Oil leak

[blackJ30T]

My 93 j30t is leaking oil. All over my garage floor. The leak is real slow, but makes an awful mess, and is getting on the exhaust. The guy at the oil change place says that it looks like it is coming from the rear of the engine.

Is there a leak problem with the j30?

How hard is it to repair it if it is the rear main?

Should I consider this a DIY job?

[Mayhem_J30]

i believe this is the first oil leak i've heard for the J. If it's the rear main seal the transmission is going to have to comeout. If you got a transmission jack and tools you could probably replace it. Have ya had a new transmission at any time?

[blackJ30T]

No, I bought the car used about 6 months ago. I looked under the car, but the shroud is in the way. Next week, I will pull the shroud and get a better look. I did not see any transmission work in the car history when I bought it, and it only has 84K miles.

[Mayhem_J30]

I guarantee the guy at the oil change place did not remove the engine shield to do the oil change, so there's no way he would know. I also bet that oil is coming from the mess he made when changing the oil. It's happened to me before. They don't remove the cover so when they remove the oil filter it spills all on top of the engine shield and then leaks all over your garage floor. I bet on it. The engine cover is easy to remove so check it out.

[Q45tech]

A 10 year old car even with 84k is still a 10 year old car.The problem with low mileage units is they don't get the oil changed at 90 days..........maybe as bad as once a year and this takes out seals.

Not totally unusual for 84k engine to need seals my Q got fronts at 70k and 180k and rear at 100k.......changed the rear again at 233k. They have a finite life even with perfect 90 day oil changes.

[VimyJ]

I had a problem with an oil leak that was due to the oil pressure switch. It is located just aft of the oil filter. A very cheap and easy fix.

[blackJ30T]

I had a problem with an oil leak that was due to the oil pressure switch. It is located just aft of the oil filter. A very cheap and easy fix.

I went under the car tonight, and found oil dripping from the sensor. I pulled the electrical connector cover and found oil inside.

Where else would I get the answer before I even go under the car?

[Q451990]

Gotta love NICO! If it's easy to get to the sensor on your car then DIY replacement is simple. Unplug, unscrew, coat threads with RTV and replce...

Heath

[VimyJ]

I went under the car tonight, and found oil dripping from the sensor. I pulled the electrical connector cover and found oil inside.

Where else would I get the answer before I even go under the car?

Glad to be of service to you, sir. Happy motoring!:)

[Eswift]

for the record, i had leaky valve cover gaskets at about 80k, dont know the history of the car, but id like to think it was a fluke. for the record, i dont think it would drip on the exhaust if the rear main seal was leaking. well, i guess it could happen if the car was in motion and the wind blew it back and down.

[blackJ30T]

I replaced the pressure sensor, and thought that I had it. No such luck. I took another look under the car and could not see an obvious source. The oil seems to be coming from near the starter. There is oil coming out of the bell housing. My worst fears of the main seal may be true.

[Q451990]

You might check north of the bell housing. I'm sure your engine is different, but I had a PCV hose right above the bell housing that a dealer tech. didn't replace that split - the oil would splash out there and then run down around the bell housing (and collect in the valley) - so it appeared to be a rear main. Just one more thing to check before you pull your transmission!

Heath

[Pory]

Hi, all! I'm new to this site. In fact, this is my first time ever joining any forum. I read blackJ30T's post on transmission oil leak and had to register to give my comment.

BlackJ30T - Your fear, I'm afraid, is true. I had this same problem when my J30 turned 92K miles. I noticed slow leak on my garage floor for about a month before taking it in to the dealer for a check up. When they raised the car up their was a nice trail of oil on the chasis all the way back to the rear of the car. The problem was the rear main seal (yes, I took it to another shop for a second opinion.) It was expensive so do it your self if you can. While you're at it be sure to service your transmission as well.

Guys, you're all great for supporting this forum. Thanks for all the tech bits. I'm learning more and more all the time (ok, I'll probably never fix half of what I read but at least I won't be frustrated not knowing what the h*$% the problem is.)