Sad day, found a leak, Not happy.

[Cpt. Ray T]

So, today, put the ole girl up on the lift to change the diff fluid. As this was the first time I had it on a lift I figured I would poke around a bit. Went up front and noticed some oil on the bottom of the oil pan Up front. The small cross member under the pan was damp with oil as were the two hard lines that run across just behind the oil pan. Block looked dry above the pan everywhere I could see, and removed the inspection plate and looked in at the fly wheel and looked dry in there also. So I fear I may have a leak in my pan gasket. Cleaned everything off good, going to drive it a few days and put it back up to see if I can get a better idea of where it's coming from, but that is my thought for now. Checked the oil and still showing full with about 2k miles on the last oil change, so the leak ain't that bad (At the moment) but I don't like it.



So any input or suggestion on this diagnosis is welcome. Now I know it's leaking I am starting to smell some oil burning, but I think it is from spraying everything off, I am sure I got some on an exhaust pipe. It's not bad enough to visibly see any smoke or vapor, but just a hint of smell.



And finally, if it is the oil pan gasket, anyone have any experience on what this will cost me to have done. Looking at it, that may be a job that I shouldn't tackle myself on the floor of my little shop.



As always, thanks in advance for the help.

[CamaroBarb]

Its a car, they all leak oil, forget about it.

[Rons1le]

Are you sure it was engine oil and not transmission fluid? Red or brown? The 2 lines are for the gear box and go to the radiator.

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[Camaro2ss2010]

Originally Posted by CamaroBarb

Its a car, they all leak oil, forget about it.

Not an accurate statement

[InFiD3ViL]

If it is from the pan, hopefully it is something minor that can be tolerated or the pan tightened.

For up front motor oil leaks on an LS, the possible leak points are front cover, crank seal, cam position sensor o-ring, and pan gasket. For the pan gasket, luck is on your side as they are really good gaskets from the factory. If thats it, I would try retorquing your pan bolts before going further.

Just pray it's something else. There are only 2 ways you are replacing that gasket. 1st - cutting out your crossmember to drop the pan and then reconnecting it somehow (There are instructions on how to make a removable crossmember). 2nd - Removing the engine or lifting it enough for space to get the pan off.

If I had to do this I would do the first option and have the crossmember fabbed up with some steel plate tabs and bolt it back in so it can be removed whenever you need. This is only if it was a major leak. A few people here have already done similar.

[Cpt. Ray T]

Originally Posted by Rons1le

Are you sure it was engine oil and not transmission fluid? Red or brown? The 2 lines are for the gear box and go to the radiator.

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While I am not prepared to make a guarantee, I am fairly confident it was engine oil. Didn't smell or look like trans fluid. But there is a possibility of error there. Will know more when I re-inspect now that I cleaned it all up.



On a side note, I have not seen so much as a drop on my garage floor, so It must not be too bad, YET.



Just hate the thought of a car with only 56k miles with a leak, but then again, it is 10 years old, so I guess, things do dry out and fail. Wont panic about it, but will be getting that fixed shortly. Don't want it getting worse.

[InFiD3ViL]

Originally Posted by Cpt. Ray T

Just hate the thought of a car with only 56k miles with a leak

I know exactly how you feel man. Nobody wants a leaky engine. But for some reason it bothers me a lot as well. I am dealing with a similar issue right now on an engine with only 1000 miles on it.

My new LS3 has a small oil leak somewhere from up front and I haven't been able to find it yet. I had a hard time with the cam sensor, so I am hoping it is that. I am going to check all the pan bolts next. The front crank seal is brand new ACDelco, but they are sensitive to misalignment of the front cover, so that is a possibility as well. I am wondering if my engine guy used RTV on the corners of the front cover like all LS engines should have, so I will also check that. And of course, maybe the front cover gasket is where it is coming from. I don't know, but until I find it, it will drive me nuts. Luckily I have all the tools needed to get the front of the engine disassembled and leak free when the time comes, thanks to the recent engine swap.

This engine was pristine when I installed it and I took the time to paint it and make sure it was spotless. The thought of motor oil all over my nice new shiny engine is making me cringe. So I do get it. But you will find the leak and you will deal with it somehow and that will be that. Don't worry too much. Just address it before it makes a mess of your undercarriage and keep an eye on your levels.

[Avenging Orange]

Originally Posted by Camaro2ss2010

Not an accurate statement

More accurate than you know.
I have never owned anything that over time has not leaked something.

[CamaroBarb]

Originally Posted by CamaroBarb

Its a car, they all leak oil, forget about it.

Famous last words. I don't like leaks either but I've never owned a car that didn't leak a little something. I had cars that leaked alot of oil and spent alot trying to stop leaks that just came back. Unless its something leaking alot of oil I don't worry about it. A little oil makes a big mess so it looks much worse that it is. Rear main seal leaked on my last Camaro enough to spot the driveway but in 5k miles I never had to add any oil. Another thing is today every one thinks their car has to be perfect, HAHA its never going to happen!

Once a week I check all the levels under the hood. This way I'm always on top of what may be going on. If you don't you're HOPING everything is ok. One thing on these cars that can't be checked is automatic transmission level except by lifting the car and doing ridicules procedure designed to get your car back to the dealer for wallet draining. Be forewarned have it checked by someone at least every 25k miles and look for leaks around the transmission.

[Rock-It Man]

Although I disagree that "all cars leak", I would have to say that many 10 year old cars do leak.

I have 2010 SS as well. It has about 70,000 miles and there isn't the slightest hint of oil anywhere. But this is a first for me. Maybe it's because the car sits in a warm garage all winter and the gaskets never get cold and brittle. All my winter cars have leaked sooner or later, and certainly sooner than 10 years.

However, many leaks are not worth fixing if they require major surgery yet don't cause much oil loss or a big mess in the engine bay.

[Cpt. Ray T]

Thanks guys. While it will drive me nutz, it won't be the first thing around me that drives me nutz. Once I find it, I will feel way better about it. Just knowing where it is coming from seems to ease up the crazy for some reason. Of course, now I will need to figure out the trans fluid check thing, as that slight margin of error is enough that I will not sleep till I get that checked, or figure out how to check it myself. I looked around under the hood today, looking for a dipstick, reading the post above, I now know why I couldn't find it... So time to consult "Google" or "Bing" for that one I guess. I will keep an eye on the levels, try to pull sticks and look around at least once a week myself. And the fabbed removable cross member trick sounds like not a bad idea if it comes to that. For for now, I am crossing my fingers and hoping it just looked far worse than it really is. Still not seeing any signs of any drips on the floor in the shop, so their is that. Anyway, again, I appreciate all the input.

[xstuntman]

Somebody does make a spray that goes on a freshly cleaned exterior to make a new seal. Can't remember the name off hand but it looks like your spraying a candy apple coat. Tacky as all get out. I've used it on several 350s (always leakers) over the years and it does work. Think its in a copper colored spray can.

[ron123]

My SS had a drip from near the top of the oil pan noticed when a year old. The flange for the oil cooler on drivers side of oil pan needed to have the bolts snugged up about 3/4 of a turn and that stopped it.

[1JEWLDSSRS]

I had a similar leak a few months ago when we had the Camaro up on the lift, checked the pan bolts and found 4 of them that needed about a half turn to snug them up and that took care of it, and it was the front passenger side of the pan that was leaking, but like yours, it wasn't bad. Now we are all good for the last 6 or so months. Good luck sir. Oh, I hate leaky cars too, drives me nuts.