Questions and Answers
Leaking Oil Pan?
Q. Hello, Vincent, I'm writing to you with a question about a recent trip for an oil change in my 1996 Toyota Tercel (manual trans, 58,000 miles) I received from the mechanic where I always take my car for maintenance.
I have not had any problems at all with my car and I was surprised to hear that my oil pan was leaking and would need to be replaced for $300. I asked why these leaks occur (I've owned 3 Toyotas and driven each over 100,000 miles and never had this problem). He stated that the gaskets wear out and need to be replaced. Hmmm.
My question is does this sound like normal maintenance to you, and if so is that a reasonable price (he told me the part was only $16). Oh, I have not noticed any leaks at all on my white driveway. Normal?
Thanks for any advice, Andi
A. That engine doesn't have a real oil pan gasket. It has a sealer that seals the pan to the engine block. This sealer rarely leaks, in fact the sealer is so strong that you can remove the oil pan bolts and drive around with out them without the pan falling off. Of course I don't recommend you do this. There are gaskets made by aftermarket gasket makers for this engine, but there is no gasket from the factory.
Now there is a difference between "Leakage" and Seepage." I suspect what he is seeing is seepage which is normal. If you're not seeing drops on the driveway, don't worry about it. And the $300.00 quote for replacing the gasket is in line with my books.
Information provided courtesy of ALLDATA
