OIL PAN GASKET LEAK

[grbr95]

I have a 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan, the oil pan has slight seapage around the pan gasket.
Will it hurt anything to just drive it, and not bother with replacing this gasket until I notice oil dripping on the ground? I think it may have had this moisture around the seal for some time now, and the only thing I notice is a little moisture running down onto the pan along with the moisutre I see on the gasket itself.

 

[Lumberg]

yes it's very dangerous. all leaks should be fixed immediately.

 

[grbr95]

It's not a leak, it's only seapage...and very slight. My ownd mechanic told me that I need not worry about it unless I see oil dripping on the ground, and I want a second opinion. How is oil seapage from the pan gasket dangerous?

 

[Todd_96SRV]

I bet if you could give each pan bolt at least a quarter turn. Same thing happened on a transmission pan as well as the oil pan on my Honda.

 

[GoldenRod]

First the valve cover gaskets, now the oil pan gaskets?

 

[grbr95]

Yeah, no joke....so much for evey trying synthetic. Anyway, I'd still like to know how the h _ ll it is dangerous?

 

[Lumberg]

indeed.

 

[-Clayton-]

 

[m2200b]

No problem with seepage. You are just getting relatively minor feedback on how your changes in oil are working.

I know its winter where you are but I'd do the 1/8 to 1/4 turn on the nuts until spring. He means with a short handle since you'd be adding maybe 5-7 ft lb. Better would be to buy a torque wrench and look at what you should torque them at. A beam wrench is $10-15 and smaller inch lb wrench that you'd use to do this job, valve covers, transmission pans is $20. I use Autozone for its great repair recommendations , manuals. You list your model car to get access.

You can Simple Green clean these two seeping spots on an above freezing day on a cold motor. Also just spraying brake cleaner on the spots ( again cold motor) will get you spotless clean. If you don't have drops on the ground, then the chances that you have oil leaking enough to damage other rubber parts , belts or burn on your exhaust manifold/ pipe seem near zero.

 

[m2200b]

If you took it to your mechanic my quess is he
checked the bolts so I'd only use a torque wrench to recheck his work rather than 1/4 turn.

You are a short details that are usually in these posts like I used Castrol GTX or wahtever dino and had no leaks then I switched to syn of whatever grade or semi syn and got seepage. So what did you actually put in for your OIC oil that lead to observed seepage?

 

[glennc]

I assume Lumberg was kidding. If oil leaks were that dangerous most of us would be dead.

- Glenn

 

[grbr95]

Yeah... Anyway.. During the OCI's that seepage began was using Mobil Clean 7500 (blend).
At the end of this recent OCI when changing the oil, I put in Havoline conventional. Also, I'm thinking about tring an Auto-RX on this van because it gets many short trips, and the oil dirties very fast. I bought it with 37k miles, and I'm beginning to wonder if the previous owner really changed the oil that often. I think that one Auto-Rx cycle may do this van some good.

 

[LARRY X]

AHHH I am also thinking the Lumberg is kidding. I have a Mitsu Mirage that has been seeping since about 1998. It is so expensive to get into fixing the seals that I have used dino and put up with it. While it had not totally fixed it, Auto RX did slow it much after I did a full cycle last summer. I would try an AutoRX cycle, I really think that product is the real deal.

L