GVR-4 Will stop leak additives stop minor oil pan leak?

[cmp1516]

I have a Galant 92' with a 228k mileage. I recently noticed a very minor oil leak, a 5 minute drive doesn't cause a leak but a 10 minute with constant traffic causes a tiny drop.

I've asked my mechanic about replacing the gaskets but pulling the engine out costs about $200. So I was wondering if using a stop oil leak additive as a alternative solution is a good idea or simply nah? Saw a lot of negative comments about oil stop leak products but their situation varies from mine.

 

[mitsubishikid]

I personally do not like using stop leak additives, that you pour into your engine oil in some cases it can cause more oil leaks.

Your best bet is to identify where the leak is coming from, and if you can get at it without pulling the motor from the car you possibly could put a layer of rtv over the area, however if it is a seal the best way to fix it is to replace it.

 

[dustyboner]

on a car with an oil pan gasket it might work because the stop leak will swell the gasket. but your oil pan is sealed with RTV and as far as i know, it will have no effect on RTV
if your PCV system is operating correctly, it will help keep fluids from leaking because it will put a sight vacuum on the crankcase.
well at least in theory, but it will still lower the pressure and less oil will be forced out.

 

[cmp1516]

I personally do not like using stop leak additives, that you pour into your engine oil in some cases it can cause more oil leaks.

Your best bet is to identify where the leak is coming from, and if you can get at it without pulling the motor from the car you possibly could put a layer of rtv over the area, however if it is a seal the best way to fix it is to replace it.

Hmmm... Sounds like RTV would be the way to go, sounds safer and cheaper. Thanks for the input brother!

on a car with an oil pan gasket it might work because the stop leak will swell the gasket. but your oil pan is sealed with RTV and as far as i know, it will have no effect on RTV
if your PCV system is operating correctly, it will help keep fluids from leaking because it will put a sight vacuum on the crankcase.
well at least in theory, but it will still lower the pressure and less oil will be forced out.

I guess I can start by using RTV since it's cheaper and safer rather than slushing some additives that the engine might not like and end up with more issues...

 

[XC92]

If the pan is leaking then eventually you're going to need to drop it, scrape off the old RTV from both mating surfaces, check for dents and nicks to see if it needs to be repaired or replaced, then reinstall it with fresh RTV. I just did this and it wasn't too bad. I also thoroughly cleaned the pan, and removed some rust from and painted the outside. Don't use short-cuts. Fix this properly.

Btw, speaking of oil leaks and the possibility that his is coming from somewhere other than the pan, which seals need to be replaced on a DSM and how often? I know there's the rear seal (which I just replaced on mine since I dropped the trans and flywheel so might as well), the camshaft seal(s) (2 on DOHC engines, 1 on SOHC), the crankshaft seal, and oil pump seal. IIRC there's another seal on the front but forgot which one. And of course the valve cover seal, half moon seal and plug seals. Any others?

 

[cmp1516]

If the pan is leaking then eventually you're going to need to drop it, scrape off the old RTV from both mating surfaces, check for dents and nicks to see if it needs to be repaired or replaced, then reinstall it with fresh RTV. I just did this and it wasn't too bad. I also thoroughly cleaned the pan, and removed some rust from and painted the outside. Don't use short-cuts. Fix this properly.

Btw, speaking of oil leaks and the possibility that his is coming from somewhere other than the pan, which seals need to be replaced on a DSM and how often? I know there's the rear seal (which I just replaced on mine since I dropped the trans and flywheel so might as well), the camshaft seal(s) (2 on DOHC engines, 1 on SOHC), the crankshaft seal, and oil pump seal. IIRC there's another seal on the front but forgot which one. And of course the valve cover seal, half moon seal and plug seals. Any others?

Not sure how to answer your questions since I've only recently owned a 4g63 motor (about a month ). Although did you reuse the old gasket and put on new RTV or did you replaced it?

 

[XC92]

There is no oil pan gasket in these engines, only RTV. I was referring to the round seals that go into various openings like the front and rear of the crankshaft.

 

[Dericsh]

Not sure how to answer your questions since I've only recently owned a 4g63 motor (about a month ). Although did you reuse the old gasket and put on new RTV or did you replaced it?

You don’t need a gasket for the oil pan itself, only rtv.

 

[XC92]

You don’t need a gasket, only rtv.

Although several parts that are related to the oil pan require gaskets, like the oil screen and return pipe. But the question he responded to was about seals, not gaskets.

 

[Dericsh]

Although several parts that are related to the oil pan require gaskets, like the oil screen and return pipe. But the question he responded to was about seals, not gaskets.

Oh I see what you mean, I just fixed my response. Thanks!

 

[pauleyman]

Not sure how to answer your questions since I've only recently owned a 4g63 motor (about a month ). Although did you reuse the old gasket and put on new RTV or did you replaced it?

You do not need to pull the motor to drop the pan. It's a bit of a pain to do since there is no gasket so it's usually stuck on there good. If you decide to tackle this pay close attention to the bolts. They are NOT all the same.
There are two shorter bolts right under the timing belt and they have to go back in those spots. They are different looking bolts too. If memory serves the heads have phillips slots where the other bolts do not. And of course if you have them in your hand you will notice they are physically shorter than the remaining bolts.

