Major oil and tranny leak... $$?

[WaKonabi217]

So I got my oil changed today, and they checked for leaks and such. Apparently my oil was gone and there is a major oil and tranny leak so bad that its all over the underside of my car.

How much is this gonna run me to fix? Keep in mind i'm 18 and know nothing about do-it-yourself-fixing.

 

[Tire Shredder]

where?

are you sure it's tranny AND gear lube? often front and rear main seals will spray motor oil everywhere and give the illusion that the transmission is leaking (as it sprays everywhere)

more investigation is needed. if you are having trouble finding it, rent a UV oil tracer kit from your local parts store.

 

[Angry7M]

So I got my oil changed today, and they checked for leaks and such. Apparently my oil was gone and there is a major oil and tranny leak so bad that its all over the underside of my car.

How much is this gonna run me to fix? Keep in mind i'm 18 and know nothing about do-it-yourself-fixing.

It really depends on where the oil is leaking from. I take it you have a auto transmission? It shouldnt really be hard to find it, if you lost oil that fast. If you cant find the leak, take it to a shop. Its hard to know how much it will cost to get it fixed with out knowing where the leaking is coming from.

 

[WaKonabi217]

where?

are you sure it's tranny AND gear lube? often front and rear main seals will spray motor oil everywhere and give the illusion that the transmission is leaking (as it sprays everywhere)

more investigation is needed. if you are having trouble finding it, rent a UV oil tracer kit from your local parts store.

I was told that it was all over the bottom of the car. I could take a look at it, but I honestly wouldn't know what I was looking for...i'm still learning about cars and have a VERY limited knowledge lol. Whats the UV Oil Tracer Kit?

It really depends on where the oil is leaking from. I take it you have a auto transmission? It shouldnt really be hard to find it, if you lost oil that fast. If you cant find the leak, take it to a shop. Its hard to know how much it will cost to get it fixed with out knowing where the leaking is coming from.

I have a 5 speed manual. Sometimes its hard to get into reverse, and sometimes it just wont go. I have to let go of the clutch and try again. I plan on taking it to a shop next week so i'll edit and update when I know more. Until then if anyone has anymore suggestions or suspisions feel free to post them.

 

[SupraMario]

I have a 5 speed manual. Sometimes its hard to get into reverse, and sometimes it just wont go. I have to let go of the clutch and try again.

Both my W58 and R154 do that, I'm pretty sure its just a safety feature so you don't jam it into reverse when your driving. Just shift threw the gears once or twice and it should let you jump into reverse pretty easily.

The UV kit is basically dye put into your oil to find the leak easier.

 

[Angry7M]

I was told that it was all over the bottom of the car. I could take a look at it, but I honestly wouldn't know what I was looking for...i'm still learning about cars and have a VERY limited knowledge lol. Whats the UV Oil Tracer Kit?





I have a 5 speed manual. Sometimes its hard to get into reverse, and sometimes it just wont go. I have to let go of the clutch and try again. I plan on taking it to a shop next week so i'll edit and update when I know more. Until then if anyone has anymore suggestions or suspisions feel free to post them.

Yeah well then it wont be easy. I would take it to a shop if I were you, just for the peace on mind. Make sure you don't drive it without any oil.

And about shifting into reverse. I didnt know either untill I read a thread on here. When your going to shift into reverse, press the pedal and shift into 4th gear then shift into the reverse. It should go into reverse without any problems.

 

[WaKonabi217]

Both my W58 and R154 do that, I'm pretty sure its just a safety feature so you don't jam it into reverse when your driving. Just shift threw the gears once or twice and it should let you jump into reverse pretty easily.

The UV kit is basically dye put into your oil to find the leak easier.

Oh ok i've heard of those kits before. And it may be a safety feature...but it often makes a very weird noise when I do get it into reverse. Almost as if I were trying to force it into gear without pushing in the clutch even tho I have the clutch completely down.

Yeah well then it wont be easy. I would take it to a shop if I were you, just for the peace on mind. Make sure you don't drive it without any oil.

And about shifting into reverse. I didnt know either untill I read a thread on here. When your going to shift into reverse, press the pedal and shift into 4th gear then shift into the reverse. It should go into reverse without any problems.

Yea i'm gonna go to a shop once I get paid friday so that I can have it looked at right away instead of waiting around. I will be checking my oil every other day to make sure I dont run dry again. I have a friend whos a mechanic and quikly got under and said its not that bad of a leak but i'm not sure. Of course, idk how long I was driving it dry...since I didn't know it was leaking it could've been dry for a while...

