just did my oil change on my 06 RA. before i touched anything i saw some oil on the filter. the i seen right next to the filter oil was coming out from a small part of the gasket. it looked easy to fix but ill probobly have it cover by warrenty. has anybody else have this problem? i only have 20,000 miles. and i did check the bolts and there tight.

 

There's no gasket there, merely some gray RTV sealant. Also, careful when checking the tightness of those bolts, they're not supposed to be tight (only ~7 ft/lbs, IIRC). You wouldn't want to strip the threads out of the block.

If you have oil at that spot, be sure you're positive about where it's coming from. Is there any above the spot? Could it be leaking from the crank seal? Was the previous oil filter installed correctly?

 

yea the previous oil filter was intalled correctly. its not a leak that leaves a spot on the ground even after a 10 hour shift at work. its just a small leak. will the warrent cover it even though i maintain my car myself and do oil changes myself? and why dont they use a gasket? do the make one i could use?

 

you really are the man...you know everything about these cars!

 

Are you positive its a leak? Personally if its nothing major I'd leave it be, I doubt the dealer will fix that, if anything they'll wipe it down and say they saw nothing coming out. Unless you can see it come out right then and there they might have a hard time believing that its leaking. If anything they might blame it on your oil change methods, as if it was splatter or something.

Are you using oem mitsu oil filters? If not switch over to them when you do the warranty job, I've heard a lot of BS about using non-mitsu filters on our cars. Dealers hate em'.

 

its nothing major but i dont like having a minor leak cause id like to fix it before its a major problem. is there a gasket i can get to put on or should i just have the dealer look at it. i hate taking it there cause there were mad that i lowered the car and then they were mad about the exhausrt

 

well i suppose they could stick it on u saying u probably hit the oil pan on something while u were driving cause u lowered the car... but meh. see if they will fix it for u under warrenty. if not I guess its easy enough to take the bottom of the pan off, add some kinda sealant and screw it back on.

 

i was wondering if anyone know if theres someplace i can get a gasket to replace the sealant

 

otter do you know what to torque the bolts in the oil pan to? id hate to leave it like this even if its a minor leak.

 

Read above...

O yea Otter is normally 99.3% right on his "IIRC"'s

 

Bolts should be 80 in/lbs (6.6 ft/lbs.) Really, it's so light, you shouldn't even use a torque wrench, just gently hand tighten. The only reason the bolts are there is to hold the pan in place while the sealant sets.

Here's the stuff that's to be used to reseal the pan when you remove it - http://www.permatex.com/products/Aut...sket_Maker.htm

It's a pretty simple process. Remove all the bolts and carefully pry the oil pan away from the block (do NOT pry on the crank pully side of the pan, that front part of the block is aluminum and easily damaged.) Then scrape and remove all the old gasket material from the pan and block mating surfaces. It's very important that you get it all off to ensure a proper seal when you remate them. Next, get some good solvent and thoroughly clean both surfaces. You're trying to remove all the oil and gasket residue. Next, apply the gasket material to the pan. Make a steady bead, about 3/16-1/4" wide, following the grooves on the pan. When you encounter the bolt holes, run the sealant to the inside of the hole. Carefully place the pan back against the engine and replace the bolts. Try to keep the pan set in one place while you tighten the bolts. Once everything's tightened, leave it all alone overnight so it can set.

 

alright cool. thanks otter. you seem to know everything about the RA.

 

I don't, it's just that you all tend to ask simple general car questions.