Oil Pan Leak on 97 GTS

[V10TT]

The under carriage of my car is very clean. This past weekend I fired up the car in the garage and let it iddle for 15 minutes or so, and then shutt it off.
Next morning I see a spot of oil under the car right in the middle of the pan. After messing around with a mirror for a while, I pulled the jack and lifted it up.

I had a drop hanging right at the end of the oil pick up gallery in the middle of the oil pan. I traced the oil, and as far as I can see it looks like it is coming from the area where the oil pick up gallery mates with the block(bolts and gasket).

From the gasket towards the top of the motor it is dry. I do see the front bolts around the oil pick up with a tiny bit of "shine". It does not look wet in that area, but it has the shiny look on it.

Should I go ahead and buy the oil pan gasket?, or just replace the bolts with some sealant. I got to redo my turbo drains, so the oil pan will come out anyways, however I was planning on re-using the gasket.

I see some silicone around the gasket, is this common practice?

Car has not leaked until now, it is a brand new motor.

Thanks in advance for your opinions/suggestions.
JC

 

[VIPER GTSR 91]

I had this same problem once with my old 99 GTS. I had the gasket replaced and at the same time added the larger oil pan. Never leaked after that.

 

[JonB]

......... or just replace the bolts with some sealant. I got to redo my turbo drains, so the oil pan will come out anyways, however I was planning on re-using the gasket. I see some silicone around the gasket, is this common practice?

Car has not leaked until now, it is a brand new motor.

Thanks in advance for your opinions/suggestions.
JC

THIS IS NOT A SALES PITCH! IM JUST TRYING TO BE HELPFUL:

Hmmmm... Brand New Motor (1997)
DID YOU GET THE NEWER HIGHER-CAPACITY PAN ?? 97 had OE low-cap pan.
Can you tell if it has the newer billet-aluminum pan gasket? (they also have a silicone seal built in the gasket, not completely effective)

The RTV silicone sealer around the front-rear- main seals and bolt holes is recommended and common. If you have the pan out ANYWAY, (and the tiny dot annoys you so!) why RISK it, for the price of a new gasket?

MSRP is $164, BUT WE WOULD BE $149. THIS IS FYI ONLY, PLEASE DONT BUY ONE FROM ME....

PS: The larger issue is the PAN...if you have a Turbo and the OE small '97 pan, that would be a MISTAKE

 

[SR 27]

When it's going back together, apply a small dab of Mopar grey rtv to where the front timing cover and rear main seal retainer meet the block. They act as the oil pan rails in the front and back. There are usually differences in surface heights there. Also put the baffle kit in, I think some place named The Parts Rack sells that stuff.

 

[VIPER GTSR 91]

Do as Jon says. At least get the aluminum gasket as I did and the larger oil pan is really nice too.

 

[vipzilla]

re use the gasket after inspecting it use a RTV WERE IT MEETS THE TIMING COVER!!!

 

[Sweet Ride]

Not to de-rail this thread but as a supporting vendor, shouldn't you be able to sell/recommend stuff that people may need in a thread? I mean, that's kind of why you pay to be a supporter.

My $.02

Back to the oil leak... Buy the larger oil pan from someone, especially if it is a turbo car.

 

[plumcrazy]

my 98 leaked. had to REPLACE the gasket and use a dab of RTV to make it stop...

 

[V10TT]

What I meant by new motor is a build 510. It does have the OEM pan, I was not aware that there is a bigger pan.
What would be the benefit of the bigger pan?
Will I be able to run the oil level in the pan lower, or just add more oil?
I don't road race the car..

 

[Bill Pemberton Woodhouse]

I guess the one question I did not see asked is about the fact that you mentioned it was a brand new motor -----new enough that you can take it to whomever did the work and they can fix it???

Seems that , depending on the time frame , a repair may not be a cost issue at all.