Anybody in the Vancouver, WA area know of good reputable shops. With reasonable prices for their work...lol

 

[radiod]

The reverse gear doesn't have syncros, most don't. It's not unusual for you to get a little grind going into reverse on any car. Two things you can do to minimize this is don't shift into reverse when moving at all (you shouldn't be anyways), and while holding the clutch, shift in to 2nd or 4th before shifting in to reverse. I've found that helps a lot.

As for the oil leak I would do exactly what you've been told already. Be sure to thoroughly clean the engine and underside of your vehicle off before you do this. Engine degreaser/shampoo is the best to do it quickly and easily...most everything you need off should come off with that and a quick spray from a hose. Typically you want to take the car for a drive immediately after you've done that and put the dye in. Get the engine up to temperature, drive a good 10 miles or so, then check it again. This gives you a chance to try and find the leak before it's sprayed all over the place and made it MUCH more difficult to pinpoint.

And remember, when checking with the UV light and glasses on (please don't be supid and burn out your retinas), all coolants (as far as I know) will react to the UV light as well and light up. Be sure you're finding the dye in the oil and not spilled or leaking coolant.

 

[WaKonabi217]

The reverse gear doesn't have syncros, most don't. It's not unusual for you to get a little grind going into reverse on any car. Two things you can do to minimize this is don't shift into reverse when moving at all (you shouldn't be anyways), and while holding the clutch, shift in to 2nd or 4th before shifting in to reverse. I've found that helps a lot.

As for the oil leak I would do exactly what you've been told already. Be sure to thoroughly clean the engine and underside of your vehicle off before you do this. Engine degreaser/shampoo is the best to do it quickly and easily...most everything you need off should come off with that and a quick spray from a hose. Typically you want to take the car for a drive immediately after you've done that and put the dye in. Get the engine up to temperature, drive a good 10 miles or so, then check it again. This gives you a chance to try and find the leak before it's sprayed all over the place and made it MUCH more difficult to pinpoint.

And remember, when checking with the UV light and glasses on (please don't be supid and burn out your retinas), all coolants (as far as I know) will react to the UV light as well and light up. Be sure you're finding the dye in the oil and not spilled or leaking coolant.

Well, if the grind is normal then I haven't noticed any tangible problems...I do plan on having it all checked tho. Idk if i'm gonna check it with the UV oil tracker cuz I have no one to guide me on what to do if I were to do it myself and dont wanna mess somethin up more by not knowing what i'm doing.

 

[SupraMario]

Well, if the grind is normal then I haven't noticed any tangible problems...I do plan on having it all checked tho. Idk if i'm gonna check it with the UV oil tracker cuz I have no one to guide me on what to do if I were to do it myself and dont wanna mess somethin up more by not knowing what i'm doing.

Time to buy a book and start learning.

 

[mecevans]

sounds like jiffy lube lol. "major oil" is the engine.was it a minor or major transmission leak? we have a 1 gallon weed sprayer that we fill with 50/50 water and degreaser to clean oil off cars. works great. i wonder if its a dripping or just "accumulative" kind of leak. if you can drive it between oil changes with little oil loss (1/4-1/2 quart max) then its nothing to stop drive the car for. some cars come in with NO OIL!

usual culprits are rear/front main seals,plugs, valve cover,oil pans. your really going to have to degrease the engine and trans to find where its coming from.

 

[WaKonabi217]

Alright so heres the update. I brought my car to a private shop and was told a few things.

Need a new valve cover gasket
Need new spark plug wires
Need U-Joints and center support bearing
Need Cam and Crank seals and maybe a timing belt
Need Intermidiate steering shaft and steering dampener

I then took it to a friend of mine who's a diesel mechanic but obviously has plenty of car knowledge and used to have a supra of his own that he was always fixing and tinkering. Well he checked over some stuff and told me that he didn't really believe they actually checked the cam and crank seals cuz they're not easy to get to. He figured they pulled the front cover off the engine, saw oil and assumed. So we're going to replace the valve cover gasket, cap, and rotor along with wires and such (which we got A HELL of a lot cheaper than we woulda through the shop), clean it up and drive it for a little longer and see if the oil on the cam seals and crank seals was just seeping in from the valve leak.

Any help on finding the intermediate steering shaft and steering dampener would be awesome...seeing as how 2 auto shops haven't even heard of them. Is there a different name for them?

Thanks for any help

 

[WaKonabi217]

Oh and I almost forgot, the tranny shifter cap or whatever its called is SLIGHTLY leaking, and the front struts are leaking...