My car is dripping a small amount of oil. Its coming from the oil pan itself. Thankfully its not dented or anything, but it just looks like its coming from either the side of the pan or one of the bolts holding it up there. Is there an oil pan gasket on there, or do you use some RTV/alternative make your own gasket stuff, or is it just held up there by the bolts themselves?

Any opinions would be great.
Thanks,
Michael

 

you need to clean it up and get a photo of were it is coming from.. because sometimes it is not motor oil or it is not from the pan.

first guess is it is stuff spilled from changing the filter. second guess is the tranny. but that is an odd thing that happens..

beers

 

Thanks, will do.

 

Was the washer reapplied when the oil was changed

Best to see exactly where it is comin' from, then go from there.

 

oil travels all over the place, where it drips from doesn't mean it's leaking from that spot. Oil can go from the front of the engine all the way to the rear of it.

I would say wash down the engine, get it clean, let it idle and see where it leaks from.

 

To answer your question, Mazda have not used sump gaskets for over 20 years like most manufacturers....yeah it is BS, give me a gasket any-day..

But yes, there is no gasket, just a silicone type sealer, that is all, and yes you can get leaks there, but as others suggest look for other areas or reasons first.

 

Agree on cleaning it up first to try to find the exact location. One area you may want to check that a few people noted was prone to leaking is the oil level sensor that runs into the oil pan (look for the wired plug that goes into the pan), there is a small gasket on the sensor that can leak. As I recall in order to replace it you need to drop the pan. If that is the leak, probably easier to clean and try to put some sealant around it to minimize leakage.

 

Heres some pics. not the best I know, wasn't working with a lot of room.












Two of the oil pan bolts are covered, and the wishbone looking thing (technical term, i know) has some oil on it also. When I get under it again I'll clean her up and run it and recheck i suppose. The third pic is to show none of the other bolts appear to have any oil on them.

Figured I'd post some pics in case anyone knew anything for sure about this.

Thanks.

 

Looks like the bolts could be loose or you need to make a new gasket for the pan.
First verify if the bolts are loose. If not you will have to drop the pan.

It's pretty easy really to do...just make sure you drain as much oil as you can out of it; the pan is pretty stuck from the rtv sealant and you have to pry it off. But be careful because it is very easy to bend the edges of the pan.

I recommend using this:


It makes a leak proof gasket in 1 minute. It is absolutely the best stuff I've used.

 

Thanks for the recommendation.

 

Figured I would bring this up:

My oil light will pop on from time to time. No problem, pull over and fill it up a bit. Well a day after I did this, the light came back on. I pulled into my driveway and turned the car off and then back on and the light wasn't on anymore, and the oil level seems to be fine.

Is it possible (based on location) my oil sensor is bad, and at the same time causing the leak that is mentioned in this thread?

Just a thought..

 

It's possible the sensor is bad...is there oil coming from that location as well?
In the pictures the leak is coming from the side of the drain bolt. The sensor is on the opposite side; not shown in your pics.

 

I wasn't really sure where the sensor was, but I didn't take any pics of the other side only because there was no oil there. Hmm

 

there was a tsb for the oil sensor in 04.. it does what you are describing..

you are going to have to search for it, as it seems that the quick source for tsbs is gone..

beers

 

Looks like Finish Line have removed their Bulletins...

 

yes,

and somehow i found it. wonder how long it will be there?

and yes i know where to find them now!!!!

http://www.finishlineperformance.com...13-04-1341.pdf

beers

 

Swoope=GOD!

 

nope,

just pay attention..

but for the greater good!

beers

 

Good on ya Scott swoope...

Do you have a link for the other TSB's, I think it would be good to have a "sticky" here with all of the RX-8 Bulletins, I have about 20 saved....or is there a thread already, should I upload them to a new thread???

What do ya reckon?

 

Found the link from OD's Sticky...
http://www.finishlineperformance.com....php?pageid=11

They should be all uploaded and saved...what do you think..Finish Line may not keep this link active..

Thread Done..
https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...19#post3258119

 

"The good is whatever brings the greatest happiness to the greatest number of people" -J Bentham

Good to see FLP still has these TSB's

 

Swoope, you didn't have to go through the trouble of finding it for me.. Thanks for your time though, I'll give it a good read and fix what is necessary.

 

i was under my car the other day and my oil pan is all rusted on the bottom (I think i hit something that caused a dent/scratch) and now its rusting pretty good...

anyone have an idea how much a new one costs? (doubtful I can find one from a junk yard around here)

 

Pretty sure you'd be looking at a couple hundred dollars. From the tsb mentioned above looks like the sensor is inside the pan itself? Not entirely sure on the cost though.

 

mazdatrix has one for under 160, rust and dents are not uncommon especially if you're lowered