Hi, I have an 89 Firebird V6. Its leaking oil real bad. If I start the engine, the oil start leaking about 10 seconds after. I suspect that its an oil pan gasket, but as far as I know the only way to change it is by lifting the engine 3 inches, is this true? Is there an easier way? Thanks

 

best thing to do would be to actually find out where it's leaking from instead of doing all the work and it not be it. Have you changed the oil recently? Just asking because sometimes oil filter gaskets get stuck to the block and you put the new one on not realizing it and it spews oil all over the place.

If it is the oil pan gasket it's not that bad to change just unbolt the motor mounts (easier said than done on v8 cars anyway) and get an engine crane or similiar to lift it up. you should be able to leave the tranny bolted up and everything might have a few problems getting the pan around the oil pump pickup...

 

Take the car to the quarter car wash, and clean the engine off. It's a WHOLE LOT EASIER to see an oil leak on an otherwise spotless motor, than one buried in a hundred thousand miles of funk.

That said, a VERY common oil leak, is the oil pressure sending unit. On a 6-cylinder I don't have the vaguest clue where it is; but maybe somebody that has worked on one of those can tell you. They're notorious for that, on ALL engines (since the unit itself is pretty much the same...)

Another common leak is valve cover gaskets. On a 6-cylinder, I'm pretty sure, they're around the bottom of the valve covers, where they meet the heads, wherever that is; although I'm not totally positive of that. Again, not that I'm suggesting just swapping them (well, maybe I am); but, that's another high-probability place to look. Much higher probability than the pan gasket.

Just automatically assuming it's the oil pan, and jumping right straight to about the hardest thing to replace, isn't a very good idea. Find out where it's leaking first, and direct your efforts to that place.

 

China wall

Rear Main

Is it hitting the y-pipe, transmission?

Also get some Castrol Power Clean or Simple Green to degrease it first.