Hey guys, I need your individual expertise(s) on this. I was looking at the underside of my car, and it seems like there are (several?) leaking components. I've been told the oil sending unit is leaking, as well as the oil switch - or are these two the same thing? Does this correspond with the pictures? Is anything else leaking? I would like to know the estimated cost of repair and the seriousness of these problems/how fast I need to fix them. Sorry if a few of the pics are kind of blurry, the rest are really sharp! Thanks!



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:attention

 

honestly i see oil on the switch and the sending unit but that doesnt make me wanna jump on the bandwagon to replace it. If seen stiff as simple as a bad drainplug gasket make as much oil as that and when you move you def get a wash towards rear of car. Degrease clean and remonitor .....a sendin unit is an easy job....imo

 

obviously, it is your oil pressure switch that's leaking the oil.

 

man apart from the oil uderneath yur car is clean yu made sure none of yur axle boots are broken looks like heated grease

 

its the oil pressure switch, its like 8 dollars or rear valve cover, or camshaft seal

 

Is the engine oil sensor separate from the oil pressure switch, or are they one and the same? Different parts I would think, but not sure.

 

Been there done that... it was my rear valve cover. If it was your oil switch, you wouldnt have oil on your control arm. On my car it was dripping down on the side of the block onto the axle, control arm and oil pressure switch and oil pan.

 

Oil pressure sending unit.. It's like 10 bucks.

I had this happen on my 99 SE-L. It crapped out when I was driving and didn't notice until I got home. It wasnt' leaking like that, it was pouring out!. Good thing I was only like 2 miles away from home. Oil was everywhere under the car, even on the control arm.

 

Thanks for all the replies guys, I'll try to get one tomorrow. Installation, however, is a different story.. I guess since we're at it, I think I may need a speed sensor as well. My speedometer/tripometer are semi-functional, meaning it registers miles when it wants to. I am getting code 0104, so.. I've heard they run around $35, but how easy is it to replace for a to do? Thanks!

 

Ant is right. I had exact same collections of oil and it was the rear VC. Don't waste your money on the OP sensor. Fixing the Rear VC is easy and free(Actually $5 for RTV). Everybody thinks their OP sensors are going bad but its really the VC leaking. All those people realize after they replaced the OP unit that the leak is still going on. Then they realize that Ant is right. When he told me it was the rear VC I didn't want to believe him but he was right. I had other leaks too but this contributed.

 

^^ That wasn't the case for me. I inspected my rear VC seal and it was bone dry up there. Everywhere above the OP sensor was complete clean and dry. Underneith the car was a different story.

 

yes broaner and ant is right, after i changed my OP switch it started to leak again but its my rear valve cover.

 

sry to rob the thread but i have a lil oil leak also and was wondering if someone could send me the link on how to replace the rear vc gasket and front for that matter or how to fix it -thanks -also how much oil were u guys leaking when this was happening b/c i am getting like 4-5 drops like half dollar size which i feel is a pretty decent amount

 

also if it is my valve cover gaskets either the front or back would i be able to see this leak from the top of the engine like looking under the hood? right my by timing chain cover on the lower left it is like all gooky with grease can that be it but it doesnt seem to be dripping from there-no matter where i look it seems like it is coming from another spot

 

The VC gaskets do not need to be replaced. Just the liquid section needs to be redone. The rear is more difficult because it entails removing the IM. Steps are as follows.

1. Remove IM
2. Remove VC
3. Scrap old liquid gasket material.
4. Apply new RTV.
5. Put it back together.(VC bolts are torqued to ~5lbs)

 

The rear valve cover has a section on the corner where the firewall is at.. its called the cam journals. Its a piece of the head and valve cover that the gasket doesnt seal well. The old silicone by now is long and dry and hardened. You really dont even need to replace the gasket, just put a heavy bead of silicone there and you'll be okay.

Just remember to TORQUE it down the correct way.. its a 5 to 6 hour job for the first timers out there to remove the intake manifold and rear valve cover.. its honestly not a hard job, just very very tedious.

 

thanks a lot guys-its just called RTV -nothing specific?-also about how much does it run and where can i get it-one bottle or 2 ?-last question-about how much on avg is the 2 gaskets -since im there i guess i might as well replace them but on avg how much do they run

 

gaskets go from 8 to 30 dollars?

 

hey buddy i had the same exact problem couple of weeks ago and i took to my friend who works at the nissan dealership and he changed my oil pressure switch and now its perfectly fine.. so trust me and everyone else when we say thats ur problem.

 

The rubber gaskets do not need to be replaced if they look fine. If they are cracked, brittle or torn then they need to be replaced.

RTV can be found and most auto parts stores. The color isn't important. Just be sure it says, High temp RTV sealant.

 

There is no way you guys can say you know for sure where the leaks are coming from, we can only speculate... the best thing to do is (either yourself, or a mechanic) get a uv dye, put it in your engine, clean/wipe leaks, drive it a couple days. and check it with a black light. IMO it looks like your oil pan gaskets- both upper and lower pans. possibly the oil pressure switch and rear valve cover gasket. Except for maybe valve cover leaks, u can't be absolutly sure untill you clean your leaks and then check'em with a uv dye. good luck man.

 

Holy the underneath of your car is clean.
damn dirty roads in Canada.

 

Once again... been there done that.

I had the same exact leak, on the control arm, and oil pan. It *looks* like its from the upper oil pan gasket but its not.

Whatever, no matter how I try to help everyone always tries to knock it down anyway.

 

I believe you man, im not saying you are wrong. but im just saying it may be all of the above. because that was my case...

 

Can you give a more detailed discription? this sound interesting... im gonna have to take a look at this in the FSM