By Bill Gill (Bluegill) on Wednesday, March 07, 2001 - 04:52 pm: Edit

I finally took my '96 with 65K in to replace the oilpan gasket and fix that chronic leak - about 1 drip on the garage floor per week and constant fluids smeared all over the undercarriage - all you Disco owners know the routine. Just got the call back from the trusted mechanic (NOT dealer), and he said that it looks like the valve cover gasket(s), rear main seal, and oilpan gasket are bad. Now, I comprehend the oilpan gasket, but what is involved with the valve cover gaskets and the rear main seal? He's running costs for me now, but I'm afraid...very afraid. The "rear main seal" sounds particularly ominous and expensive.

Thanks in advance,
BlueGill

By Ron on Wednesday, March 07, 2001 - 05:31 pm: Edit

Rear main seal is really high ducket item. I know people with really bad leaks who just fill rather than fix.

Ron

By LeGault on Wednesday, March 07, 2001 - 08:51 pm: Edit

If your valve cover gaskets are leaking it is well worth replacing them. Oil coming from that high up on the engine can make your rig look like it's leaking from everywhere, not to mention getting on the exhaust manifolds (smell, smoke, fire, etc.) They shouldn't be too expensive either. The rear main on the other hand... Like Ron said, sometimes it's best just to keep topping her off.

By Bill Gill (Bluegill) on Thursday, March 08, 2001 - 12:26 am: Edit

OK - no big deal on the valve gaskets, although there is no smoke or smell. But she looks like she's bleedin like a stuck pig when you look from underneath (although there is really only the occasional drop every couple of weeks on the garage floor - figure that one out...) I still think that it is mainly (if not all) the oilpan gasket - I'll get it up on floor jacks for suspension upgrade next week and inspect myself.

What is so bad about the rear main? If it truly is leaking, is it neglectful and damaging to ignore? I don't leak more than a spoonfull during the 3,000 miles between oil changes, so there's no need to top off. Maybe mechanic was making it sound worse than it is?......If so, someone needs to be taken out back and worked over with a wrench.........

Gracias, amigos,
Blue

By LeGault on Thursday, March 08, 2001 - 08:33 am: Edit

Blue,
The rear main is one of those leaks that just gets worse over time, usually slowly. The big deal is that you have to unmate the tranny and the engine to repair it. If you have a manual tranny the leak can contaminate the clutch but if your rig is automatic it is just messy. Until you have to add a quart within 3K it's no big deal. Before you get under it go get a can or two of engine cleaner (I like the gunk product) soak her down and get her cleaned up(from experience, be careful with the wiring) - drive her for a day, then look under. You'll get a better idea of exactly where she's stuck! Let me know how that wrench out back works - sometimes even trustworthy mechanics breathe too many fumes and loose their grip on reallity.
Peace,
Joe