Oil Leak

my 98 sable LS i just bought is just about perfect (knock on wood), except for i have an oil leak now...I know it has to be leaking from the bottom side, cuz there is no oil that is burning (on the manifold or anything). So my question is, what could the leak be coming from and how can i go about fixing it? also, if i were to pay a mechanic (which i would rather AVOID and do it myself) how much would something like this cost me? thanks in advance

This could be many things, you need to get under there and see where the oil is leaking from such as the valve covers, oil pan, and oil filter ( sometimes people dont put them on tight enough).


my 98 sable LS i just bought is just about perfect (knock on wood), except for i have an oil leak now...I know it has to be leaking from the bottom side, cuz there is no oil that is burning (on the manifold or anything). So my question is, what could the leak be coming from and how can i go about fixing it? also, if i were to pay a mechanic (which i would rather AVOID and do it myself) how much would something like this cost me? thanks in advance

that's what i had thought, but here's the dilemma, it only really leaks when it's hot, or when it wants to, there's really no telling when...the bottom of the oil pan is wet, and all around the gasket and stuff, but i can't tell where the leak is coming from...i tried to dry it off, but for one it's tough to dry off, and 2, i don't know when it will leak again...it's not like it's a giant leak, but just some drips and small spots...

This happened to my '98. I jacked the car up got under it with a creeper and it was just the oil pan gasket. Have fun. This is a job better left to someone else. There is a lot in the way before you can get to the oil pan.

that's also what i was leaning toward...i am too lazy to go get and estimate on the cost for someone else to do it, so do you know about how much it would set me back? also, now that you have that under your belt, could you maybe help with with what needs to be removed and how? i have seen some things that need to be removed under the pan, and my dad said it wouldn't be too hard, but i think i'll take your word for it because he has never actually done it. So if you could tell me how to go about this then that would be great. Thank you very much for the help.

I don't have my manual with notes in front of me, so I'm working off memory. The Y-crossover has to come off, for sure. Disconnect the O2 sensors. I tried to replace the seal wthout removing the Y-crossover, it was a PITA. Use A LOT of liquid wrench on the exhaust bolts. Better yet, before you begin the project go buy some replacements, you'll probabbly break them taking them off.

now that i come to think of it, i do have a Haynes manual, would that tell me everything that needs to be done?

Yep.

k thanks a lot again for the help

my 98 sable LS i just bought is just about perfect (knock on wood), except for i have an oil leak now...I know it has to be leaking from the bottom side, cuz there is no oil that is burning (on the manifold or anything). So my question is, what could the leak be coming from and how can i go about fixing it? also, if i were to pay a mechanic (which i would rather AVOID and do it myself) how much would something like this cost me? thanks in advance

I just replaced the oil pan gasket on my wife's 96 Merc Sable. Even though the car has been serviced since it was new at a Ford dealership, whoever dropped the oil pan, years ago, didn't tighten the bolts or place the gasket properly in place so it was blowing out about a quart to a quart and a half per month.

I bought a new Ford gasket, about $65.00, but I didn't really have to. When I took the old rubber gasket off the oil pan it was in good shape. I could have cleaned it up with mineral spirits, dubbed some rubber gasket cement on it and re-used it.

You do have to unhook the O2 sensors and drop two manifold tail pipe extentions to drop the oil pan, but if you have a Haynes or Chilton manual, its really no big deal- about an hour for cleanup of the pan and block, and an hour's work to remove and re-install the oil pan.

I could have done the entire job for $3.48 (Rubber Gasket Cement) if I had known that the "old" gasket was in goodshape, but I like to have all of the parts and supplies before I start a repair.

The dealership quote for fixing the problem was $246.40.

hey thanks a lot for the insight...i will take that advice. i appreciate it

hey thanks a lot for the insight...i will take that advice. i appreciate it

No problem. I'm semi-retired now, own 12 vehicles with 5 of them licienced and insured, and have been rebuilding and restoring cars and trucks since I was 14 years old. I'm 64 now.

I've found that once you take something apart on any car or truck, inside the engine compartment, its best and cheaper, to inspect and replace any item that "might" fail in the next few thousand miles.

I know, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it", but in my experience, its best to replace a $50 to a $200 part before you really need it rather than pay $500 to $800 down the road to shyter dealerships or garages.

Plus, with all my different cars and such, if I have the time to wait, I've found that I can get a new or rebuilt part on eBay for about ten to 40 cents on the dollar over what the on-line or local parts houses or dealers charge.

I just replaced the entire exhaust system, from engine to tail pipe, on a 1992 Honda Wagon, for less than $260.00. The same parts at Auto Zone, Kragen or Pep Boys would have run well over $863.

A nice surprise was that new exhaust gaskets and bolts were about 40% less at the Honda dealership than any place else, internet included.

