sudermatt

When I bought the car, I got a duebill for engine leaks.

My mechanic said that this was likely a main seal leak.
The mechanic the dealer sent me to said it might be transmission.

After a long drive I can smell oil when I get out of the car.

I recently put in 3 quarts of tranny fluid...the old stuff was brown but didn't smell bad.

Does tranny fluid smell like oil?
What do these pictures look like to you?

Main Seal or Tranny?

Thanks in advance,
Matt

victus1

Put a paper towel under there to soak up the fluid. Then use another same paper towel to wipe a sample from both the engine oil and transmission dipsticks. Which one looks and smells like the towel with the leak?

sudermatt

The machanic has it....I can't ....thanks

01tl4tl

you added 3 qts atf, because it appeared low?, or you did a 3 qt drain and refill?
if it was 3 qts low on atf- ckd properly at 15 minutes freeway drive from cold- read as `between the marks` = you have a trans leak
ck the seals where drive axles enter
atf is reddish when good and smells nothing like engine oil

But if not ckd that way, it could now be overfilled and spraying out the overflow

are you cking engine oil level? any use? a little between changes is normal,
more than the distance from full to low would be excessive

Clogged PCV can cause engine oil to go out the rear main seal -
replace pcv-10$ part, its due anyway
clean area inside inspection cover for rear main seal
drive and monitor any leaks on ground or underbody

gunk engine cleaner is great, simple green does the job too
get all the old oil off the underbody- rinse on mist setting

chris03tl

Im interested to hear your findings, the wifes TL is showing the exact same thing ever since we had the tranny replaced by the dealer.

I have a new PCV valve but havent installed it yet. Doesnt seem to be "using" any oil (or if it is, very very little), and the fluid underneath doesnt seem to be transmission fluid (used tranny fluid smells nasty IIRC, and I dont get such a smell from whats under there)

01tl4tl

install the PCV!!! they get clogged and the ball valve inside doesnt operate correctly --or at all,,,
its there to allow pressure in the oil pan to be relieved,,,if it cant get out there it goes for the next easiest place- often the rear main seal
replace valve and leak may stop!

do remove the inspection cover under trans and ck for oil- engine rear main leaks there

have you ckd the atf level correctly?
it can be over if the dealer shop kid was told to add fluid,,,put in 8,,,
if very recent stop by and tell the service manager whats happening,,they want to make sure their work is correct

sudermatt

Tranny was drained and refilled with 3.25 qts....I'm pretty sure this is standard....telling me there isn't a leak there.

I spoke with the mechanic...he said it was engine oil...he's pretty sure it's rear main seal. Problem is....he's a transmission guy, so he won't be able to change the PCV.

Will the Rear Main Seal leak Fix itself if the PCV is replaced?
or once it's "breached" there will always be a problem?

Since the dealership will pay for the repair...I'm thinking I should let him change the Rear Main Seal...I'll check PCV when it's done.

aznboi2424

iTrader: (10)

PCV is super easy to change, you just need to know where to look.
Either way, the leak is not serious at all so I wouldn't worry too much about it but if the repair is going to be fixed by the dealer then by all means have them do it.
I got an oil leak on my mom's camry so bad that I have to add a quart every 1000 miles. The RMS takes too much labor to change out so I'm just going to keep adding motor oil.

sudermatt

The dealership (Not Acura...a small Used Car Lot) has offerred to pay me $300 ... or fix the RMS.

What should I do?

Sperry

iTrader: (1)

Hate to say this, but it doesn't look all that bad to me.

When the car is parked overnight, is there a single drop on the ground?

I've got a phantom oil leak, and I smell it sometimes, but there is never a drop on the ground.

sudermatt

Never a drop on the ground

chris03tl

First figure out if its even the RMS....if it isnt, take their 300.00 and put 7.00 of it towards a PCV valve

Did they confirm its the RMS?

01tl4tl

to confirm RMS failure, you remove 2 bolts and look inside inspection cover!
if there is any fluid in there its engine oil = guess what!

if the leak is very slight- try PCV by all means
one ziner had pretty good leak appear, and new pcv stopped the problem

those with 100kmiles should be cleaning or replace pcv on general maitenance
Dont forget the TB air plate needs some carb cleaner or deep creep on it too

sudermatt

NOOB ALERT!!! please guide me to the inspection cover.

Thanks,
Matt

aznboi2424

iTrader: (10)

Does it normally cost 300 to do the RMS at the dealer? If so, then take the 300 now. The leak is small enough to wait until you need a new tranny, then you can change the RMS at the same time.