scott37300

This is my first post besides the introduction, I tried searching for oil leaks but didn't find what I was looking for but might not have been using the right words. My grandma has a 04 impala 3.8 that has been a very good car for her since she bought new. It has a small oil leak, doesn't leave any puddles but can see oil on the engine and collecting on the pan bolts. It is coming from the rear passanger side of the engine.

I took it to a shop and they didn't seem to confident. They told me "Oil pan kit for 460 bucks, and possible other oil or power steering leaks". I can see oil higher up on the engine then the pan so don't think the pan will solve the whole problem, maybe part of the problem but think there is more higher. I am going to try and use an engine degreaser to clean things up and see if I can see where the leak is coming from. I also have an oil dye kit but never used it before, http://www.tooltopia.com/tracerline-tp8647.aspx.

First question is any ideas where this oil leak might be coming from or how to trace it down so I"m not just throwing parts at it?

Second question is how hard is it to change the oil pan gasket? The gasket itself is only 50 bucks but they are charging 400 in labor. I will get under there and look for myself sometime this week but is there that much stuff in the way or something else that makes it that big of a job? I've never seen a pan gasket that looks like this one before so maybe there is more to it than just dropping the pan and installing new one?

Thanks for any help you can send my way. I also have some coolant questions but will start a new thread for those after doing some searching.

Scott

scott37300

83 views and not a word of advice?

rsinsel

Turn the wheels to the left all the way. Using a light look in the wheel well up and behind the oil filter. You will see an oil pressure switch very close to the oil pump. Check that. Mine leaked in the area you described and that was it. Otherwise it is either your intake manifold or rear value cover. It could be a pan gasket, but I wonder about that. In over 225,000 miles on my '02, I've had a coolant leak and an oil leak from my intake and that pressure sensor leak. Not much else. I will see if I can attach a picture later.

scott37300

Thanks for the reply. I put some tracer dye in the car a couple days ago and I'm going to check things out this week, giving it some time for the dye to show up and also get a little warmer! I don't think it's the pan either, it could be but if so I think there is another leak up higher also then. Oil sensor would be a nice easy fix. Hoping it's not the LIM. I bought an engine rotator to be able to see the backside of the engine easier so one night this week I will get the light out and see if I can find the leak.

Thanks again.

osbornk

If it's not leaking enough to drip, I wouldn't worry about it. I've had a lot of cars, including 14 new company cars, and several of them had wet oil and/or transmission pans. The pans were still wet at 200,000+ miles with no problems and they didn't leak enough to cause the oil level to drop.