 

[XC92]

When I just did it it wasn't so bad. The hardest part was getting the pan off after removing all the bolts. You have to be careful to not bend, scratch or dent the flange or engine mating surface. Then you have to completely scrape off the old RTV, again being careful to not damage either surface. I used a gasket scraper then finished it off with a rotary tool with a medium scotch brite-like pad applied very lightly, then brake cleaner.

As for the bolts, I initially thought that the 2 shorter ones had broken off in the holes, but upon examination saw that they hadn't broken off but were intentionally shorter. I researched it and found out about the timing belt issue. IIRC on my '92 engine the 2 short bolts go on the left side of the pan, the furthest towards the rear but before the bend. To make sure I carefully stuck a thin screwdriver to feel for either metal or the belt, and confirmed that these 2 holes led to the belt, and inserted the 2 short bolts in them. Seems like a bit of a design flaw not having these holes be blind and instead be open on the far end. Perhaps there's a good reason.

Btw here's a link to a photo that shows where they go:

https://www.dsmtuners.com/threads/short-oil-pan-bolts.496094/

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[Jk's97DSM]

Any and all stop leaks just create more issues. It’s made for idiots who can’t repair things correctly. Take the pan off. Clean it thoroughly. 3m has little plastic discs with fingers on them that eat gaskets up with out abrasion or just use a wire wheel. Only because it is steel. Use grey RTV and run a bead around the bolt holes(people always forget that) and around the pan. Clean the block thoroughly. Set the pan up on the clean and dry surface and torque to spec. Torquing after the rtv is set will only cause a bigger leak so just torque to spec and at least run through them twice. If all that is done you will never have a leak.

 

[XC92]

And run the bead around the INSIDE-facing side of the bolt holes, not the outside. It's kind of logical but it's better to be told.

Btw I used Ultra Black, because it looked nicer and said that it was specifically made for situations where oil was present, and had a picture of an oil pan on it. I plan on using Ultra Gray for the trans case when I put it back together this week. Both are probably ok for either application.

 

[DSMPT]

@cmp1516 This is what people told you above. No gasket, only RTV. And there are two shorter bolts.

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[Jk's97DSM]

The only rtv I use is grey Permatex

 

[XC92]

Any reason, or you're just used to it and it works? What's the difference between it and black? And you use Ultra, right, not the basic kind?

 

[cmp1516]

Hey guys sorry for the late reply to y'all, I had a busy week. I've inspected my engine throughout the days and it seems like it doesn't only leak from the oil pan, but from other areas such as the head block. Looks like I'll take out the engine and overhaul every gaskets on the motor after all. From the looks of it even at a glance, the engine wasn't taken care of by the previous owners and I guess it's taken its toll.

Thanks for the input everybody, might or might not update but hopefully things will work out!

 

[Jk's97DSM]

Any reason, or you're just used to it and it works? What's the difference between it and black? And you use Ultra, right, not the basic stuff?

I couldn’t tell you specifically why they are different but I’ve seen a lot of people use it and it leaks. It could be because of the crankcase pressure issues people don’t tend to but I haven’t use much of anything else besides Ultragrey in my 7 years in the auto field. Currently still at the same shop as shop foreman working on anything from Bentley to Honda and if it is oil related, we will use it.

 

[XC92]

I couldn’t tell you specifically why they are different but I’ve seen a lot of people use it and it leaks. It could be because of the crankcase pressure issues people don’t tend to but I haven’t use much of anything else besides Ultragrey in my 7 years in the auto field. Currently still at the same shop as shop foreman working on anything from Bentley to Honda and if it is oil related, we will use it.

Oh well, already used the black when I reinstalled the oil pan. I'll see how it holds up. If it leaks then I'll just replace it with gray. Not that big a deal.

 

[luv2rallye]

Says right on the tube. Ultra Black is for maximum oil resistance while Ultra Grey is for maximum torque. Also Ultra Black stays permeable while Ultra Grey gets harder when it dries. Either will work but I personally prefer Ultra Black for oil pans for these reasons. {I use Ultra Grey on manual transmission clam shell halves reassembly because you must torque them.}

 

[XC92]

Says right on the tube. Ultra Black is for maximum oil resistance while Ultra Grey is for maximum torque. Also Ultra Black stays permeable while Ultra Grey gets harder when it dries. Either will work but I personally prefer Ultra Black for oil pans for these reasons. {I use Ultra Grey on manual transmission clam shell halves reassembly because you must torque them.}

That was actually my logic, black for oil pan, grey for trans case, blue for dessert topping...

 

[jakk220]

There is no such thing as fix it in a can.

 

[XC92]

There is no such thing as fix it in a can.

???

 

[jakk220]

???

Old saying. But meaning head gasket repair, oil stop leaks, no smoke additives, engine knock fix, transmission stop slip, etc. that come in a bottle or can dont work and actually do more damage than good.