Ballsie Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 2002 Qx4 4x4 123k milesLong story short....I had a small (seep) oil leak at the valve cover. One of my customers is a GM dealer and they offered to replace the gaskets for $200. It was a no brainer so I let them do it. Well, they cracked one of the valve covers in the process and replaced it with an OEM Nissan valve cover.Got the truck back and it had a major oil leak within 2 days of getting it home. Brought it back to the shop and they said it was the rear main. They offered me a great price to replace it, so I had them do the rear main, the upper oil pan and the lower oil pan gaskets along with a couple other unrelated items.They ran the truck on the lift for a couple of hours after the work was completed and it had no leaks, but after a 20 mile test drive the truck is leaking oil just as bad as it did before. The shop then went to Infiniti and bought all new OEM gaskets and did the job all over again with the same results. Oil is leaking between engine and transmissionNow they are thinking it might be a head gasket. Does anyone have any info to offer? I think they are just grasping because the HG is just about the only gasket left to replace!Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5523Pathfinder Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Ok, they replaced the rear main seal, but did they replace the rear main seal housing gasket? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Could be they scored the crankshaft when installing the rear main. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ballsie Posted April 1, 2015 Author Share Posted April 1, 2015 Anything is possible I guess. I just read a thread where a loose valve cover could run oil down the back of the motor and mimic a rear main leak between the motor and tranny. I had a very small valve cover leak. They replaced the valve cover gaskets and less than a tank of gas later Im losing oil like crazy and they say its a rear main. They replaced the rear main 2x along with the upper oil pan 2x and its still leaking. a different tech did the valve cover gaskets and cracked a valve cover the first time. I think maybe he was extra careful on the second go around not to over tighten the valve covers. MAybe he didnt tighten them enough? Maybe its just wishful thinking, but we will find out tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5523Pathfinder Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 I find it difficult to believe that someone cracked a valve cover, unless they were being a hack and tightening everything with a impact gun. 3.5 oil leaks are not as common as the 3.3 and 3.0, but still happen. Heck, they love to leak down into the spark plug holes and cause intermittent misfires. I would recommend putting some engine oil dye and tracing the leak with a UV light. Maybe you can have the shop do this and request to see it when they find it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 Yep, at this point I'd clean it as well as possible and go straight to the UV dye and not screw around; have the source found rather than just part swapping. I'm not sure what those GM guys were doing, but I think I now understand why GMs have a lot of issues. Those mechanics aren't inspiring any confidence... B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R3DN1CK Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 Oil Dye is your friend... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ballsie Posted April 3, 2015 Author Share Posted April 3, 2015 (edited) I would t say GMs have a lot of issues. I have an 04 Yukon with 250k that has only had the water pump and a couple coolant hoses replaced. They put oil dye in it the other day.. Waiting to hear back from them. Edited April 3, 2015 by Ballsie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now