1996 Ls 400 Oil Leak

[aggiecarpenter]

I have a 96 LS with about 112,000 miles on it. I just noticed a small amount of oil on my driveway a couple of weeks ago. I looked underneath and saw that it was dripping from the bottom of the oil pan. It only drips a couple of drops overnight leaving quarter sized spots on my driveway. I plan to get the car on ramps this weekend to see if I can diagnose the problem. Any tips on what I should be looking for?

[killerFatty]

If it's comming from the drain plug, it could be you need a new crush washer or the threads are striped. If it's comming from the top of the oil pan it could be an oil pan gasket. Hope that helps.

[curiousB]

There is a large plastic pan under the car which could mean the spot where the drip is seen is not necessarily close to where the leak is occurring (i.e. oil falls onto inside of pan then flows to lowest spot and opening before dropping to the floor). This same pan will hold a bit of oil if spilled on during a recent oil change so it could be just a sloppy oil change dripping away and not a leak at all. Of course it could be a leak but maybe the stars will align and you get off easy.

[aggiecarpenter]

There is a large plastic pan under the car which could mean the spot where the drip is seen is not necessarily close to where the leak is occurring (i.e. oil falls onto inside of pan then flows to lowest spot and opening before dropping to the floor). This same pan will hold a bit of oil if spilled on during a recent oil change so it could be just a sloppy oil change dripping away and not a leak at all. Of course it could be a leak but maybe the stars will align and you get off easy.

It is not dripping from the plastic cover. I did recently have an oil change and thought that might be the issue. It is actually dripping only from one spot on the corner of the oil pan opposite from the plug. My thoughts were loose oil filter, worn washer in drain plug or oil pan gasket leak. I will know more once I really get under there and take a look this weekend. I will post what I find. If in the worst case scenario it was the oil pan gasket, does any one have an idea of what cost is involved to have an indy mechanic replace it?

[lexfourcam]

you can fix it yourself. its a really simple job just drain the oil and take out the 14 bolts or however many there is and then just pull it off. you can use a putty knife to remove the rest of the old gasket if its stuck on there. have a new gasket ready, put something on there to get it to stick to the metal so it doesnt move around when you put it back up there, (ive always used vaseline) and put the bolts back in fill it back up with oil and your done.

[killerFatty]

On AllData it said there is an upper and lower oil pan gasket. Upper said 14 hours of labor to replace I don't know what all is involved with that, but the lower is only sapposes to take 2.2 hours. It only took me about 30 minutes to replace my friends oil pan gasket on his 96 mazda. All I did was pop out the 16 bolts and a solid hit with a mallet took care of it. Just make sure to clean both the pan's and engine's maiting surface. Good luck.

[VBdenny]

Before you do all that, check to make sure it is not the valve cover gaskets leaking. That is much more common and certainly an easier fix. They leak and it runs down the side of the engine and eventually drips. It is not very common to have the oil pan just start leaking.

[IS400]

Do you really want the worst case scenario? I had a drip, drip for a year or so and thought it was all the things you guys described. I added a quart of oil in the spring and one in the fall and thought I'd eventually re-seal the pan when I put in the turbo kit I'd been dreaming about doing since I have two other cars and all that...

...well as others here on the board know, the car puked it's front oil seal behind the harmonic balancer this spring and dumped huge amounts of oil in my driveway as I was warming it up. Three quarts in the time it took me to get my coat and purse and lock up the house before work!

I split the job up into two days. First to tear it down and the second to put it back together.

Unless you have done a timing belt before, I'd say it would take at least a long weekend to do a front oil seal. You have to tear it down to the same place as you would to replace a water pump or timing belt.

Not fun, but I saved the nearly 4K the Lexus Stealership wanted. I giggled at their quote and the tech guy said, "I know, a little steep isn't it?" I told him thanks but no thanks but I'd be by to pick up the $20 in parts it would take to do the job.

BTW, I don't like using those oil pan gaskets, they leak unless the surfaces are PERFECTLY flat. Gouges that go the whole width of the lip and warped areas from hammers and road debris leave leaks half the time. Use black permatex sealant (contact with oil and higher temps) like we do at the track, use the gasket or sealant, not both, unless the gasket is cork, not likely on these cars! Oiling the track will get you eyeballed and banned faster than having an OBAMA sticker on your ride!

No offense to anyone, BTW.

Good luck and HOPE the oil is not dripping from behind the harmonic balancer (little black plastic box hides the seal, but a square hole in the box is where the drip comes from if it is).

[aggiecarpenter]

So I wanted to update you guys on my oil leak. I finally got the chance to get up underneath the car this weekend to change the oil. The oil filter and plug were not leaking. I also checked the valve cover gaskets - no oil there. It looks like the only place oil is seeping out is at the lower oil pan seal. I went to the dealer and picked up a tube of the Toyota FIPG (form in place gasket). The oil pan is unobstructed in my 96 and looks like it is fairly straight forward to take off - thank goodness. Hopefully this will solve the issue. The leak is very slow and not a huge concern but it will be nice to get it fixed.

[RDM]

If indeed it is the lower pan, it's simple to remove/replace. Don't let it scare you, just make certain to thoroughly clean both sides well before applying any sealant, and don't overdo the sealant. Too much is just as bad as not enough, a chunk can break off and clog the oil pickup, starving the engine of oil.