Four different projects in the middle of restoration, last five years. are:

1951 XK120 Jag roaster - 1967 Mustang convertible 289 stick

1979 Corvette - 1968 Cadillac Eldorado

No problem. I'm semi-retired now, own 12 vehicles with 5 of them licienced and insured, and have been rebuilding and restoring cars and trucks since I was 14 years old. I'm 64 now.

A piece of advice for any weekend mechanics. Buy a very good, heavy duty set of car ramps, two heavy duty jack stands and a heavy duty "low riding" creeper.

Its safer than cement, wooden blocks, jacks, etc. allows safe repair on any underside repair, and in the case of small export cars, raises them up for top end engine repair without "breaking" your back. the car is up and on the ramps ready for repair or inspection in less than five minutes.

I use the jack stands, and block the wheels "just in case" for safety reasons. I really don't wish to have a 4,000 to 7,500 lb. vehicle coming down fast and hard or sitting on my back or chest.

im only 17 and just trying to pick up knowledge of cars off of this site and a lot from my dad...i consider myself to be more experienced than the average, but i always need help with stuff..and this site is great for that. I think you are right about your comment you made about fixing stuff early...mechanics are bastards, (lol) and it's much cheaper to do things yourself if you know what you are doing.

...mechanics are bastards, (lol) and it's much cheaper to do things yourself if you know what you are doing.

Well, some are. But many are just working to fast, trying to get as many jobs done in a day as they can. A shop or dealership pays the mechanic based upon how much work they get done, not a flat hourly wage.

In the last 30 years or so, many times I've had to have work done at a garage or dealership simply because I was on the road, too busy at my job, or just flat too lazy and didn't have the time and the parts to tackle the work.

But, being the car "nut" that I am, later, when I had the time, I've always checked any repairs done on my vehicles by others. First to check to see if they really did replace all of the parts that I was charged for, and second, to correct things that they hadn't done properly.

I found that over 30% to 40% of the time, wires had been left "hanging" loose or unplugged, bolts were not tightened down properly, etc. 5% to 10% of the time they did NOT put in a new or rebuilt part that I had been charged for.

I bought a brand new Dodge in the late 70's and the first five months I owned the car, the dealership had it in their shop for warranty work three of those five months. Over half that time they were re-doing work that they "said" they had already repaired.

When I do any work now, because I always have several car repair or rebuild projects going on at the same time, and sometimes don't get back to a specific job for weeks or months, I "tag" every wire, hose, or connection with color coded tape. I use regular painter's masking tape, write on it with a fiber point (not ball point) ink pen, and mark the tape with either black, green, red, or blue "Magic Marker".

The light beige of the tape makes the connection stand out in a dark engine compartment, and the matching "Magic Marker" color on the tape lets me exactly know what loose end goes back to what other loose end.

you really seem to know your stuff, but i guess that comes with experience. And about the comment i made on mechanics, that's just simply my opinion. They seem to frequently overcharge, and it's just as easy and cheap to do things myself. On top of that, it's a learning experience. I had a bonneville for my last car, and the two back doors wouldn't work. They were stuck shut. I took the car to get an estimate on how much it would cost to get them fixed, and i got word that to replace the pins in the door and realign them (by the way, bonneville doors were horribly made) would cost me over 350 dollars. Now being a kid in high school with only a summer full time job and no money, i decided to tackle the problem myself, and i found a way to rig up my door so at least one of them would open from the inside. It cost me nothing.

[QUOTE= Now being a kid in high school with only a summer full time job and no money, i decided to tackle the problem myself, and i found a way to rig up my door so at least one of them would open from the inside. It cost me nothing.[/QUOTE]



----------Down through the years, because I neither drink or take drugs, although I've been excessive in my sexual life, I've found that working on cars, much of the time, is a one "true constant" in my life. Normally, if you repair a car correctly, with attention and care, it works.

That is certainly not true in situations that occur daily in your business or personal life. Sometimes there you "fail" no matter how hard you tried or worked, or how much effort or time you put into it.
But, sometimes with cars, the fact that the engineering from the factory was so screwed up in the first place, and you fixed it, gives a profound feeling of success and achievement.

Also working on mechanical things, and doing it right with proper care and attention, engrains within you a proper sense of how things should be and a true sense of yourself. So, when confronted with the "real" world, and the people in it, you don't lose heart.

So do the work, do it right, and don't get too bothered with all of the other bull-s**t going on in the world every day.

Amen

Amen ...If you are doing many of your own repairs, with a short supply of cash, go and check out the web site http://www.autohausaz.com - because of all of the various on-line parts suppliers they tend to run about 10% to 15% less for small parts, belts, spark plugs, etc. than other on-line auto parts suppliers.

I've bought many parts for my Mercedes 420SEL and my Honda stationwagon from them and their lower prices on the parts helps cover the shipping costs. Orders over $50.00 get free shipping.

thanks for the advice...i will take that...