Alphius

iTrader: (6)

My car is leaking oil pretty badly. I'd like to know if anyone here has ever replaced a main seal, and if they have, how did you do it and how hard was it to do? I'm still hoping it's the oilpan, though! Maybe going to check for sure today at school. Put it up on the lift, wipe it off, you know. Thanks!

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

Oil pans and rear main seals are not the usual oil leaks on these cars.

Valve covers, oil pressure sending units, and intake manifold gaskets leak far more often.

Before getting all wrapped up in doing the seal, take a look at those other things.

Take the car to the quarter car wash, let it sit in the bay for a while for the exhaust manifolds to cool down some (minimize risk of fire), soak it down with Gunk Engine Bright or similar (parts store brand for example) diesel fuel in a spray can and let it soak for 5 or 10 minute, and sterilize the entire motor with vigor and extreme prejudice. Then you'll be able to see EXACTLY where the oil is coming from.

Alphius

iTrader: (6)

Thanks for that advice. I never really considered anything else, cause the people in the auto shop thought it might be the rear main seal. But then again, they don't know anything about Camaros anyway. This is the exact reason I joined this board in the first place! I will definetely get some Gunk and clean off the engine and bay.

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

Unfortunately, shops often behave like that: quote the most expensive thing they can, and get you to sign a work order for it; then do whatever it REALLY takes to fix it, which might be considerably cheaper; then bill you for what you signed the work order for, which is perfectly legal (even if unethical) because they have your signature over it authorizing that expenditure, and pocket the difference.

Another tactic they use, if they don't want to work on something at all for whatever reason, is to quote something so ridiculously high that the customer suddenly loses interest.

And sometimes an ethical shop will adjust their final price downwards if they find that the big expensive thing they quoted is unnecessary. But don't bet on that.

Just another reason I don't take my car to anybody else for anything, except as a VERY LAST RESORT.

Anyone who is anything remotely resembling a hobbyist, but isn't made out of cash, needs to learn how to do as much as possible to their car FOR THEMSELVES. This is typical of why.

When you car-wash your engine, avoid spraying water directly at the distributor. Or, make sure you have a tool to remove the cap with, and a dry towel to dry it out with.

REDRIGHT9

I do agree, clean off the oil so you can see where it is comming from first, that way you dont spend alot of $$ if you dont have too....The one comment I want to make is.....I do take a little offense to the remark that repair facilities quote something really high, do a cheap repair and pocket the difference. Yes, I know there are ALOT of unethical and horrible repair places out there. And they make it soooo hard for honest ones to do there job. I do agree that everybody should take some kind of corse or take the time to learn a little about the car they own...I have sooo many questions asked of me that if the person would have read there owners manual or looked infront of there face, it would have been answered. The auto industry is a messed up field to be in, but there are some descent places out there. Thats, all, my little rant is over, and I know it was nothing personal or anything....

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

Yeah I don't mean to slam the entire industry; only to point out that not everything you get told by a shop, is necessarily accurate. Even an honest and ethical shop will often quote the highest thing they can, just to protect themselves from a possible unethical customer; you know, the type that would accuse them of bait-and-switch if the real diagnosis turned out to be more costly than the initial one. And even alot of totally honest and ethical shops don't want to deal with older cars AT ALL: it's a helluvalot harder to effectively fix a car, when every plastic piece or wire connector or whatever that you touch, crumbles to dust and has to be replaced, or half the bolts are all rusted up and frozen, or you have to work in 20 years of accumulated funk.

My main point is, just because some shop said it needs a rear main seal, don't just go directly to replacing the rear main seal. There's ALOT of potential reasons for them to tell you that, besides it actually needing one.

REDRIGHT9

I hear you! I wish sooo much that my customers would learn just something little about there cars....They try to fight so much on things and have no idea what they are talking about. If someone is going to spend the money it costs to have and operate a vehicle nowadays, have an idea of how it works or to keep it working...And too to protect yourself from people that are shady in the field. So, yeah, look into the leak, make sure you are comfortable with there diagnosis. I know you didnt mean to slam the industry, there are alot of bad shops out there, and it makes my job very difficult. and yes, alot of places dont want to work on the older cars...Plus its hard to find someone that knows what they are doing with them....They may be simpler in some aspects, but the early efi and electronics are alot harder to diagnose sometimes...The field has some older techs that are retireing and know the old cars, but mainly what I see is younger techs that went through a tech school (not that there is anything wrong with that, some of my top techs are these people), and just dont have the experiance with older cars.

DonP

This might sound stupid, but I thought I had a bad oil leak, and it turn out the jackass dealer who did my oil change didn't tighten down the oil filter. Pretty simple fix, but it was a pain in the *** cleaning up the driveway. No more dealers for me, I'll change the oil myself for now on.