oil pan leak

to slow

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Joined
Nov 18, 2009
anyone recommend a shop that will do oil pan gasket and rear main seal in toronto canada or surrounding area ..
 
It's not that difficult of a job to do yourself. Little bit messy, but not that hard of a job.

I'd get a new Melling pump pickup without the trap door too.


Also a timing set, tensioner, roller button and timing cover gasket kit. If you timing chain hasn't been replaced, you'll probably find a bunch to gear teeth laying in the pan and stuck to the pickup.
 
Last edited:
Earl-

Got a part number on the melling pump pickup without trap door and where to purchase?
 
anyone recommend a shop that will do oil pan gasket and rear main seal in toronto canada or surrounding area ..

In my opinion, the biggest scam in the turbo Buick world is diagnosing a rear main seal leak?

An oil leak from the bottom of the converter cover is "assumed" by people that are lazy, stupid, incompetent or just plain crooked, and claim a rear main seal is bad or leaking.

I know many owners think it is a rear main leak, and that is fine, but un-excusable for a shop or tech to assume that w/o checking properly.

The method to verify a leaking rear main seal is to remove the converter cover and see if there are radial streams of oil tracks on the engine side of the flexplate from the crankshaft to the outer ring gear.

Having dealt with a few 1000 GN's over the years, this is a rare occurrence.

The stock rubber oil pan gasket can and will leak due to age and heat, but many times snugging the pan bolts will stop leaks there.

My most recent episode this summer was with a local 7K mile GNX which had a "rear main seal" leak.

The simple fix was to tighten the pan bolts, valve cover bolts, and remove the Mobile 1 synthetic oil, replaced it with Valvoline 20W-50 oil, problem cured!
 
You know when I switched from Mobil1 10w30 synthetic to Valvoline non syn, my smigin of any oils leaks disappeared.
 
Earl, is there a benefit w/out the trap door?


Yeah, the screen can do it's job and keep larger debris from tearing the timing covers oil pump cavity.


Mobil1 0W20 here with zero leaks.



I'm amazed people swap out ''leaky Mobil1'' for non synthic gear dope to stop an oil leak. It stands to reason to me that if the Mobil1 leaks out and other oils don't, that says that Mobil1 flows better. I'll take the better flow and lower parasitic losses if all it takes is to fix an oil leak and be done with it.
 
Yeah, the screen can do it's job and keep larger debris from tearing the timing covers oil pump cavity.


Mobil1 0W20 here with zero leaks.



I'm amazed people swap out ''leaky Mobil1'' for non synthic gear dope to stop an oil leak. It stands to reason to me that if the Mobil1 leaks out and other oils don't, that says that Mobil1 flows better. I'll take the better flow and lower parasitic losses if all it takes is to fix an oil leak and be done with it.
The soul reason I switch oils is Valvoline had high zinc which kept me from buying zinc additive. I just noticed the leak disappear since the switch.
 
The soul reason I switch oils is Valvoline had high zinc which kept me from buying zinc additive. I just noticed the leak disappear since the switch.

The high mileage Mobil1 variants have additives to swell the seals and prevent leaks in engines with fiber and cork gaskets. Regular Mobil1 doesn't.

Also, the new Fel-Pro neoprene lined metal core valve cover gaskets work really well, and go on dry, so they're reusable.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/fel-vs50156t/overview/make/buick

A properly functioning PCV system also goes a long way toward keeping oil inside the crankcase.
 
The high mileage Mobil1 variants have additives to swell the seals and prevent leaks in engines with fiber and cork gaskets. Regular Mobil1 doesn't.

Also, the new Fel-Pro neoprene lined metal core valve cover gaskets work really well, and go on dry, so they're reusable.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/fel-vs50156t/overview/make/buick

A properly functioning PCV system also goes a long way toward keeping oil inside the crankcase.
I appreciate this info. I'm actually using Felpro's Perma Drys on my VC'c since Champion mills the top of their heads flat. Makes a modern day seal. I will look into the pan gasket as well.
 
I appreciate this info. I'm actually using Felpro's Perma Drys on my VC'c since Champion mills the top of their heads flat. Makes a modern day seal. I will look into the pan gasket as well.

The Cometic oil pan gasket doesn't leak. It's a thick fiber gasket you can really crank the bolts down on.
 
Cometic oil pan gasket and the Felpro Permadry metal lined gaskets and no leaks with Mobil 1.
 
Ok guys is the gasket RJC sells cometic? I'm probably going to get his oil pan and he offers a special no leak gasket. If not, where are you getting your cometic's.
 
Any cork gasket will work. Most over tighten them and they leak.

My last cork gasket soaked and seeped after just a few thousand miles, and I installed it according to the factory manual with an in/lb torque wrench with the engine on a stand. It was a small enough leak that none of it made it to the ground, but it made a mess.

If you're using a stock pan, get the Cometic. If you're using an RJC or TA deep pan, use the RJC gasket. The deep pans have smooth pan rails without the dimples the stock pan has, and the RJC gasket is flat. The Cometic has relief holes to handle the dimples in the OE pan.
 
Get a 24" straight edge and check the flatness no matter whose pan u use. I bought one and the pan rails were 1/8 off from end to end. No wonder people are having oil leaks after putting on a new pan. I returned and the second one was straight. I learned something a long time ago, just because it's new doesn't mean it's ok. You should have seen the "Napa" timing cover I bought. The holes were restricted so bad that the engine would have failed in a short time.


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My last cork gasket soaked and seeped after just a few thousand miles, and I installed it according to the factory manual with an in/lb torque wrench with the engine on a stand. It was a small enough leak that none of it made it to the ground, but it made a mess.

If you're using a stock pan, get the Cometic. If you're using an RJC or TA deep pan, use the RJC gasket. The deep pans have smooth pan rails without the dimples the stock pan has, and the RJC gasket is flat. The Cometic has relief holes to handle the dimples in the OE pan.
Good advice, thanks very much.
 
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