About how much does a rear main seal replacement on an 03 Maxima cost if taken to a shop? I do most of my own work on my car but I don't have the tools or really the inclination to do the rear main seal myself.

 

Then you don't fix it. Book time is 7 hrs lol and half moon on oil pan needs replaced, too.

Throw a bottle of AT-205 in and hope it's enough.

 

LOL that's EXACTLY what I was just looking at online- hard to believe even Scotty Kilmer recommends that stuff so I'll sure give it a shot.If it doesn't fix it or slow it down significantly then yeah I'll probably just keep cases of oil in the trunk. Thx

 

That's a pretty fair price for taking out the transmission and tearing the bottom of the engine apart.

 

That's just for the RMS. Book time on oil pan is 5 hrs.

Since there's no pressure, I bet you could seal the half moon from the outside, though.

 

It's cheaper and faster to put another engine in.

 

Here's the reason I ask:
I sold my 02 Maxima yesterday (for $2300.)
I bought this 03 today for $500:




Yes it is a "beater" car, yes there are a couple of issues like the oil leak and the alternator is bad. But I was able to jump the battery on it and drive it briefly and it seems to drive just fine.
The seller said it was a rear main seal leak, and not too bad, so I was just going to go the AT-205 route.
HOWEVER, when i got it home I parked it in the driveway, when I came back out a few hours later there is a nice puddle of oil but it did not seem to be coming from the rear main seal area (or transmission bell housing)-- it seemed to be located directly under the oil pan. Now I never paid much attention to the shape of the oil pan on my 02 Maxima, but does this pan look damaged (dented in) to you all?:





If so, could I get lucky and fix the leak just by replacing the lower pan and gasket?

 

Looks like you found your leak. That is a deformed pan. It may not be making a seal. Put a piece of cardboard under the car overnight. Driver side RMS leak would be directly underneath where the bell housing and engine mate. Lower oil pan leak is on the other (passenger) side of the engine, well, right under the oil pan. New oil pans are $20 on ebay and not much more at the dealer. Nice find for $500! I would have paid that without an engine if the body was straight.

Add: No gasket, RTV for lower pan.

 

Thanks for that info I am keeping my fingers crossed that's what it is- the oil puddle was DEFINITELY under the passenger side, right under the pan,. I thought at first the drain plug was leaking until I saw the deformity in the pan.

 

You may have lucked out! Lower pan = easy fix, RMS, don't even bother, just 7th gen swap

 

Dam the cars are nice by you. People take that for granted. That wouldn't be a beater car around here. It would get a rebuilt engine and a paint job.

 

Missed this earlier-- so you don't use a lower pan gasket at all-- just RTV sealant? What is the particular reason for this (I assume better seal?)

 

Per the FSM.

 

Yes thanks you are correct- just watched a youtube video that confirmed Nissan only used RTV sealant on the lower pan at the factory.
Any particular brand recommended? (Permatex etc?)

 

Factory or Ultra Grey is what the FSM calls for. Here is the copy I use:

https://cardiagn.com/2003-nissan-max...ir-manual-pdf/

 

oil cooler/warmer seal can leak a lot, too

 

Got it--thanks again!

 

I will take a look at this area as well, thx

 

I'm finding aftermarket replacement pans on ebay for around $20 but new Nissan ones (from dealership or otherwise) are well over $100!
Is there any particular aftermarket brand that you prefer as a suitable substitute to OEM or should I just be able to grab any $20 one off ebay and be OK? Were the genuine Nissan ones baffled whereas the aftermarket ones are not (and does that make a significant difference?)
Thx

 

The pan isn't compromised by those pics.

 

Maybe it is and maybe it isn't. I'll say this- I removed the pan today and not only did it come off REAL easily (as though the RTV seal had been broken), but there were TWO crush washers on the drain plug, plus someone seemed to have added sealant on top of them.
Obviously I hope you are incorrect as it would be a fantasticly easy fix. At any rate I'm buying a new one, so we'll see.

 

RTV could be ****ed, but I don't think it's leaking physically. Although, rtv on the bolt says they stripped it.

 

Yup, replace it anyway.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lower-Engin...QAAOSwXbFb5fl2

 

Plus, you lost your sump. That monstrous dent is directly underneath the pickup.

 

Thank you for that link User1! That seller is very close to my location so hopefully I can get a replacement by the weekend!
I did not think about the sump, hopefully the level being too high due to that dent caused it to leak... keeping my fingers crossed it's that easy of a fix!

BTW do you happen to have a link to a good alternator listing as well? I found this one for a decent price:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2002-2003-N...53.m1438.l2649

However want to be sure I am not missing a better deal somewhere! Thx

 

The pickup isn't flat, though, there's a big gap. That's why they revised it in later years, so they wouldn't run dry on oil so easily.

