[DeTomaso] oil leak questions

Christopher Kimball chrisvkimball at msn.com
Wed Apr 28 02:56:00 EDT 2010


As those of you who have followed the ongoing saga of Pandora know, after spending $$ on a new motor and having it leak oil, then having it "repaired under warranty" by a mechanic who disappeared with my car for three months and did $4K of damage to the body while replacing all the seals, the motor still leaks oil.

I fabricated a couple of "belly pans" for the bottom of the car placed strategically between the frame rails and under the oil filter to see if I could contain the oil drips, and also determine with more accuracy where the stupid drips might be originating.  (Since my car is slated to be in the hospitality suite this year, I want to make sure there is absolutely no chance of oil drips).

I drove the car for a couple of hours, and here's what I found:

1) The rear main seal still leaks a tiny bit (the belly pan under the trans-axle showed this once I removed and examined it).

2) It appears a slightly larger leak may be coming from the front, driver's side corner of the oil pan.  I noticed the gasket seemed to be sticking out a bit further than I thought looked normal, so I reached up and gave it a slight tug, only to have a large piece come right out from between the oil pan and the engine block.  It appears the corner of the gasket must have been torn before it was fully installed or damaged during the installation.  

Being careful to use the oil filter as a shield between the header and where the leak is, I stuffed a rag around the corner of the oil pan where the suspicious gasket malfunction is located.  My plan is to run the engine for a while (being careful that the rag doesn't get to hot and ignite!) and then check to see if the only oil seepage is into the rag and not anywhere else.  If this is the case, then I'll know I need to replace the oil pan gasket.

So here's the big question:

I use the Armando pan, and the emergency brake bracket still in its stock location, so can the oil pan be loosened and removed enough to replace the gasket, without removing the engine?

If so, since the oil and filter are brand new (less than 200 miles since changed), can I simply leave the filter on and reuse the oil I drain?  I don't want to spend another $80 if I don't have to!

Thanks,

Chris 
 		 	   		  


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