tonymich

which should I do first?

1. Repair rear main seal leak, or
2. Repair crank seal leak

I have noticed small amounts of oil on the floor of my grage, and these are the problems according to my Nissan mechanic.

Also, how important is it to do this immediately?

thanks

Daniel B. Martin

The rear main seal is more costly than the front main seal because of the labor involved. It is necessary to remove the transaxle in order to reach the rear main seal.

Please get a second opinion before proceeding. Many oil leaks come from easily-fixed problems such as a leaky oil filter or oil pressure sending unit.

Small oil leaks tend to spread out and look big. How much oil are you losing? How many miles can you go before you have to add one quart? If the number is larger than 1,000 then I would "just live with it".

Some leakage problems are the aggregate of several small leaks. If you fix only the inexpensive leaks you may reduce the problem to an acceptable level.

You may safely postpone repairs as long as you check the engine oil level frequently and replenish as required. If you ever see the Oil Pressure warning light go on, stop the engine immediately.