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The dealer has confirmed that I have a rear main seal leak on my 2003 - 176,000 mile car. They wanted $2000 to fix it. LOL.
Upon searching this forum, even the most advanced Maxima enthusiasts say don’t bother messing with it. It is a complicated fix.
It began as 1-2 drops of oil dropped on the garage floor once a week to the point where I am getting 1-2 drops of oil everyday. Still not bad and doesn’t affect my overall oil level.
The more oil it leaks, the more I want to fix it. Anyone successful in fixing their rear main seal? How complicated was it? Should I just ignore it? Will ignoring it lead to anything major down the road?
How did they confirm it was the RMS and not the upper oil pan seal which is under the RMS? There are two plans of attack to replace one or the other which would give different labor rates. The upper oil pan seal(s) can be replaced by removing the oil pans (might need to remove some of the exhaust?). The RMS can only be replaced with the trans removed.
I have all the tools to do the job so it's easy for me to say fix it. For me it really doesn't matter which seal is leaking, I would remove the trans and replace anything that's worn out. I will admit, I took a short cut when replacing the RMS and oil seal. I did not drop the oil pan, I just crammed the seal into place. You can see a few pictures when I did mine HERE.
Thanks to all for the feedback. Since the car is almost 20 years old, even $700 would be a lot of money to put into such an old car. I have done my own maintenance and repair on this car for many years. That is why it has been affordable. I have done timing chain covers, replace entire AC system etc. I will see how long I want to keep this car and decide from there. I am eyeing a Lexus.
Thanks to all for the feedback. Since the car is almost 20 years old, even $700 would be a lot of money to put into such an old car.
Mine turns 23 this coming MAR with just a little under 178K miles. I wouldn’t give mine up for almost anything, especially a new/newer vehicle. With proper maintenance and upkeep (and as long as parts remain available) both you and I have at least another 10 to 15 years.
If you’d like to hear a bunch of us give you some alternative perspectives, let us know … I’ve even got some math you can do to show how inexpensive (and worth it) your Maxima really is.
It's definitely doable if you have a weekend to spare. Just take things one step at a time and there's nothing there that's super difficult. I think the most time-consuming part of that job is dealing with the dang RTV sealant on the oil pans so I'd recommend getting some tools to help with that ahead of time.
i currently have this leak confirmed from a shop, (though i didn't know of the upper oil pan possibility) and yea that shop said take it to an transmission guy we know, and at that point i knew it would be a lot, and so I just continue to watch the oil as close as I did before since i have high miles and moved on. i don't worry about it much.
70% of the cars I see on a Daily basic, are leaking Something, even the new ones.I can tell you that with age and time everything seeps or leaks. Imo, Leave it alone. Keep the Oil checked and roll on.
This job can be done at home in a weekend if you have never done it before. In the hands of the Nissan Guy in the shop, Just a few hours. This Typically Is a Lower Re-Seal. Upper lower pans, RMS and Converter Seal. I typically would Inspect and Service the axle seals at this time and Service the Trans aswell.
Last edited by Reality sucks; Jan 13, 2023 at 03:04 PM.
Hello. I'm new to posting here though lurked from time to time.
So, I have >280k miles on my 01 20th Anniversary manual I bought new and it runs like the day I bought it.
Thought I'd lost my mind at over $30k on a car. Holy McGruder!
So, I've spent $ on routine maintenance, second clutch, plug set, fuel pump, AC clutch, alternator, a few brake jobs, this and that.
For the RMS I would shop the $2k bid like others recommend.
I look at where my car and I have gone and enjoyed for decades. It's been a super good car for sure.
What will I replace it with and what will THAT cost? Add tags, insurance...
Can't measure all cars by book value. A 1967 Corvette big block convertible was under $5k new.
you won't know for sure what's leaking until the transmission is out but at that point it's best to do the rear main seal and upper pan due to the way it's designed. it's a little tricky to put on too, I had to do it twice because I pinched the seal putting it onto the crank.
when I first got my 02 ( December of 2012 with 175,000 miles) the throw out bearing went out and after the car was towed with a wheel lift I spotted a leak on the driveway. I assumed it was the rear main seal but it was actually the half moon gasket on the upper oil pan. I only did the rear main seal since I had the tranny out..
I would do the upper pan first and see if that solves it. it's a pretty easy job but you gotta make sure to do some good prep on the pan and bottom of the block . I even waited 24 hours for the ultra gray to fully cure before I even put oil into the engine and drive the car. I even had the oil pan media blasted and cleaned. it's been 10 years and I'm at 327,000 miles right now and I still have no leak. consumes oil like a mufuka but no leaks..
here's a pic I took of a pan I installed on my 7th gen engine that I'm prepping. even though my engine still runs strong I hear a slight knock. I don't think it's a rod because it hasn't gotten worse and I beat the **** out of this engine, the ECU was flashed by Nisformance and I'm constantly bouncing off the 7,200 RPM limiter. I'm thinking it's a timing issue cause it has a slight hesitation around 7,000 RPM.. the engine has had start up rattle since I first got it 10 years ago.
