Help with leak please

[Michigan]

Hello everyone,

I just purchased a 2003 Tahoe z71 with 178k miles.

i bought this truck on a rainy day which I knew was a bad idea and didn't bother looking underneath or taking to a shop. I know, very dumb but I thought I could take the mans word that it didn't leak anything since I knew some of his family.

Anyways days after I buy it and the weather clears up I notice a small leak.

I have not been driving the truck at all since I have not put plates or insurance on it yet. (It will be my secondary vehicle for winter) so I have not had a chance to take it to a shop to inspect the leak

I thought maybe you guys can help if possible by looking at some pics so that I have an idea of what it might be or cost before getting in a shop. Sorry not the best pics. Will try to get better ones

 

[Tonyrodz]

How bad or how much is it leaking? From the looks of it, could be an oil pan gasket .Maybe you can try tightening the pan bolts .

 

[Michigan]

How bad or how much is it leaking? From the looks of it, could be an oil pan gasket .Maybe you can try tightening the pan bolts .

Doesn't seam to be leaking too bad. It's not leaving a puddle or anything.

I should be able to tighten the pan bolts without lifting?

If it's the pan gasket, what would that cost roughly?

I was dreading that I may have a rear main seal leak from a quick search and that it being a common problem. I don't know much about cars but have been learning slowly over the years so sorry for my lack of knowledge. I am not mechanically inclined by any means either.

Would you be able to rule out rear main seal from pics or can't tell?

Thanks for the reply

 

[Tonyrodz]

I also thought it could be the rear main seal , but looking at the pics it seems to me like the oil has been dripping down from the top of the pan for awhile and from driving it like that the oil has blown down towards the trans. That's my best guess. So it's always easier to start with the easiest thing first, imo, and if that doesn't work you go from there. Once tightened, I'd clean all the oil off to make it easier to see if you fixed the problem , if not hopefully you'll be able to see where it's dripping from. If the oil pan gasket needs to be changed, that's a pita! A member here just did his , so hopefully he'll chime in. Just noticed you asked about cost to do the pan gasket , I'd say it won't be cheap as there's more labor involved doing the job then parts cost.

 

[Bombsquad85]

Clean it off with some degreaser then keep an eye on it. My truck was leaking and I replaced the oil pan gasket and it's all good. Cost me $60 including the gasket and oil and about 4-5 hours

 

[Tonyrodz]

Clean it off with some degreaser then keep an eye on it. My truck was leaking and I replaced the oil pan gasket and it's all good. Cost me $60 including the gasket and oil and about 4-5 hours

Ahh , lol, you're the guy who did it! Couldn't remember who did it.

 

[Bombsquad85]

Ahh , lol, you're the guy who did it! Couldn't remember who did it.

Haha yes it was a pain but worth doing it on your own

 

[ivin74]

The rear main seal and the oil pan gasket usually start leaking after 120,000 miles. I did mine and its not an easy task I suggest taking it to a shop. Be ready to cough up at least $1,200 to do both gaskets. You have to do them at the same time because the rear main seal cover and the oil pan bolt up together. Don't waste your money doing one and not the other.

 

[Michigan]

Is it possible for a leak to fix itself?

Kind of weird to me but the past two days I've looked underneath and there's no leak, I even parked it in a different spot and no longer leaking? The guy I just bought it from said that he overfilled a quart of oil. He claims he took it out after realizing on dipstick.

Another separate question. When I'm reading the dipstick the oil shows past the full 5 holes with crosshatch area about another half inch or so I'd say or maybe inch so I believe that would indicate overfull? Is it not suppose to go right past the 5 holes?

As stated in my original post, I haven't been driving this truck yet. Going to be insuring it this week

Could it have been leaking because he simply overfilled the oil? Did that cause any damage to seals or anything if that's the case?

 

[retiredsparky]

Drain out that excess oil before starting the engine again. The pressure built up by excess oil can cause damage, but you may get lucky. Only time will tell-you will get a little messy from trying to put the plug back in after draining out a quart. Over-filling can create immense pressure and blow seals. I think you will find that you have fixed the problem.

It is possible that the engine only leaks when running. You will only determine that by driving the vehicle after cleaning up the mess.