hmmm, i just took off and washed the upper alum. oil pan on the engine im about to drop in.
The oil is actually dripping off of the AC mounting bracket, which leads me to believe that your upper oil pan (liquid gasket) may be the cause.
If the oilpan is the problem. Right where the AC bracket mounts up, there is a very skinny place to put the gasket. It is supposed to go on the outside (rather than the inside like all of the other ones) of one of the pan bolts. The FSM says that the bead needs to be 5.0-5.5mm through that area.
Good luck. I hope, at least, to stir up conversation.

 

I got lucky. Mine had the same problem before i bought it so i made the dealer fix it.

 

Guess noone answered the UV dye question enough....you can find UV dye at checker (aka kragen, schucks). They also sell kits. The UV dye is one thing, but finding a good UV LAMP is another. If you have a few dollars, buy the kit...which includes dye, eyeglasses, lamp and a pretty box. The eyeglasses help filter out everything (light) but illuminated UV dye. I didn't find UV dye stuff at autozone or pep boys.

I ended up using checker UV dye for $6, and 1 hour of bay rental at $9. Used their(bay rental place's) UV lamp. I also have 2 or 3 more uses of the dye left (it came with 2 bottles in the dye package).

The whole kit runs like $50 at checker.

 

I had the same leak.

Turned out to be a bolt that needed to be torqued a little more on the timing cover gasket - the one most toward the front of the car, about 1/2 way down the side of the engine.

 

Since this thread has been dead for a year, I wanted to know if anyone fixed their leak and how.

 

I think I said above how I fixed it.

 

i had the same leak near the passenger side front tires. it was 2 drips about 2 inches apart. i went to autozone and bought a fluid called "Stop Engine Leaks". poured it in my engine and too my surprise the leak stopped the very next day. it was leaking for more than 3 months everyday before that.

 

well over a year later and the seals are still holding tight-
i think i ended up spending $2500 on the whole deal... needless to say I will be driving this thing til the wheels fall off- the sweet thing was I had to take back 4 times within the first repair because there were leaks that were missed... all no charge and they took their sweet time while I had an is300 loan car for a total of almost 6 weeks.... the fun I had in that thing without the worry of wear and tear..... aaaaahh- almost made getting the max fixed worth it...

 

k-man,

do you know which seals they replaced? What dealer did you take it to?

 

i took it to have the seals involving the oil pan resealed at a nissan dealership outside austin,tx- but this did not stop the leak- so i took it to sewell lexus here in dallas because i know a few good people that work there who i trust- plus you get a complimentary loaner lexus during the whole operation- they replaced almost every seal imaginable- they cleaned house in there and resealed almost everything- i don't have the work order with me, but i know there were 2 lower/rear seals, another minor one connecting the tranny/ and 1 main seal along with 2 valve cover seals or gaskets- i'll have to take another look at the list to get it all on here in a couple of days...

 

If you get a chance I would love the know the specific seal names, if you can read the work order that is. Most of the time the descriptions are abbreviated so much that you can't tell a gasket from a gas pedal....

 

from what i read on this site elsewhere was it was the oil pump leaking. mine leaks like mad even after changing the pressure switch

 

New to the forum. I just bought a 1998 SE 5-speed with very similar oil leak. I've been told the timing cover seal is the culprit. Estimated repair cost is $1,200 local (all labor since part(s) is less than $10!).
I just bought Lucas Oil Stabilizer (recommended by several mechanics) to slow oil leak and we'll see how that does. Lucas stabilizer is supposed to condition the failing seals. The leak before adding Lucas was a quart every 1500 miles. Not bad, but embarassing. I'll post back and let everyone know if Lucas helps.
The drops have been quarter-size as well, and the leaking does not continue when engine is cold.
BTW, oil sending unit replaced last month.

 

My personal Opinion: NEVER add ANY engine additive to your oil. If you have a Leak, FIX IT. To me thats like adding Fix-a-flat to a leaky tire; and calling the job done!