Oil drip on Passenger side?

[Phoenix69]

Hey,

I have an oil drip by the passenger side oil pan, just from parking my car after 2 weeks i can see about 7 drip marks on my driveway. I have located it coming from the passenger side. I fear that it may be the gaskets that must be replaced but am hoping for it to be something else. Does anybody know off hand what could be causing it and the price to repair it? What would happen if i dont repair it? The car is a 97 grand prix GT.

[stlwagon]

Well, if it's the rear main oil seal, that could cost between $1000 and $1400. Oil pan gasket is considerably less but also not a job for the typical do-it-yourselfer. Do you have considerable oil build-up toward the front of the oil pan?

[hardywang]

Just by drip on ground, how to tell is it from main rear seal or oil pan?

[stlwagon]

May require adding dye to the oil and checking with a blacklight to be sure where it's coming from.

[richtazz]

Did you recently have your oil changed??? The oil filter is located on that side, and it could be leaking from around the seal, or old oil could be still dripping from the frame/undercarriage due to spillage when the old filter was removed

[carnutcass]

I was going to suggest checking the filter also.

Funny story......my mom received a recall notice on her Bonneville for leaky valve cover gaskets. HERS WERE NOT LEAKING. She took the car to the dealership where she bought it. She thought she'd throw them a bone since they weren't making any money on the recall repair so she had them change her oil and filter. She got the car back........leaking badly. She was like WTF???? Turned out that the kid they had doing oil changes hadn't tightened the filter tight enough. DOH!

[86TATpi]

Something to consider. Those years, the oil pan leaked on some engines. GM released a TSB about it. When the oil pan was cast, there were ripples in the corners and the gasket doesn't always hold a good seal. You have to put a new gasket on it and line it with 1/4" bead of RTV on both sides of it. It is a PITA.

[Phoenix69]

what would happen if i were not to fix the oil leak problem?

[86TATpi]

Chances are the oil level light would turn on to let you know the oil was too low. However you run the risk of the leak getting worse. Also, those gaskets have a windage tray built into them. I'm not sure if low oil level would hurt the crank splashing into the oil for lubrication. If it is the pan gasket it requires unbolting the engine from the sub-frame, lowering the frame and anything that needs moved or taken off to do this (A/C compressor, etc.) I guess it would be up to you overall. Hopefully it's something less complicated. Good luck.

[richtazz]

Before you panic, take your car to a car wash that features a underbody spray, pay the extra couple of bucks to have the undercarriage cleaned and see if your oil leak goes away. IF it does, problem solved, if the leak comes back, you probably need a oil pan gasket

[Phoenix69]

ahhh, its a decent bit of oil thats been dripping, i dont have the money to waste on such a stupid thing

[98whitegpgt]

well phoenix, theres no return policy on this car u bought, cause it seems like ur having a lot of problems w/ it. j/k

[richtazz]

check to make sure the oil filter is tight, if so, then you need an oil pan gasket. One more thing to check, your oil sending unit is just above the oil filter, they are known to leak between the metal base and plastic top.