 

Either way, if you've determined your oil leak to be on the passenger side and not the RMS, whatever it is that is leaking will be an easier fix than the RMS! Check oil cooler seal as Child stated, too, it is stupid easy to replace.

As far as alternators, I never did any research on stock stuff. I planned ahead for a stereo and so I'm running this one:

https://www.dcpowerinc.com/collectio...3-5l-v6-vq35de

 

That's more than I paid for the car...

 

Alternator is a big job though. I'd go new aftermarket through local parts store for return purposes god forbid it was necessary. Not sure I'd wanna play the odds on a used unit. Lots of work I'd hate to have to do again after 1k miles and finding out it has a bad diode and pulls my battery dead if left sitting for 24hrs.

As far as your RMS though, were you able to rule that out?

 

TBH there is some oil residue on and around the bell housing as well. I'll take pictures tomorrow. There probably is something going on there as well but it doesn't seem nearly as bad as what I was seeing from the passenger side. I'm still going to go ahead and order a bottle of the AT-205 and try that out.

 

Oh and I'm glad someone else on here agrees with me that the alternator on this car is a big job- I did it on my 99 without too much trouble but for some reason on this 03 it just gave me a formal beatdown. That front bolt bracket is the biggest PITA I've had to deal with in quite a while. I finally got it out, after about 3 hours... :P Hope I didn't kink any of the compressor lines in the process.

 

Oh, cmon, alty is so easy on FWD nissans lol It's easy on RWD, too, but there's less room.

You guys are using the wrong tools lol.

 

Do you need 270a or would 200a suffice? Just threw this one into my car, it's great with my setup.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/200-Amp-136...-/352509577562

 

When my alternator failed a year ago, I took it to a one-man local starter/alternator shop and watched him replace the internal regulator diode set. He inspected everything, charged me $55, I gave him $60 and told him to keep the change.

 

My setup is all stock, I ended up buying this remanufactured one:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1998-1999-2...72.m2749.l2649

 

I knew you'd come back with some kind of drivel like that. SInce it's so easy explain to us exactly how or what I could have done differently to make it so. I followed the exact same procedure everyone else does to get it out (jack the car up, remove right front wheel and cover, pull idler pulley and tensioner, pull belt, pull AC compressor and move it out of the way, try to figure out how the hell to get in an incredibly tight space around a bunch of other crap to get to the mounting bolts--especially the front one behind that insane bracket-- and wriggle the thing free out from the bottom.) Dealing with stuck bolts and a myriad of other parts, hoses and lines in the way adds time and frustation. But I'm sure you're going to claim you had yours out in 20 minutes so please enlighten us all.
The only way I'll buy what you're selling is if you have a lift in your garage, otherwise your spewings grow wearisome and it's time you actually shot a video or two so you can put your money where your mouth is. Do another engine swap while you're at it since that only takes you 2 hours.

 

Hey chop, relax! You take this forum stuff way too seriously! Child knows his stuff and has been on this forum a while. He helped me a lot during my build and poked fun at me while he was at it. I never once thought he came across as condescending or demeaning the way you think he and others do when they interject with sarcasm or exaggeration. It's all good, man. No one here is talking smack! By the way, good find on that ebay reman! That thing looks awesome AND has a warranty. I'd feel good about that one too. 99.9% seller rating, can't beat that either! I love ebay.

 

I stick my hand in there and use whatever size and combo of extensions to reach it. That's literally the ONLY bolt that takes effort. There's practically nothing in the way LOL. That bolt is just recessed. Pry on the alty a bit and pull it out. Is everyone weak or something (I think this is a lot of it)?

Every single thing people ****ing cry about: "OMG, intake manifold took hours to get off!" No. "I spent all day on valve covers" No. The time it takes for all the cry babies on here to do a simple I job, I could literally pull the engine. And, no, I don't have any talent for it. If you can't do stuff by feel, then you're gonna have a bad time.
AC compressor mount bolts are the most difficult every time I do one. For some reason they love to get stuck in there hard. Book time is 1.6 and that's probably reasonable taking it slow.

If you have a hard time getting a tool to work, then it's not the correct one for the job. You need 3* degree or less ratchets (a non fat *** 1/4 is a necessity), every extension length, quality U joints, and ratchet wrenches. That will get get most jobs done easily.

 

"suffice" for what? Based on Ohm's Law, "suffice" for me is the capability to maintain three AGM group 31 batteries feeding a 4-5kW stereo draw.

 

And there ya go!

I guess it's just me, but this is the kind of concise, pragmatic advice I appreciate the most. I can figure out the rest. Plus, I happen to have a dry sense of humor myself, which is probably why I chuckle at most of his responses.