Oil Leak from Oil Pan

[Natesriv]

Just did the 2nd oil change (10836 miles, was over 6 months since last change) Mobile One Synthetic.

Noticed oil on the pan bolts on one side. So I tightened them 1/4 turn (they weren't loose, but not fully tight..and still aren't)

The gasket is a crushable type?

Anyone have similiar issue? At 10K I would think an oil leak would be something to watch, BUT, if there's some point where you need to retighten the pan bolts then maybe this was just a normal event...

What do you guys think?

Thanks

 

[Italianjoe1]

Should not have to re-tighten.

You sure the leak was coming from the pan rail? Often times, oil spilled from the filter change, draining, filling, etc leaves a residue that looks like a leak if not cleaned up. Clean the area well and keep and eye on it.

 

[Natesriv]

it's from the pan, the filter is on the opposite side. There were actually little droplets on the bolts (hex bolts)...so I tightened those down...just a little. Leaks on the pulley side.

My Riviera had a plastic/rubber type pan gasket you didn't want to over tighten.

I've not looked under the car in a couple of days to see if it's still doing it. No drops on the driveway...a very small leak, but at 10K, that shouldn't be...

 

[Italianjoe1]

Agreed, it should not be leaking at all.

Take it back to the dealer and let them re-seal it. I don't know on this application but most of the newer stuff uses an adhesive sealant (silicone) to seal joints like that, so there's not much you can do once it starts leaking aside from removing, cleaning and re-sealing.

 

[Natesriv]

Agreed... and bumper to bumper is good. This is the 2nd leak. Had a bad axle seal they fixed as well...

Do notice a sometimes lurching metal sound when I turn and go over a driveway curb at times...so it'll be on the fix-it list as well.

 

[ColonelPanic]

I too had an oil pan leak discovery when I did my 2nd change.

I have a thread with some pics here.

Looks like they're not using real gaskets, instead they squeeze gray goo on the surfaces and stick them together. They used GM P/N 88864346 to reseal mine. Pulled pan, cleaned, resealed, reassembled and refilled the oil all under warranty.

 

[Natesriv]

thanks, that answers my question. I did a search for oil pan and nothing came up.

 

[Stew]

Just did my 20,000 mile oil change last night and the oil pan was damp with oil. It wasn't like that at the last oil change which means sometime after 15,000 miles it started leaking. I called the dealer and have an appointment for this next Tuesday to get it fixed, I'm also going to have them update my MyLink while I'm there since I never had that done.

I'm kinda nervous, it will be my car's first trip to the dealer. And what does that say, actually? I shouldn't be nervous about getting my car back with a dent or scratch or whatever, but I am.

 

[Chevrolet Customer Care]

Just did my 20,000 mile oil change last night and the oil pan was damp with oil. It wasn't like that at the last oil change which means sometime after 15,000 miles it started leaking. I called the dealer and have an appointment for this next Tuesday to get it fixed, I'm also going to have them update my MyLink while I'm there since I never had that done.

I'm kinda nervous, it will be my car's first trip to the dealer. And what does that say, actually? I shouldn't be nervous about getting my car back with a dent or scratch or whatever, but I am.

Hey Stew,

I'm sorry to hear that you are experiencing a leak in your oil pan. Let us know how your dealership visit goes. I know it's always hard leaving your baby in the hands of others, but we are happy to assist if you should have any questions or concerns along the way.

Jonathan A. (Assisting Jackie)
Chevrolet Customer Care

 

[Stew]

Thanks for the offer Jonathan!

I took my car in today for the oil pan leak and to have the MyLink radio updated. They confirmed the oil pan leak but need to order in the gaskets (instead of using sealant apparently), they did perform the MyLink update though. So, so far so good but now I just have to take my car back which isn't the end of the world, just a minor inconvenience. They washed my car which was nice.

Ok, there's a little more to the story... after hearing a lot of horror stories I decided to try a different approach with the service dept. I put a sealed box of donuts with a note saying "To: Techs and service guys, thanks for the hard work!" on the passenger seat. I figure these guys get enough people with attitudes, I'm going to say thanks for taking care of my car.

When I picked up my car the donuts were still there so maybe they weren't sure if they were really for them or something. I tried though!

 

[Stew]

Picked my car up tonight after having the oil pan gaskets replaced. They did list gasket part numbers, not just sealant. I've got to say, both visits to the service department were very pleasant; everyone I spoke to or dealt with were professional and courteous. The service order did mention that they replaced some bolts too, I'll have to take a peek under the car and check out their handy work.

I dropped the car off on Friday, they gave me a loaner for the weekend, a 2013 Impala. It was a nice enough car but I would never buy one, I like the Sonic sooo much better, I'm glad to have my car back. Shout out to Roy Robinson for the great service experience!

 

[Chevrolet Customer Care]

Stew,

Glad to hear your concern has been resolved and you had a pleasant dealership experience. If you would like, we can certainly reach out to your dealership and tell them job well done.

Erica Tiffany
Chevrolet Customer Care

 

[Stew]

Stew,

Glad to hear your concern has been resolved and you had a pleasant dealership experience. If you would like, we can certainly reach out to your dealership and tell them job well done.

Erica Tiffany
Chevrolet Customer Care

That sounds good, please do!

 

[Stew]

Just did my 25,000 mile oil change and the oil pan looks nice and clean still. It looks like they used a gray rubbery sealant though, I couldn't see signs of any traditional cork or rubber gasket. As long as it's not leaking that's all that matters though!

 

[ColonelPanic]

That's good news.

I'll be doing an oil change this weekend, looking forward to seeing how my repair is holding up.

 

[Natesriv]

it's been quite wet & cold lately... I'll be under this car this weekend, but I see no evidence of new leakage...

 

[ColonelPanic]

I changed oil in mine today, no leaks! They used the same grey sealant that was on there from the factory.

Now for the bad... With the effort required to break the plug loose, apparently the large 14Nm stamped into the pan for the drain plug torque spec is still too small to notice.

 

[Italianjoe1]

Just did my 25,000 mile oil change and the oil pan looks nice and clean still. It looks like they used a gray rubbery sealant though, I couldn't see signs of any traditional cork or rubber gasket. As long as it's not leaking that's all that matters though!

They don't use cork gaskets on anything anymore, GM calls it an adhesive sealant, it's basically very sticky silicone, but it's used for oil pans, block halves, all kinds of good stuff like that. Looks like silicone but much stronger.

 

[Stew]

I changed oil in mine today, no leaks! They used the same grey sealant that was on there from the factory.

Now for the bad... With the effort required to break the plug loose, apparently the large 14Nm stamped into the pan for the drain plug torque spec is still too small to notice.

Lol, yeah they had put mine on pretty damn tight too.

They don't use cork gaskets on anything anymore, GM calls it an adhesive sealant, it's basically very sticky silicone, but it's used for oil pans, block halves, all kinds of good stuff like that. Looks like silicone but much stronger.

I know that traditional gaskets are quickly becoming a thing of the past, the reason I was expecting to see one though was when I originally took it in they confirmed the leak but had me come back because they needed to order gaskets in. Maybe they were out of the sealant and that's what they had to order? They did list part numbers for the gaskets, I should look them up.

 

[Italianjoe1]

There may have been o-rings to the oil pickup or some front/rear seals, but I haven't looked into the sonic oil pan design. I know on the ecotec in the Cobalts and such there are some o-ring seals that go between the oil pan and the front cover for the oil pump pickup since it's part of the pan that are supposed to be replaced. But the actual sealing surface "gasket" is the adhesive sealant. Think Hondabond, which is basically the original ultra silver RTV.