Slow leak from oil sump gasket

[GoOff]

Hi all,

I have an ongoing issue with this leak. The gasket has been replaced twice and still has a slow leak. Oil is noticeable on the surrounding area and eventually pools in my bash plate and leaks onto ground. My main issue is my driveway is covered in oil and I'm not too keen to leave oil at campsites. Any help from others who have experienced this before would be welcome.

 

[Horatius]

Which engine, zd30 or yd25? Whereabouts is the leak, front, rear, one side?

Afaik these don't have a gasket (I know the zd30 doesn't) they use sealant.

 

[BarneyB]

Maybe your sump pan has had a whack and it's lifted away from the block?
It wouldn't need to be much to create a leak past a paper gasket....
Maybe there's a hairline crack in the pan?
Again, even a tiny one will promote leakage... especially with vibration.

Are all the pan bolts tensioned evenly?
Any of the threads stripped?

RTV silly cone is quite good at conforming to less than perfect mating faces. But make sure you get everything 100% clean & oil free first.

 

[Scuba Steve]

I have had the same issue before and tried several ways to fix it. In the end what worked was use aviation glue number 3 (non harding), don't use silicon glues. My sump had been hit by a rock so I have to panel beat it to make sure the surface was straight this. Place the mating surface on on a sheet of glass or a table that you know is flat and look for any warped parts of the sump. Normally there is no gasket but you will need to make one ,use a fairly think heavy duty gasket paper (don't use a cork gasket) this will also help with any imperfections will warping. Place the gasket glue on both side of the gasket.

 

[BarneyB]

We use aviation sealant at work on difficult flanges.
As Scuba Steve said, Paint it onto both sides of the gasket.
It gets results... mostly.

.... and no matter how hard you try it ends up making a bloody mess everywhere

 

[Horatius]

Gasket? Which engine are you fellows talking about?

I've done a couple of zd30 sumps (with rear main seal) and there is no gasket from factory that I'm aware of paper or otherwise, only sealant. Think the yd25 has a two piece sump but afaik it only uses sealant also. There's no need to use a paper gasket.

I think you can buy the sealant from the dealers, but any good quality high temp oil sealant silicone will do. If it's applied properly. Lay an appropriate sized bead on the sump surface (as explained in the manual) and then follow instructions for the goo you are using. Often means doing it up to hold in place but letting it go off for a certain amount of time before tightening to spec. Some of them require giving it another day to cure before use/filling with oil, you can't go wrong. Though most mechanics won't have the time for this.

If it's already been re-done twice there is a chance it's leaking from somewhere other than the sump, oil leaks can be difficult to pinpoint exactly. Though they can leak if it wasn't cleaned properly or the sump bolts are over tightened (only supposed to be something like 8 nm).

Sounds like a reasonable sort of leak, I would be taking bash plates and anything else I needed off to give it a really good degrease and take it from there.

 

[Scuba Steve]

Horatius
I am talking about the yd25 engine and the lower sump. Yes you are correct there is no sump gasket for this engine that is why I said you will have to make one. More then likely someone has original remove the sump with some force i.e using a screw driver to separate the sump from the engine therefore warping the sump sealing surface. If the sump had a crack in it you would be able to visual see it. Using aviation glue number 3 there is no need to wait for drying time but it must be used with a gasket. Using a gasket also compensates for warping of the metal surface.

I agree all bash plates should be removed to ensure the oil is not leaking from higher above, place the vehicle on car stands, run the engine and see where it is leak from.

 

[Tbrown]

Hi all,

I have an ongoing issue with this leak. The gasket has been replaced twice and still has a slow leak. Oil is noticeable on the surrounding area and eventually pools in my bash plate and leaks onto ground. My main issue is my driveway is covered in oil and I'm not too keen to leave oil at campsites. Any help from others who have experienced this before would be welcome.

What year model and make is the car please