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for the life of me i can’t figure out where this oil leak is coming from. the a/c compressor is wet all the way down passing the oil pan.
i already cleaned the underside of the engine to see where it’s coming from and only the compressor and the oil pan and parts of the control arms were wet.
A little background on the car itself 14” with 238,000 miles on it. So i know seals & hoses are gonna start to fail me soon. i’d just like to know where this leak is coming from. thank you
to anybody that replies. (P.S pls don’t shame me for the fram oil filter it was the only they had in stock at the parts store that day. i already got the mobil 1 filter ready to go)
Did you used a gasket sealer, then “seat” the cover? A pinched gasket could be the culprit. The oil you are seeing is not a drip but seeping
also, torquing the bolts is a suspect.
i did use gasket sealer & as well seated the cover and torqued the bolts in the right order too.
im going to go check right now to see if i see any oil seeping down from the valve cover. Ill get back to you with my findings.
You need to just clean the **** out of that thing and start keeping an eye on it. Way too hard to tell by pics online when the oil is literally on everything.
You need to just clean the **** out of that thing and start keeping an eye on it. Way too hard to tell by pics online when the oil is literally on everything.
will do. i’ll pressure wash the **** outta everything today.
edit: cleaned everything even up by the valve cover.
Last edited by ayeimjustmartin; Feb 10, 2022 at 03:10 PM.
Axel seal comes next - I have to DIY on list (spray down w brake cleaner, drive a few miles, then check that axel seal)
i changed out both axels last year but when i pressure wash everything and i mean literally everything i’ll report back my findings. thanks again for the help i really appreciate it.
X-3
Rear Valve Cover
2hours easy surgery
replace plugs and PCV while you back there
Originally Posted by User1
Bank 2 valve cover is what's leaking down the front of your motor. It's the corner above the alternator.
well fellas, i think i found the culprit, the oil pan gasket. everything around where the gasket meets the block is wet and everything above it is dry.
what do you guys think?
everything around both the valve covers are dry.
although i’m 90% sure it’s the oil pan gasket, how does the oil make its way to the compressor?
i can upload more pics if need be
EDIT: just found out nissan doesn’t use gaskets on the oil pan. Just using RTV will be enough ?
Last edited by ayeimjustmartin; Feb 12, 2022 at 11:07 AM.
RTV is what the factory service manual calls for. Looks like it's so bad that it's leaking under pressure and saturating everything. The grey sealant squish doesn't look factory. Can you get underneath it with the engine on and watch it leak?
Ok reporting back after being under the car while its on, i didnt see no drastic oozing coming out from the oil pan but i did notice that it did ever so slightly get saturated where the RTV is at. I believe it starts to become more prevalent once the RPM's go up and its under load.
As of right now i got my big-*** shop fan pointed right at the oil pan so it can cool down and i can atleast re-apply some fresh RTV while the new pan arrives.
RTV is applied during part installation. Pull old pan, clean both surfaces, Apply Ultra Grey to pan, install, 24hr cure (at least) done. Permatex The Right Stuff is insta-cure. The black stuff.
The FSM calls for an 1/8th" bead on the pan. I can post the FSM dox if you want, but it's not rocket science. Well, maybe it was for whatever monkey screwed it up last time.
Ultra Grey is the best. I'm not sure about what you have, but it will probably be fine. You need very little, so a tube like that is perfect. Cut the applicator tip to 1/8". Don't smear the bead around, let squeeze out. Too much and you run into problems too, you don't want small pieces of cured RTV breaking off inside the oil pan and clogging up the oil pickup or ending up in the passageways. It should look like this
I'm no expert myself and learned the hard way I'm not ashamed, either! This is my 7th gen engine swap thread from a couple years ago. Start at page 2, post #46 or so to see what NOT to do! The whole thread is a good read if you want to learn more about your engine. My swap engine was a very clean example.
I'm no expert myself and learned the hard way I'm not ashamed, either! This is my 7th gen engine swap thread from a couple years ago. Start at page 2, post #46 or so to see what NOT to do! The whole thread is a good read if you want to learn more about your engine. My swap engine was a very clean example.
that’s f**kin sick!
how’s it holding up today?
btw i got the job done & it’s been 24 hrs to let the RTV set. I’ll soon see if that was where the leak was coming from.
Thanks to everybody that helped me out! Lookin forward to being part of this community.
Should i mark this post solved now, or wait a few days to see if my leak went away?
Edit: i’m thinking about running thicker oil, simply due to the fact i got 220,490 on the dash currently & im in the dessert south west the summers here are brutal. something like 10w40 instead of the 5w-30 what do you think User1?
Last edited by ayeimjustmartin; Feb 14, 2022 at 11:17 AM.
Nice work. Drive a bit and check, then seal it up as solved.
5w-30 oil is what the manual calls for. Engineers account for all environmental conditions. If your logic is to reduce leakage, you're trying to put a bandaid on something that needs sutures.
that’s f**kin sick!
how’s it holding up today?
btw i got the job done & it’s been 24 hrs to let the RTV set. I’ll soon see if that was where the leak was coming from.
Thanks to everybody that helped me out! Lookin forward to being part of this community.
Should i mark this post solved now, or wait a few days to see if my leak went away?
Edit: i’m thinking about running thicker oil, simply due to the fact i got 220,490 on the dash currently & im in the dessert south west the summers here are brutal. something like 10w40 instead of the 5w-30 what do you think User1?
Clean the oil leak area again.
Wait a week
Report back your findings.
No, i just used swivel sockets and long/short wrenchs pretty much all i used. Although i was under the car for a good minute trying to go to those hard to reach bolts.
Clean the oil leak area again.
Wait a week
Report back your findings.
Good news the leak stopped its been about 2 weeks and haven't seen any leaks or the oil seeping through the gasket. Although i did get a different type of gasket maker. I ended up buying "the right stuff" because i didn't give the first gasket sealer shown in the picture above enough time to dry. I ended up dropping the oil pan twice in the end after the first day. Since applying the right stuff i havent seen any leaks. A BIG THANK YOU to everybody on this thread for helping me out! couldn't of done it without y'all
The reasoning behind me thinking about running thicker oil is cause of my high mileage, but youre right im going to stick to 5w 30. I woulda thought that by now due to the mileage my rings would start giving way and i would be burning oil but miraculously im not burning oil yet! *knocks on wood*
Thanks again for your help buddy! You were a big help!
The reasoning behind me thinking about running thicker oil is cause of my high mileage, but youre right im going to stick to 5w 30. I woulda thought that by now due to the mileage my rings would start giving way and i would be burning oil but miraculously im not burning oil yet! *knocks on wood*
Thanks again for your help buddy! You were a big help!
I started using a 5w-40 on my 155K mile max, BITOG says Mobil1 0-40 is the one to use. Glad you got the leak fixed!
I'm not ashamed, either! This is my 7th gen engine swap thread from a couple years ago. Start at page 2, post #46 or so to see what NOT to do! The whole thread is a good read if you want to learn more about your engine. My swap engine was a very clean example.
