Questions and Answers
Leaking Villager
Q. I have a 1995 Mercury Villager with 68,000 miles on it. Practically overnight is has developed a fairly serious oil leak. The oil drips to the ground from where the transaxle bolts to the engine (where there's "a notch") and the area surrounding the valve cover is clean so it appears the oil is originating from the area of the drip and not running down the engine. I'm the original owner and have babied this van with frequent oil changes from the beginning so I'm surprised this is happening.
Please give me your thoughts as to what the problem is and what the costs to repair may be. Is it the type of repair that's best done by a Ford/Mercury dealer or can most locally owned/nation-wide repair shops competently repair the problem?
Thanks in advance
MarkA. Oil leaking from that area usually means just one thing, you have a rear main oil seal leaking. Your vehicle has a Nissan 3.0 liter engine and transmission and that engine is not know for leaking rear main seals. The transmission will have to come out to replace that seal. I would recommend a transmission shop or the dealer to perform this repair rather than a general repair shop.
