oil leak still present

[GPdriver1986]

Ok where do I start, ever since I had the car I have been leaking oil (small amounts) so I replaced the o-ring. It was still leaking so I took a look again I noticed that the oil was leaking right above the drain plug, so I got a drain plug and put it on. I thought that the old drain plug was bad becuase it did not want to tighten. Now it stills leaks oil. I asked my auto teacher to take a look, he said that maybe my oil pan gasket (44$ CAN) is leaking. He also recommended that I cut a thicker gasket on the drain plug. He noticed that the oil pan was wet in the back. I was thinking that maybe it could be leaking from one the sensors : Knock sensor, or crank sensor. Any opinions?

[GPRACER]

Can also leak oil from the lower intake gaskets, fairly common problem. Mine has been leaking small amounts of oil from the intake for about 50k now. Not going to replace them until I get a coolant leak though.

[GPdriver1986]

its not leaking that high

[Redfox340]

its not leaking that high

 

How many miles?

I've got $10 on it that it's your Rear Main Seal.

I've seen in a most GM's with high mileage.

 

- Erik

[GPdriver1986]

110K miles or 165k km. I still think it might be leaking from either one of the gaskets on the sensors, oil pan gasket, or drain plug. I don't want to replace the oil pan gasket for 44$+oil 10$+filter5$.

[Robby1870]

Well if the oil pan gasket is leaking, you have to pull the motor to change it.......

 

Robby

[GPdriver1986]

do you think it could be leaking from the knock sensor or the crank position sensor? I know that the crank sensor has an o-ring but I'm not sure about the knock sensor.

[Robby1870]

I really bet its the oil pan gasket. But how much oil is it leaking? If its just some drops here and there, I wouldnt even worry about it

 

Robby

[SleeperRed90TGp]

Won't be the knock sensor leaking caus it's a blind threaded hole. As for the pan gasket you can change it without pulling the motor. Its not to bad. Take you 6 or so hours. Try re-tighten the pan bolts. Spray paint underneath your cs white so you can see if thats it. Good luck in finding your leak.

 

Jud

[GPdriver1986]

I sure hope its not the oil pan gasket it only leaks puddles the size of a quarter to the size of a small cookie ( if its been sitting longer). I'm gonna take a look at the crank sensor sometime, its not expensive to replace and its beneficial to the reliability of the engine.

[chronic139]

the crank sensor can be a pain in the ass with an auto tranny cause of the limited space. Just be careful you dont break the head off and leave the rest in the block.

[GPdriver1986]

I'm doing some research to see if it leaks when the engine is cold or hot. I usually see a drop of oil hanging from the drain plug but my auto teacher told me that the oil goes there because its the lowest point. I'm not sure if this applies to the crank sensor or not but my car stalled once when I was reversing and turning really fast. Sometimes it takes two starts to start the engine.

[GPdriver1986]

Ok heres what I did, I took a large sheet of metal and put it underneath the cold car for the night. The next morning there was no oil on it except for a couple of tiny drops. So I believe it only leaks when it is hot. I'm gonna check out the crank sensor soon and probably replace it.

[PaPaPooh]

im with redfox about the rear main seal drive it then do the metal and look to see if it is from the bell housing area

 

good luck

[n8n]

Before you sign yourself up for all that work, take some brake parts cleaner and shop air. Watch your eyes, and spray the cleaner all around the areas that you think are leaking. Thoroughly dry the areas with the shop air. Drive the car for an hour or so and take a look. You should see a new wet spot from where the leak is occurring.

[GPdriver1986]

Yes thats what my auto teacher told me to do, except he told me to use a pressure washer. I might consider using brake cleaner but I was thinking of using dish soap or simple green whichever is cheaper. It has to be clean to see where its leaking. I asked my auto teacher about the crank sensor is leaking he said its possible but he said not to change if you don't really know where the oil is leaking from. I'll have to put the car on some ramps and start scrubbing. Does anyone think that my crank sensor is failing because sometimes my car needs two starts and it stalled once when I was reversing while turning fast??????????????????