Sump Gasket leak

[JulieMc]

Hello..

So I posted a subject on here on Saturday and got some good advice on it..

However took it to garage today to get my oil leak sorted.. the guy.. changed the oil and the oil filter.. and told me the sump gasket had a leak..

He then never fixed it but told me the car would be fine to drive.. its still leaking a bit on the street...

Is he telling the truth... is it infact ok to drive??

Thanks so much for any help

 

[PontiacFan]

Originally Posted By: JulieMc
Hello..

So I posted a subject on here on Saturday and got some good advice on it..

However took it to garage today to get my oil leak sorted.. the guy.. changed the oil and the oil filter.. and told me the sump gasket had a leak..

He then never fixed it but told me the car would be fine to drive.. its still leaking a bit on the street...

Is he telling the truth... is it infact ok to drive??

Thanks so much for any help



I believe your are talking about the drain plug gasket on your oil pan.

Sounds like you need a new drain plug gasket.

 

[JulieMc]

awwww okies...

He didnt seem to worried about it and didnt even bother to ask if i wanted him to go ahead and do it..

he said i would be fine and to just keep an eye on my oil levels.

does this sound right??

 

[PontiacFan]

Originally Posted By: JulieMc
awwww okies...

He didnt seem to worried about it and didnt even bother to ask if i wanted him to go ahead and do it..

he said i would be fine and to just keep an eye on my oil levels.

does this sound right??



Maybe get a 2nd opinion from another mechanic.

 

[The_Jeff]

Could be what we call the "pan gasket" in the US. English mechanics are odd sorts with "spanners" and "bonnets".

I think by the time it's dripping on the street action should be taken, unless it's more than 500 bucks. It's unlikely to turn into a full blown gusher overnight, but if it bothers you, fix it. Just sitting there still, on a flat surface, it will eventually stop leaking, with some oil still in the pan, on nearly all designs. So if you stay on top of the oil level you're unlikely to blow your engine up.

 

[FL_Rob]

At least he didn't try to sell you a huge repair for no more than a tightening of oil pan (sump) bolts.Just keep an eye on the level is all.Maybe have a friend go around the pan bolts and give them a little re-tightening.

 

[JulieMc]

Yeah i think i will..

Im off work at the end of the month so i will keep an eye on the level till then and try get a second one to look at it then..

When i asked the price of the fix he said 100 pounds. I dont understand why he wouldnt have fixed it and then charged me for the oil change and filter and fixing the leak seems strange a mechanic wouldnt opt to get more money out of me.. instead of telling me it will be fine and sending me on my way....

 

[JulieMc]

Yes it is a change but im rather annoyed to be honest.. I put it in at 11am asking for the oil leak to be fixed... i got it back at 4pm still with the leak...

I took my father with me as he has been using the garage for years and the guy didnt seem to bothered by it and said aslong as i get it sorted in a few months it wasnt urgent...Very odd..

I am monitoring the leak and its just hard to tell if its actually a large amount or not..

I may try and put a small container down to catch the drips instead of newpaper as... the paper just seems to make the drips look alot more than may actually be coming out....

 

[TallPaul]

I had the sump gasket (oil pan gasket) pop out on the front of the Aerostar. Every time I hit the brakes it would drain the oil out the front of the pan. It actually left trails up to and around every corner and at every stopsign. Of course it was so bad I had to get it fixed. As for your situation, I see no problem driving it so long as you don't run the oil too low. Ideally should fix it so the oil is not going on the street.

 

[TFB1]

Originally Posted By: JulieMc

I may try and put a small container down to catch the drips instead of newpaper as... the paper just seems to make the drips look alot more than may actually be coming out....



I dunno about your side of the pond but most auto parts houses here in the US sell oil drip pans... They are only about 1/2" deep but are usually around 2 x 3 ft, just think large cookie baking sheet...

 

[fdcg27]

He was speaking of the gasket between the cylinder block and the oil pan.
They will sometimes develop leaks over the years.
Sometimes, backing all of the bolts a tiny bit loose and then torqueing them back will fix this.
Some oil pans are really easy to remove, to replace the gasket.
Others, sadly, are pretty difficult.
If the leak is minor, and your's would be difficult, the tech may have simply been trying to save you a little money, although 100 pounds doesn't sound too bad at the current exchange rate.
What kind of car is this?

 

[Gene K]

I believe she said it was a VW Polo ('96?) in her other post. I believe it had been sitting dormant for at least 3 years.

 

[mechtech2]

If you keep the sump filled, it will be OK to drive as if there was nothing wrong. [I mean engine damage]
But I'd shopping for a real fix.

 

[fdcg27]

Okay, the junior version of the Golf, a neat and practical Euro small car that we don't get here.
We instead get the useless, hideous and overpriced Smart.
Anyway, I read the original post and the OP seemed to think it might be the valve cover gasket, which would be an easy fix on most cars, probably including the Polo.
If it really is the sump, the leak might improve as the car is actually used.
Also, leaking main seals in a car that has sat for some time, as this one has, sometimes heal themselves with use.
I would advise the OP to use the car for a while, and see what happens with the leaks.
Her mechanic may have had the same thought.

 

[PandaBear]

I think he is talking about the oil pan gasket. All old cars leak sooner or later and it drips once in a while. You can change it out yourself if you have time but you'll have to take off the exhaust Y pipe first. It took me a few hours doing it myself with hand tools at home. Probably about 1-2 hours of labor in the shop if you have someone do it for you.

 

[JulieMc]

I have put a plate down outside.. and it seems to be collecting the drops..

So far seems like there is maybe 8 table spoons in the space of an hour.

I have managed to get it into a garage on Thursday morning.

I explained to the owner on the phone what had happened and he seemed amazed that I would put my car in for an oil leak repair and take it back with new oil in it and still with a leak..

Really what I have done is pay for new oil to spill onto the street.

Im not sure what the problem is. and to be honest I just dont want to run the risk of damaging the engine by driving with the leaking oil..

The car is 15 years old but it has only done 12000 miles as it belonged to an old lady who hardly used it (one a week to travel 5 miles to the shop i suspect). So engine whys i ts a great car and dont want to risk damaging it..

I will let you all know how i get on on Thursday..

Never thought I would know as much as I do about cars lol

 

[PandaBear]

Personally, if I were to replace the gasket to fix the leak I have no problem reusing the oil (drain it in a clean pan while working on it), have done that before and has no problem.

The thing is whether you want to hunt down every single gasket out there (which are probably all deteriorated by now) or not. I did it to my car but it is not going to be cheap and it may not be "cost effective" for many people.

 

[JulieMc]

I dont really need to hunt down every gasket..

I have spoken to the garage again..

And they said.. It was a leaky gasket and 2 screws seem to have went through to the sump and thats where the oil is coming out from..

Do you think this seems easy enough to fix...

Im not planning on going looking for all the gaskets.. just want the one that is actually leaking fixed..

 

[PandaBear]

Originally Posted By: JulieMc
It was a leaky gasket and 2 screws seem to have went through to the sump and thats where the oil is coming out from..


2 screw out of all of them that hold the oil pan? That'll still need to take out the exhaust pipe (on some car like my mom's corolla it would also need to drop the cross member and control arms).

Depends on the car it may or may not be cheap, I'd say probably 1-3 hours of labor, and about $20-50 in gasket.

Round up to be about $200-500 roughly?

 

[JulieMc]

For anyone that was intrested it was the oil pressure switch had stopped working...

I got a new one fitted and seems to have done the job...

The oil was actually running down the engine and dripping out the bottom..