I also get a quick puff of smoke out of the exhaust when I let it idle a long time..
ignore that Fram filter, I just threw it on to keep any debris out... I normally use the Fram Ultra XG7317
Last edited by uptownsamcv; Dec 30, 2022 at 07:44 AM.
have you tried AT-205 reseal?
worth a shot, pour it in your engine oil https://amzn.to/3G6xk2i
no, I have not tried any additives. I do use high mileage oil. I am afraid to put any thing in my engine. Some of the feedback is that the 205 reseal made it worse.
you won't know for sure what's leaking until the transmission is out but at that point it's best to do the rear main seal and upper pan due to the way it's designed. it's a little tricky to put on too, I had to do it twice because I pinched the seal putting it onto the crank.
when I first got my 02 ( December of 2012 with 175,000 miles) the throw out bearing went out and after the car was towed with a wheel lift I spotted a leak on the driveway. I assumed it was the rear main seal but it was actually the half moon gasket on the upper oil pan. I only did the rear main seal since I had the tranny out..
I would do the upper pan first and see if that solves it. it's a pretty easy job but you gotta make sure to do some good prep on the pan and bottom of the block . I even waited 24 hours for the ultra gray to fully cure before I even put oil into the engine and drive the car. I even had the oil pan media blasted and cleaned. it's been 10 years and I'm at 327,000 miles right now and I still have no leak. consumes oil like a mufuka but no leaks..
here's a pic I took of a pan I installed on my 7th gen engine that I'm prepping. even though my engine still runs strong I hear a slight knock. I don't think it's a rod because it hasn't gotten worse and I beat the **** out of this engine, the ECU was flashed by Nisformance and I'm constantly bouncing off the 7,200 RPM limiter. I'm thinking it's a timing issue cause it has a slight hesitation around 7,000 RPM.. the engine has had start up rattle since I first got it 10 years ago.
I also get a quick puff of smoke out of the exhaust when I let it idle a long time..
ignore that Fram filter, I just threw it on to keep any debris out... I normally use the Fram Ultra XG7317
This definitely looks a bit too advanced for my skill set.
This definitely looks a bit too advanced for my skill set.
It starts off with a new rear main seal, then coil packs, then warped plastic valve covers, then spark plugs, then oxygen sensors then timing chain tensioner. After all that, you will still have an oil burner.
It starts off with a new rear main seal, then coil packs, then warped plastic valve covers, then spark plugs, then oxygen sensors then timing chain tensioner. After all that, you will still have an oil burner.
you forgot the engine mounts and connectors that get brittle and break when you disconnect them.
I'm gonna shill for AT 205, again. No engine leaks on my stuff or anything that I work on. I use it engine/tranny/diffs/xfer case and PS if regular stop leak doesn't work. Xfer case seals are the only ones that like to leak after 200k.
I'd nurse it until it's time to use that labor effort for something worthwhile...like 2nd/3rd gen swap. Guess you'll just have to 6 speed swap, too
Last edited by Child_uv_KoRn; Jan 12, 2023 at 08:26 PM.
So people swap to the 3rd Gen engine for what, to avoid EVAP stuff? Here I was thinking that the swapping to the 3.5l engines was what people did.
Cost of the engine, power potential (absolutely need a tune. It's worth it), and fixes the main shortcoming of the first gen de (oil consumption).
I'm also in the boat that I doubt op has a leaking rear main. It's just not a common thing on the vq. My de-k had a pretty significant oil leak that I was positive was a rear main. Started slow and over a couple years got bigger and bigger. Finally decided to do the half moon seals and the rear one was cracked. Oil leaks gone.
Edit: holy crap this post is a year old? Wtf is it doing back on the first page?
Last edited by slvr2KSE5; Jan 17, 2023 at 06:49 PM.
I had my tranny out last year and just from having the engine leaning too long a bit of oil seep out. it's been over a year and even tough I didn't do anything about that seepage I have no leaks till this day.
the upper oil pan isn't too hard to do. I go overboard on prepping the pan and mating surfaces as well as let the RTV cure for 24 hours before putting the oil in and driving the car. I also use a premade gasket for the lower pan..
this is all good to know, cuz i had a shop look into my leak in that area and they "determined" rear main seal and take it to a transmission specialist down the road to fix the leak
Thanks to all for the feedback. Since the car is almost 20 years old, even $700 would be a lot of money to put into such an old car. I have done my own maintenance and repair on this car for many years. That is why it has been affordable. I have done timing chain covers, replace entire AC system etc. I will see how long I want to keep this car and decide from there. I am eyeing a Lexus.
I have an 04 Maxima SE
I have had the Trans rebuilt at 240kmiles then I purchased a used motor and had it almost all the way rebuilt at 310k along with all shocks replaced and wheel bearings.
Dash his still in tack and all lights on dashwork.
Car has 350k miles on it and runs like a bat out of hell.
If you love the car it is def worth getting the work done.
Cheaper than a car payment over time.
Just my opinion
I hang on to cars.
same here, I'm at 353,XXX miles and I haven't had a car payment in 10 years, the car runs great. I'm taking it in for a paint job next week. once it's painted all I really need is new carpet and seats shampooed.
