3.8 Grand Caravan, oil leak- please help

Discussion in 'General Motoring' started by Rob, Aug 31, 2006.

  1. Rob

    Rob Guest

    I bought my 2000 Grand Caravan 3.8, 176000KM about 2 weeks ago, and have
    driven it about 2500KM so far. When I checked the engine oil last night, I
    noticed it lost the oil to the min. I put a cardboard under the car, and
    this morning noticed an oil spot on it. So do you know if this is easy to
    fix, where should I start checking.

    Thanks in advance for any help-Rob
     
    Rob, Aug 31, 2006
    #1
  2. Rob

    NewMan Guest

    I have a 3.3, which is the same block as the 3.8.

    Lots of places, but the most common are:

    - Valve Cover gaskets
    - Front Crank Seal
    - Oil Pan Gasket (sometimes)

    But why guess! Do this:

    - Have the engine shampooed TOP AND BOTTOM.
    - Take the van to your shop and have them put a "UV Tracer" into the
    oil
    - Drive for a week or two
    - Go back to the shop

    They will hit the engine with a blacklight, and every single leak will
    show plain as day

    You can then assess the costs and priorities with getting the leaks
    fixed.

    The engine shampoo should be less than $100 (probably about $70). Just
    about any car detailing shop can do it.

    The UV tracer that my shop put into my van was provided at "no
    charge". In my case, it was the front crank seal. That repair was less
    than $100.

    Valve cover gaskets, welll, that is a pain in the ass because they are
    hard to get at. Not sure how much they will cost to do, but it will be
    a heck of a lot more than $100, that is for sure.

    hth
     
    NewMan, Aug 31, 2006
    #2
  3. Rob

    DeserTBoB Guest

    Why spend so much money on a detail shop and a UV dye? Just pressure
    wash it using a citric acid degreaser and wait...the oil will be
    visible very soon.

    For a leak to affect oil level, it'd have to be pretty huge. With
    176K on it, I'd opine that a lot of that oil's going out the tailpipe.
     
    DeserTBoB, Aug 31, 2006
    #3
  4. Rob

    kmatheson Guest

    I agree with the above procedure to put in the UV dye.

    My 3.3 had a bad timing cover gasket that was leaking.

    -KM
     
    kmatheson, Aug 31, 2006
    #4

  5. things to check- oil leaks occur from the following:

    front main seal- a job but can be done at home
    rear main seal- a REAL job- you have to pull the transmission off, and
    pull the oil pan to change it sometimes
    valve cover gaskets- easy to change usually
    front timing cover gasket- quite a job
    also look at your oil filter area, any other area where a distributor,
    sensor, etc. goes into the engine

    one way to approach this is, take your car to the spray car wash,
    totally clean it with the engine degreaser and rinse, then drive it
    more and look very closely afterwards, with the car on ramps, to see
    where it's leaking from

    good luck
     
    duty-honor-country, Aug 31, 2006
    #5
  6. Rob

    Rob Guest

    I took the car to a shop, he looked at it and said:
    oil pan gasket and front crank seal has to be replaced.
    the labour would be 3.5 hr ($300), Do you think if thats DIY job, $400 is
    much mony for me.
    Thanks agin for your suggestions-Rob
     
    Rob, Aug 31, 2006
    #6
  7. Rob

    DeserTBoB Guest

    Get your sockets out, tighen up the pan bolts, clean off the pan
    exterior and see what leaks after that. If the front seal's really
    shot, you may have to do the front cover, a real buggar of a job, but
    I can't imagine that the entire pan gasket is "gone."

    Dirty up your knuckles and give it a go...you might clean up 90% of
    the leak right there.
     
    DeserTBoB, Aug 31, 2006
    #7
  8. Rob

    NewMan Guest

    My 1994 Grand Caravan had 184,000 km on it, and did not burn or leak a
    single drop of oil. (3.3 liter engine).

    The UV die is "free", and it will pinpoint ALL the leaks. Some leaks
    are very small and hard to find. I noticed a leak, and the shop could
    not find it. After the UV, it turned out to be the front crank seal.

    I HATE oil leaks. UV is an inexpensive and fast way to diagnose a
    potential problem and head it off at the pass.

    Degrease the engine yourself, OK. It will save you a few bucks - if
    you have the time to do it, a place to accomplish it, and happen to
    have the citric stuff. I don't have my own house anymore, and I have
    very ittle spare time, so I just got a shop to do it.
     
    NewMan, Aug 31, 2006
    #8
  9. Rob

    NewMan Guest

    Shortly after I purchased my 1994 GC, the oil pan gasket started to
    leak. I had it replaced, but it was so long ago (about 50,000 km) that
    I can't recall how much it cost.

    Seems to me that it was about an hours labour - so $75, and then
    whatever the part was. Plus I combined with with a regular lube, oil,
    and filter - so my bet is it was under $150.

    The front crank seal is easy to replace, the complication being that
    you need to re&re the harmonic balancer to do so.

    Again, I had it replaced. Seems to me that this was under $100.

    I would say your shop is a little high.

    I think the oil pan gasket is certainly doable at home quite easily.
    The front crank seal, depends on your level of experience. If you are
    mechically inclinded, and you have the correct puller tool to remove
    the harmonic balancer, and you have more time available than cash,
    then you should be able to do it.
     
    NewMan, Aug 31, 2006
    #9
  10. Rob

    Bob Shuman Guest

    Be careful and do not overtighten these oil pan bolts since they can snap
    off... Retighten to the correct torque settings for that size bolt per the
    FSM.
     
    Bob Shuman, Aug 31, 2006
    #10
  11. DESERTBOB (not its real name) is a TROLL.
    It regularly frequents at least twenty news groups,
    including many rabid/sex/racist/gay/disabled/unemployed groups.
    Normally, it starts off with reasonable, even witty lines,
    but rapidly drifts into lies, abuse and stupidity.
    Check its details at this URL:

    http://groups.google.com/groups/pro...ADKWt-YFW4KG3QbhQogR222h-kUg4S0n7nbF1Te82ZIng

    It is a sad creatures, deserving of pity, not anger.
    Any direct response simply feeds it,
    but it will go away if you ignore it.
    Other names it has used includes "OLDECHRYSLER"
     
    duty-honor-country, Aug 31, 2006
    #11

  12. Do you have a complete tool set that can handle the job, and ramps,
    and/or garage to work on it in ?

    Do you have a shop manual for the procedure ?

    Usually the pan will come off with you move a few things out of the
    way- but sometimes you have to lift the engine up a bit to get it to
    clear things like crossmembers, etc.

    The front cover is a bitch, if that is a front wheel drive car. You
    don't have much room to work there- and all the drive belts and drive
    accessories must be removed.

    Can you do it ? I think so- I rebuilt/replaced many engines, and did
    transmissions, rear axle changes at home many times. I did a clutch in
    my old ' 91 Saturn years ago, in my driveway- and that required pulling
    the trans off the engine a bit, and suspending the engine with a shop
    hoist. But I'm set up for this stuff, and have torches, jacks,
    compressor, air tools, etc.

    The front wheel drive cars, for the most part, are NOT mechanic
    friendly. Have you ever done this type of work before ??
     
    duty-honor-country, Aug 31, 2006
    #12
Ask a Question

Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?

You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments (here). After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.