oil leak by oil pan any ideas?

[newI30owner]

alright it was leaking when i got the car because whoever did the gasket on it only used some RTV type stuff and it was leaking so i replaced the lower oil pan gasket and thought it was fixed but i still have a leak. filter is tight and i think it may be caoming from that sensor right there by the filter? does that make any sense? bottom of the pan is dry, there oil on the filter but theres a little bit of oil on the drivers side rear of the pan but not much. any ideas? all i used was the gasket, no rtv at all.thanks for the help

[Q451990]

all i used was the gasket, no rtv at all.thanks for the help

Was this an OEM (bought it from Infiniti or Nissan) gasket? Typically Nissan uses RTV - not a cork or rubber gasket in these applications.

The sensor you mention... any chance it's the oil pressure idiot light sending unit? If so, they are common culprits for leaks on the Q45... not sure on the I30 but it wouldn't surprise me.

Check out your factory service manual (FSM) available for download in our library at http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/ to see how the pan should be sealed, and to see what that sensor is called.

I would clean everything very well with degreaser or brake parts cleaner... take a short drive, then check again to try to pinpoint the exact location of the leak when it starts again, instead of trying to find it through all of whatever oil has blown around under there or gotten covered in grime and dirt.

Good luck!

Heath

[Q451990]

Just checked the FSM. Your I30 uses a similar system as my G35 - a two part oil pan with a steel cover on the bottom and an aluminum body that is more difficult to remove. Kind of a cool idea... I suspect they were thinking that oil pans are usually damaged on the bottom, and steel bends more before it breaks, so they made an easily replaceable cover out of steel, but saved weight and aided in cooling by making the body of the pan aluminum. It would be interesting to know if that's why they did it that way.

Anyhow, it is supposed to be sealed with RTV, no gasket involved. Check the FSM. Look in the EM section under "Oil Pan"

Heath

[newI30owner]

alright because i got a felpro gasket, i have used those in the past with excellent results, i also used brake cleaner to clean away all the grime and everything that was on there before i installed the gasket to make sure everything was clean and dry. il clean it off and take it for a short ride in a few days to see where its comming from and i guess if its the gasket then il use rtv instead on it because that stuff at least with my experience works great also.

thanks guys!

[newI30owner]

alright i cleaned it all up today, there was a decent amount of oil in the wire loom for the 2 sensors that are there, cleaned it all out and then started it and ran it for about 10 mins, revved it and everything with the tire off to see if i could spot it right away and it didnt leak anything! i took it for a ride tonight and left the cardboard under there, thinking it was just the oil from the loom leaking? or maybe the oil pressure sensor is leaking. all i can think of.

thanks

[Q451990]

or maybe the oil pressure sensor is leaking

It's a common problem on the Q45 - not sure on the I.

Heath