 

[Viper Wizard]

Look here:
http://forums.viperclub.org/rt-10-gts-discussions/610424-nagging-oil-leak.html

 

[JonB]

Not to de-rail this thread but as a supporting vendor, shouldn't you be able to sell/recommend stuff that people may need in a thread? I mean, that's kind of why you pay to be a supporter. My $.02

You would think ! But it apparently annoys some folks....

THANK YOU for your divinely-inspired sweet .02c

 

[IEATVETS]

Not to de-rail this thread but as a supporting vendor, shouldn't you be able to sell/recommend stuff that people may need in a thread? I mean, that's kind of why you pay to be a supporter.

My $.02

Back to the oil leak... Buy the larger oil pan from someone, especially if it is a turbo car.

Lord knows that I am not the biggest fan of Jon and will probably never buy a single thing from him ever again BUT I do realize that he is a huge asset to the Viper community and I believe he has the right to advertise, answer questions and even pitch the products he sells whenever he feels like on this forum. It is up to the consumer to decide where to actually spend their money.

As far as the leak, take his advise and it will be fixed.

 

[99 R/T 10]

Lord knows that I am not the biggest fan of Jon and will probably never buy a single thing from him ever again BUT I do realize that he is a huge asset to the Viper community and I believe he has the right to advertise, answer questions and even pitch the products he sells whenever he feels like on this forum.

I agree, kinda

I still buy from him once in a while. JUST DON"T CALL HIM ON MONDAYS!!


email is always good 24/7.................

 

[viper spray]

PPS is the dreaded POROUS PAN SYNDROME, where some cast pans of that era actually seeped oil thru the metal. My 97 does it and getting a later model pan will fix it.

 

[V10TT]

Ordered the new gasket from Tator, and Mike "99 R/T 10" hooked me up with a 01 oil pan.

 

[Sweet Ride]

You would think ! But it apparently annoys some folks....

THANK YOU for your divinely-inspired sweet .02c

If they are annoyed by it, there's always that ignore button in the Control Panel...

I'd rather have you (or any other vendor) jump into a thread with a recommendation then have a bunch of off subject ads from un-related companies like on some other forums I have seen.

You're welcome for the $.02 I'm up to at least $.04 now.

 

[PDCjonny]

Just be glad it's not the timing chain cover...yet.
That leak is just a matter of time.

 

[JonB]

..........................I do realize that he is a huge asset to the Viper community and I believe he has the right to advertise, answer questions and even pitch the products he sells whenever he feels like on this forum. It is up to the consumer to decide where to actually spend their money. As far as the leak, take his advise and it will be fixed.

Uh-Oh, there might be an earthquake soon ! Thanks D, for a 'fair and balanced' reply, very much appreciated. I'll REALLY expect that BIG QUAKE if ole D-6 buys something......

 

[cayman]

I started the thread that the Wizard refers to above. I'm still fighting my oil leak. I've tried the RTV-on-the-bolt thread trick and even replaced the pan gasket and the pan itself. Unless It's just coincidental that I got another porous pan, I don't think that is the issue. I've pretty well concluded that it has to be the rear oil seal. Nothing else left. My oil leakage is at the rear of the oil pan. No leaks around the timing chain cover. I did have a definite leak there right after putting the Roe SC on but I've long replaced that gasket and its still dry as a bone.

 

[plumcrazy]

last year i had a plug in the back of the engine that wasn't sealing. its behind the flywheel. take a look there maybe ?

 

[PS78]

had leak all over sump area before i cleaned gasket while had sump off to fit better baffle and trapdoors. reinstalled sump and added loctite to each bolt. no more leak now

 

[PS78]

had leak all over sump area before i cleaned gasket while had sump off to fit better baffle and trapdoors. reinstalled sump and added loctite to each bolt. no more leak now

leak back now!....

 

[SR 27]

last year i had a plug in the back of the engine that wasn't sealing. its behind the flywheel. take a look there maybe ?

I've repaired several cars leaking at the plug at the camshaft like his. The oil galley plugs are there too.