove to a pay car wash--the kind where you can wash your car with a spray gun, not an automatic car wash. I waited until the engine was warm, not hot.

Then I used foaming degreaser on the engine spots where oil leaks are likely. Before doing so, its important to carefully seal up your electrical components with plastic baggies and tape.

Let the degreaser sit in for a while.

Then rinsed. Then repeated this process a few times.

Then I added ultraviolet dye to the oil.

Then I idled the motor for about 10 minutes to help everything dry off.

Then drove for about a week, then checked over the motor with an ultraviolet light. Very easy then to see exactly where the oil leaks are coming from, as the motor is perfectly clean except for the oil leaks and you can confirm the leaks with the ultraviolet dye's green glow.

This also works with power steering leaks, AC leaks, tranny leaks. Just make sure you buy the right type of dye designed to be compatible with the fluid you are adding it to.

Good luck!

[zockslexus]

I had several oil leaks on mine, valve covers, oil pan, distributer o-ring.

The way I found mine is I drove to a pay car wash--the kind where you can wash your car with a spray gun, not an automatic car wash. I waited until the engine was warm, not hot.

Then I used foaming degreaser on the engine spots where oil leaks are likely. Before doing so, its important to carefully seal up your electrical components with plastic baggies and tape.

Let the degreaser sit in for a while.

Then rinsed. Then repeated this process a few times.

Then I added ultraviolet dye to the oil.

Then I idled the motor for about 10 minutes to help everything dry off.

Then drove for about a week, then checked over the motor with an ultraviolet light. Very easy then to see exactly where the oil leaks are coming from, as the motor is perfectly clean except for the oil leaks and you can confirm the leaks with the ultraviolet dye's green glow.

This also works with power steering leaks, AC leaks, tranny leaks. Just make sure you buy the right type of dye designed to be compatible with the fluid you are adding it to.

Good luck!

Thanks for the post. What did you end up doing to fix the problems?

[motoroil]

I replaced both valve cover gaskets and spark plug tube seals (with OEM spark plug tube seals, a must), replaced the distributer inner o-ring, and let the oil pan gasket be for now. The oil pan gasket is a very slow seepage, about a tablespoon of oil a month. I also replaced a few other gaskets while in there, the cold start injector gasket and the inner gasket in the intake plenum that the cold start chamber uses, the PCV valve and grommet, and a few hoses. The real culprit was the rear valve cover gasket, that one was just spurting oil.

[gbhrps]

zockslexus,

You don't give us any idea as to how bad your leaks are. Unless you are losing more than a quart between oil changes, it may be way cheaper to just live with the leak, unless you can change the seals yourself. Then again, maybe you hate the pool of oil on the garage floor and on the concrete driveway, and cleaning that up may be worth the cost.

Something else to consider. Ten or so years ago my 90 Nissan 300ZX started marking its territory after each run. It'd leave a small pool of oil on the garage floor that was traced back to the rear crank seal. I went online to a Z forum with my problem and more than one person suggested that I change the PCV valves (there are two on that engine). They reported that once plugged up, they would raise the crankcase pressure forcing oil out the rear seal. An hour and $38 later I had replaced the pcv valves, and the car has not leaked another drop of oil to this day.

Good Luck!

[zockslexus]

zockslexus,

You don't give us any idea as to how bad your leaks are. Unless you are losing more than a quart between oil changes, it may be way cheaper to just live with the leak, unless you can change the seals yourself. Then again, maybe you hate the pool of oil on the garage floor and on the concrete driveway, and cleaning that up may be worth the cost.

Something else to consider. Ten or so years ago my 90 Nissan 300ZX started marking its territory after each run. It'd leave a small pool of oil on the garage floor that was traced back to the rear crank seal. I went online to a Z forum with my problem and more than one person suggested that I change the PCV valves (there are two on that engine). They reported that once plugged up, they would raise the crankcase pressure forcing oil out the rear seal. An hour and $38 later I had replaced the pcv valves, and the car has not leaked another drop of oil to this day.

Good Luck!

fair enough. I drip one or two drops a day...no pools...thank god.

its something i will just live with for now as it is not major...just annoying.

in terms of your pcv idea...i just replaced one that was broken...does anybody know if this car has more than one?

I know there is one on the right side of the engine block...