hey guys i just got my car back from the mechanics, it went in there to have the oil leaks looked at at also have the cv joint looked at came back with,

Oil leaks coming from
Sump Gasket
Rocker Cover Gaskets
Oil Pressure Switch
(Thats what they can see they think there will be more)

Timing Belt (fixed today for $506)
Aux Belt
CV Joint
Front Left Hand Bearing

All i had them fix was the timing belt because i dont want to mess up the timing with my Magna, but the ones i think i will tackle first are the leaks. Are these resonbly easy to do?
I have some questions which are

Is it best to empty the oil before replacing the sump gasket? Also how much should a sump gasket cost?
Is the inlet manifold a prick to take off to do the rocker cover gaskets ?
Also what does the oil pressure switch look like? And is it easy to do?

Thanks

hey guys i just got my car back from the mechanics, it went in there to have the oil leaks looked at at also have the cv joint looked at came back with,

Oil leaks coming from
Sump Gasket
Rocker Cover Gaskets
Oil Pressure Switch
(Thats what they can see they think there will be more)

Timing Belt (fixed today for $506)
Aux Belt
CV Joint
Front Left Hand Bearing

All i had them fix was the timing belt because i dont want to mess up the timing with my Magna, but the ones i think i will tackle first are the leaks. Are these resonbly easy to do?
I have some questions which are

Is it best to empty the oil before replacing the sump gasket? Also how much should a sump gasket cost?
Is the inlet manifold a prick to take off to do the rocker cover gaskets ?
Also what does the oil pressure switch look like? And is it easy to do?

Thanks

Well unless you can hold the sump up with 5L of oil in it while you take it off, go for it, otherwise, I'd empty the oil so when it's off you don't accidentally have 5L of oil go all over you.

Intake manifold is easy as pie.
Trust me if you dont know what the oil pressure switch looks like, Dont do it, It's easy to replace but I just stuffed up and now its costing me hundreds to fix.

Rocker covers are easy to do.
Sump has no gasket AFAIK Just uses Goo.

Can i get a gasket for the sump thought to make it easier ?

Oil Pressure Switch is easy/cheap.. just hope your knock sensor isn't leaking that cost me $150 :/


I had most of these things done by my mechanic for not too much.

Yea the oil pressure switch is under $100 to have done but im more concerned about the others

Oil Pressure Switch is easy/cheap.. just hope your knock sensor isn't leaking that cost me $150 :/


I had most of these things done by my mechanic for not too much.
1) knock sensors do not exist on 3rd gens
2) Knock sensors don't leak

lol They detect a certain frequency range.

So can i get a gasket to make changing the sump easier ?

Do not think so mate, just clean surface with wire wheel brush and apply RTV silicon. Not entirely hard mate :) just fiddly

Also with the sump removal do i actually have to take off the start motor, trans to engine supports, transaxel inspection cover and the exhaust manifold cross over pipe? Because it seems like all that is needed are the bolts to come off and sump to come down !

Also reading through my manual is saying there is a upper sump and a lower sump and an oil pickup tool, should i just be removing the lower sump, placing sealant on it and then putting it back? Or do i have to fiddle around with the upper sump aswell?

Well, what is leaking!!

I think you should give the motor the best de-grease it's ever had in it's life and actually pinpoint where it is coming from!
Yes you will need to remove the downpipe and starter motor.

Unless your mechanic cleaned the bottom of the engine and then ran around in it, oil on the sump means nothing, it could be coming from either end of the crank or even the cams, or rocker cover gaskets, or from the head gasket. Do as above and clean it properly first, then find out where the leaks come from yourself. Yes, the sump needs to be drained, yes bits need to be moved out of the way, to remove the sump. Have you checked sump bolts for tightness? Do you know how tight they should be? How bad is the leak? All old engines leak, what would happen if you didn't fix the leaks?

As above, you need to give it all a good clean, it would be very rare for a third gen to be leaking oil from the sump, not saying it does not happen but is rare due to the fact that the main sump is a machined surface

Common areas, Dist seal (can look like a sump leak), Cam seals (rear will run down and look like sump leak) and front will run down over the oil filter thus sender will look like it is leaking, rocker cover gaskets and thrust cap on the head

As stated, give it the clean of its life, you do not need to remove anything to do this but you would be best perhaps taking it to a detailer where they can put it up on a hoist and get right under it, then keep a close eye on the car and the fresh leaks will appear fairly fast

Also, if your cross over breather is blocked you will also get pressure in the top end and this will cause gaskets and seals to leak like no tomorrow

All good points, Madmagna. Oil leaks generally do no harm, other than messing up where you park at night. lol A couple of areas of the car where you DON'T want oil to leak on though, are the spark plugs (leads to misfires), the cam belt (weakens it) and the starter motor (fails if oil gets into the solenoid). When it is clean look for oil leaks in these areas. Oil leaks at the cam belt area show up as oil stains at that end of the sump. If these areas are ok, I wouldn't dismantle anything, other than a degrease once in a while. Spray cans of degreaser work well,but do it on a cold motor as it is mainly kerosine.

Gave under the body the best wash i could with 3 cans of degreaser so will wait and see i guess but i bought new rocker cover gaskets anyway !

Oil leaks generally do no harm, other than messing up where you park at night. lol
If Magna engines were a British design/build, you'd be relying on the oil leaks to tell you there was still oil in the engine - you'd start worrying if nothing was leaking!

FWIW, some talcum powder dusted around the engine will stick to oil, making it easier to trace the source of the leak.

Oil leaks generally do no harm, other than messing up where you park at night. lol A couple of areas of the car where you DON'T want oil to leak on though, are the spark plugs (leads to misfires), the cam belt (weakens it) and the starter motor (fails if oil gets into the solenoid). When it is clean look for oil leaks in these areas.

Another place you don't want an oil leak is from the rear main seal if you have a manual, it will ruin the clutch.

you can do the lower oil pan seal without removing anything else, id be very suprised if it were leaking from the upper sump .

I spoke to my mechanics today when i took my car back to get the alarm looked at, and they said they were fair sure it was leaking from the lower sump. Now i have degreased it all i will keep an eye on it, but tomorrow ill tackle doing the rocker cover gaskets if i feel up to it. It should be a good learning experience.

just remember the rocker cover bolts are only torqued down lightly, and to tight will break/strip the bolt/thread, if i remember its about 10Nm

Also do both the inlet manifold and the EGR tube both need new gaskets ? What if i cant get any, do i just reuse the gasket and use some sealant?

Ok well i replaced the front rocker cover gasket and all seems good then i disconnected everything from the Manifold, only to realise the last 2 support nuts would not come undone and would just strip on me, so i gave up. So far since washing the car i havent seen a leak, but still early to tell !

Inlet manifold gasket is a metal one, so no real need to change it (I bought some a couple years ago, they were only about $7-).

Ok well been looking under the car after a few drives i have done today and no real leaking, i have purchased some Valvoline 20W-50 Semi Synthetic Max life Engine oil and that should hopefully slow or stop some of the leaks after the change today and then forget the bill for $600 to replace various gaskets