Oil pan gasket replace

[sgupta]

Got a leak in the oil pan gasket Nissan Sentra 97. Though no oil drops onto the ground of my parking garage, I still see pretty damp spots below the engine especially.

One of the nearby mechanics I showed the car to recommended replacing the oil pan gasket and has quoted around $270 for the same. I'm planning to show it to another mechanic for a quote from him tomorrow but if anyone has an experience of getting the gasket replaced, it will be great to have their experience.

Also, given that I will be getting the oil pan gasket replaced, what other parts can I replace nearby (like seals or front and rear mounts of the engine if need be) without additional labor.

I dont have any idea of the engine related work and hence, it will be helpful to get some idea before giving the car for servicing.

Thanks.

[dwlf89]

first off, what engine is this on?I know on my SR, the gasket is a very simple fix. It's the kind that basically comes in what looks like a tube of toothpaste or something. I bought mine at Walmart for about $4, the brand is Permatex. it's in a red tube.

Anyways, if your oil pan is like mine.... don't pay that crapload of money to have them fix it.

Jack up your car, drain your oil, then take out the 8-10 bolts on your pan (however many there are) it should pull off. clean it up and apply your new gasket. squeeze it out in a steady path all the way around your pan, where the bolts are. the directions say to put the pan back on and finger tighten it. let it sit for an hour before fully tightening it so it sets right.

now i can't really help you if you have some other kind of oil pan

[sgupta]

Thanks for your suggestions. I definitely looks like something I can do for myself. Its a 1.6L engine.

Today I took the car to a mechanic too for inspection and after raising the car, we figured out there are some wet spots near the oil crank seal and on the transmission belt. It appears as if the oil is spreading from there all the way around the pan and near the oil switch. The pulley needs to be taken out according to him to reach the oil crank seal (front) and replace it and he is charging around $150 for that including the replacement.

I'm not sure how much complex it is to replace the transmission belt and just get the pulley out for this price or just do by myself. I'm kind of worried about the pulley part.

Subh.

[SpecVrooom]

I just had to do some work on my engine, and the front oil seal for the crank was one thing to change. It is a major PTA. The front engine cover has to come off, along with alot of accessories to get to the engine cover bolts, then you can change the oil seal. Now mine is a newer sentra, so it might be different. But one shop was going to charge me$670 bucks to do it. so $150 sounds reasonable to me. I have a manual transmission, so I dont know about the transmission belt, never heard of one

[drg007]

usually crank seal or oil pan leaks is normal for nissan sentra