Hey guys, i have recently been to 3 mechanics and they have all given me 3 different answers.

The first mechanic said the Rocker Cover Gaskets which I had replaced there and then. I still noticed oil in my engine bay.

The second mechanic said that the plate on the right side of the front Rocker Cover was leaking which I believe (refer to photo).
http://i66.tinypic.com/dcpkz5.jpg

The third mechanic said my Trans hose ontop of the gearbox is leaking, would this photo indicate that?
http://i64.tinypic.com/2j30epz.jpg

All up i got quoted to fix those two things roughly around $500 which they told me would be roughly 80% labour. Ive taken it upon myself to fix these myself. My question is what would I have to do with the plate? Is there gaskets that need to be replaced there? And where abouts are the trans hoses and how hard are they to replace?

Also, how would I go about cleaning the engine?

Thanks Heaps!

You need to take it to a mechanic who knows these cars for starters

First thing however is to clean it all up and then you can look for fresh oil, looking at that it would be hard to pin point the leak, may be a combination of a few things, clean it and watch it over several days / weeks and you will see where it is coming from

$500 for a thrust cap is steep as well, far too much

I'd estimate from reading AMC, about 95% of the oil leaks on this forum end up being rocker gaskets.

About half of people who replace them then think they still have a leak because there's residual oil everywhere which the mechanic hasn't degreased.

First step is to degrease it properly and make sure it's clean enough to eat off.

Then give it a few days and check for leaks.

You will then find:
1. It's settled down and stopped leaking
2. The exact source if it's a different leak
3. The rocker covers are still leaking because your mechanic used gasket goo, pinched the seal or over tightened the rocker cover and warped it

I know for a fact that the Mechanic that done the Rocker Cover gaskets didnt clean the whole engine just around the sides of the rocker cover! The other Mechanics must just be taking guesses because the oil is still there, cant believe I didnt think of that earlier! Haha

Is there anything I need to cover when I degrease it?

Gave it a bit of a Degrease today, turned up alot better than it was. Now just to play the waiting game and see if there are any other leaks.

http://i65.tinypic.com/2eecx0i.jpg

Hi

I have same model and year. I have had oil leaks, replace rocker covers 2 ( rear only). This leak has now stopped.
I still have oil leak, looks similar to yours. My mechanic told me it was the dizzy o ring. Yet to fix however part cost $10 from mitsi dealer.
Forums explain what to do, can be a pain but certainly managable at home for myself.

Hi

I have same model and year. I have had oil leaks, replace rocker covers 2 ( rear only). This leak has now stopped.
I still have oil leak, looks similar to yours. My mechanic told me it was the dizzy o ring. Yet to fix however part cost $10 from mitsi dealer.
Forums explain what to do, can be a pain but certainly managable at home for myself.

I replaced my distributor O-ring on the weekend. The part is actually $20 at the dealer. Getting the dizzy off is a bit tricky due to location of the bolts and the dizzy being a bit stuck over time, but a bit of persistence it came out ok. The old o ring was brittle like a biscuit and crumbled into pieces when I took it out.

Whilst at it I looked at my distributor rotor and it looked a bit rough, cleaned it up a bit and seems to have fixed my rough idle, at least for now. Will be looking to replace the rotor.

Wow, $20 for an "O" ring.
Is it really THAT special, or is Mitsubishi price gauging its customers?

Just asking!

Would there be any near equivalent O ring available in the trade?

Wow, $20 for an "O" ring.
Is it really THAT special, or is Mitsubishi price gauging its customers?

Just asking!

Would there be any near equivalent O ring available in the trade?

I think it's 46 x 2.5mm, that's what i saw for T910X00115, can't be 100% on that though. Not sure if that's inner diameter or outer?

MD619990, T910X00115, MD618665

less than $4 a piece plus post ex japan. The sort of thing one could order several and share the love.

Wow, $20 for an "O" ring.
Is it really THAT special, or is Mitsubishi price gauging its customers?

Just asking!

Would there be any near equivalent O ring available in the trade?

Yes its price gouging but lets say we can find an equivalent one for $4, but then it might not necessarily be the exact size or materials or we just can't be sure about it and how long it will last. For $16 I'd rather spend my time doing something else then looking for another O-ring or worrying about if I need to re-do the dizzy again because I scrimped on the o-ring. The time I spend fitting the o-ring I'd rather not have to do it again any time soon. Dealers know this hence I get gouged...

4 days after I degreased the engine and no new leaks as of yet, on Sunday I changed the Oil and Oil filter and also degreased underneath the engine as it was pretty bad under there! Hopfully no leaks show up!:D

Pity your mechanic didn't clean up the mess in the first place.

Pity your mechanic didn't clean up the mess in the first place.

Not sure about that mechanic but I dont clean engine either as I dont want to get fined hundreds of thousands of dollars from the EPA and end up with a bill for a contaminated site clean up. Yes I can put a pit and separator in BUT given people complain over a $10 "O" ring these days there is not likely going to be enough funds for me to spend 30k on getting a water trap and pit installed so I can clean a few people's engines. People want everything cheap cheap cheap but do not understand the consequence of running a business, its costs and what is needed to do most jobs like cleaning engines.

With this issue, once clean watch where oil comes from. Also remember if the breathers are blocked the cam seals can start to blow through

With these O rings, they are a particular size and yes you can get them from Japan but by the time you pay postage in a couple of O rings you may as well go to a dealer. Is ok if you are getting a few parts but not everyone has to get a whole car sent over at the same time

Yeah fair enough MadMagna.

You are right about people being cheap. It amazes me how many people think $99 to fly with Virgin or Qantas from Melbourne to Sydney is "ridiculous", and would rather pay $49 with Tiger + $30 for baggage, + $15 to choose a seat, plus $10 for a credit card fee.

You get what you pay for. And I guess that's why good, solid businesses have to drop their price point to try and compete.

When I had my timing belt done on the TL, I told the mechanic I wanted all the idlers replaced, new tensioner, new water pump, and new accessory belts. He was surprised because people always try and cut costs.

Just do it right the first time.

Pity the EPA can't see that degreasing an engine and checking it for leaks is a better environmental outcome than one dripping oil all over the road for months.