Another Oil Leak

[00Crew]

Ok guys, I just fixed one oil leak on my new to me 2000 Crew Cab 3.3. And that was the oil sending unit. Now I just noticed a leak right at the rear of the oil pain / rear main seal. Which of these are more likely the culprit at 92,000 miles? Hoping its just the oil pan. Any way to know for sure? Looks like this may be why the original owner was running 10w40, I just switched it over to 10w30.

***Update, looks like the rear main seal is a common culprit, and that even replacing, will still leak after time. I found a product call Permatex Spray N Seal that you spray around the outside of the leak. Anyone ever used it?

Thanks for any and all help guys!

PS: I come from ClubFrontier, those guys don't post or help much, so I am glad to be a member of NICO!

[Rev_D21]

Welcome to NICO. I have never tried Spray and Seal so I have no opinion of it. I will say that the rear main seal is a common leak point. Is your truck auto?

[00Crew]

Yes, I have the auto. So it looks like I would have to remove the torsion bars and tons of other stuff to lower the transmission to change the seal. Not sure if I feel confident to do that.

I was reading on the Xterra forums, and they say to take off and look in the transmission/bellhousing "inspection plate" to look for oil to confirm the RMS leak. Do the Frontiers have one?

[Rev_D21]

They share the same setup with the Xterras so I imagine they should.

[Rev_D21]

Maybe this will help.

http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/fr...m.pdf

http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/fr...er-VG/

[PEZi]

my dad's '00 frontier has a RMS leak as well.... we're holding off replacing it until we do the clutch at the same time... it needs one of those too lol

i told him i refuse to put my expensive oil in his truck until he fixes it so it doesn't waste all the oil

anyone got an idea if when replacing the RMS, spraying that permatex would be a way of keeping from starting to leak again?

[Rev_D21]

Depends if it is leaking on the side that is against the crank or leaking around the part of the seal that contacts the block. It it is leaking from the crank side of the seal then you will want to clean the groove cut into the crank with emery cloth. It leaks from there because the seal wears away part of the crank as the crank spins.

[00Crew]

Ok, I got under there today and cleaned things up a bit. Needless to say, the starter is supposed to be silver, not black. It looks as if the oil is leaking above the starter somewhere and flowing down. Could this still be the rear seal, or is this likely something else, if something else, what is the easiest way to trace it, these engines/transmissions are jammed in there!

Thanks for all of the help guys!

[Rev_D21]

If it's leaking on the starter it could be a valve cover gasket or the head gasket on the right bank. Best way to trace it is to degrease the area good and then run it for a while, check on during your next oil change. If it still stumps you I would add a fluorescent tracer dye to the oil, run it and then check for leaks with a dye light. I wouldn't say it's a Rear Main at this point.

[00Crew]

If it's leaking on the starter it could be a valve cover gasket or the head gasket on the right bank. Best way to trace it is to degrease the area good and then run it for a while, check on during your next oil change. If it still stumps you I would add a fluorescent tracer dye to the oil, run it and then check for leaks with a dye light. I wouldn't say it's a Rear Main at this point.

Yes, after doing some searching, I got the exact same answers you just gave me, which just brings a smile to my face, as I feel comfortable tackling the valve cover gaskets.

After searching, I went out and checked the screws on the valve cover, and they were all "turnable" by hand with just a standard phillips screw driver, so I hand tightened the ones I could get to for now.

Need to find out what the torque is on them, clean them up, and tighten them up to see if that helps.

Thanks!

[Rev_D21]

Torque is in the FSM link I posted for you. Glad to help!

[00Crew]

Ok, I plan on buying the Fel Pro gaskets this weekend and tackling the passenger side. The driver side will come later if a leak still appears, as it is the harder side.

I do have a couple of stupid questions though:

1) I have some "blue" Permatex Gasket Maker, will this work, or do I need another kind? Also, does the Fel Pro require the use of an RTV? I have read in the manual to run a small bead on the inside, and stick the gasket on the block, allow it to cure a little before putting the cover on. Then do I put some more RTV on top of the gasket before putting the cover back on, or just on the edges, or not at all?

2) Ok, I am scratching my head on this one...How do you torque a phillips head?

[seang]

2) Ok, I am scratching my head on this one...How do you torque a phillips head?

You can just snug them. What is the torque recommendation exactly? It goes by inch pounds instead of foot pounds (I think). Or, you can replace them with hex or allen head bolts and torque them that way. Beware, I'm not sure exactly what they recommend, but it will feel like almost no torque at all if you are using a long wrench.

I recommend making it a regular thing to re-check them as time goes on. Not to overtighten them, just to see, because the torque recommendation is so low that they will work loose sometimes.
Modified by seang at 6:18 PM 3/18/2010

[wendelltruck]

The pdf version of the FSM is awesome. The link does not actually get you there, but if you shorten the address back to http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/ it was easy to find. I want one for my other cars. Is there some place I can buy one?

[Godknowsitried2]

I just removed the transmission from my Frontier and you are right, I had to remove a whole lot of other stuff first including the torsion bars to get the transmission away so the seal can be installed. Its a huge task for DIY but not impossible. I am now researching the best method for removing the seal so I don't mar any surface etc. I can tell you that if you take on a job of this magnitude you need plenty of patience and you can't be in a hurry. Lots of things to mark and many items had to be removed so you will want to catalog or jot down your sequence of events on this one.