Went to a local car repair shop. They found that the cause of my oil leak was from the oil pan gasket. I was also leaking from the oil filter housing. They mentioned that my PCV valve needed to be replaced. The price to have all these things replaced and repaired??? $700 bucks. Is that about right or should I look for another repair shop.

 

That's a decent price. However, I would get some sort of guarantee on the leak fix (i.e. if it starts leaking again in 12 months, they reseal it for free or something).

 

Also, look into Garfinkle's oil pan brace in the GB interest section. It is very common for our oil pans to not keep a seal too well.

 

Isn't this a classic case of DIY'ism?

The oil pedestal has seals no? Replace these with some Viton seals.
The oil pan you take it off make sure you clean it off from all the silicone or gasket maker (and the orange gasket that will be left behind). Then re-seal it with Hondabond, torque all the bolts to the specified torque and use a OilPan Brace for extra security, I think to let it sit for 3 days before using is best.

 

i paid 400 to have my oil pan resealed

 

I would not leave my FD with a typical local repair shop. Definitely look into an oil pan brace, as well as the moroso oil pan stud kit. If you want the job done right, with a 1 year warranty on the oil pan job, contact rotary experiment seven here on the board. He's up in NJ, so not too far of a hike for you. If you use the pan brace he'll warrant that pan against leakage.

 

+1
he did mine and was very professional to work with.

 

i agree with goodfella

an fd is like the poor mans ferrari. any shop is going to drive the car to see if they fixed the oil leak and you can not keep from getting into a fd. 700 is too rich for my blood. i get motors installed for less than that if they do the build. ( and that includes getting it running right the hardest part of an fd) i would try and fix it myself. you only need a standard metric tool kit, manual, and stuff for an oil change, and some seals. time is the hardest thing to come by and this would only take you a sat. with a manual if you do not know what you are doing and had to even do something twice. think about it before you spend that kind of money to have someone "fix" your oil leek.

good luck, joe

 

700 bucks IS expensive. The only thing im worried about if I do it myself is not being able to get it done in a day. It's my only means of transportation. It's also hard to really have any real space underneath it because my car is lowered. I can't find a manual for an FD either and I'm on a friends computer with no printer. I got an offer from a person from the forum that said he could do it for cheaper.

 

I do it for around $300 plus parts. $700 is way high and I bet thats not including any kind of brace. I wouldn't even charge to replace the pcv valve. You don't want to do it in a day. You want to let it sit without oil at least overnight so the silicone fully cures.

 

Hey, I have been advised that I've got oil leaking from my oil metering pump. Do you guys all agree that this is not fixable without replacing the pump itself? I hear new ones are pretty expensive in the $2000 dollar range. I wouldn't want to risk a used one. What if it is a leaker too?

 

Are you buying a platinum and diamond OMP?

http://www.mazdatrix.com/getprice.as...m=14-6000-N3A2

1443$ much cheaper I would ask Ray Crowe before moving.

 

That was the installed price I guess. To be honest $1443 sounds to me to be in the $2000 range as I put it or close enough for government work. lol.

When these things leak they create more of garage floor cosmetic issue than any threat to your engine or measurable oil loss. I guess that's why most just let them leak. I'd rather have the oil pan problem. $700 sounds cheap upside of that.

 

Most likely the o-ring that seals the pump to the front cover or the crush washers that seal the lines are leaking. All an easy fix when doing the oil pan job. If the pump was bad it would throw a code. I have never seen the actual pump housing leak externally.

 

If it was the pump itself, I'd buy a good used one - they'll be quite cheap and plentiful used.

But, I agree - most times the pump itself doesn't leak, it's either the o-ring sealing it to the front cover, the crush washers for the oil metering pump lines, or the lines themselves. It could also be the turbo oil return line, since that's right in the same area.

Dale

 

Here's the thing:

Is $700 expensive for the work? Not if its being done by a full shop. If its being done by an individual (not a full shop) then it is expensive. An independent is always going to be cheaper than a full shop, they have less overhead. However, usually with an independent, you have to wait until they can get to your car verses a shop being able to get to the car sooner.

It really comes down to how much time you have to get the repair done. Whichever way you go, you should make sure to get some sort of guarantee on the work done for at least 12 months. Many years ago I had my pan sealed by Mazda. Their first attempt didn't seal, but their second attempt held for 4 years. Even then it didn't leak, I just blew the motor and that was before oil pan braces were available (so it *IS* possible to have a leak free seal without an oil pan brace).

So, in a nutshell:

1. Its not a job you can complete in one day. Even with that, your first attempt at anything new typically take 2-3 times longer than it should because you are learning as you go. And that doesn't guarantee you do it right the first time either. So if you don't have the time and the tools, let someone else do it.

2. Price. If you have the time, let an independent do the work. It will be cheaper. However, if time is problem, you'll have to pay the extra money for a shop to get right on it.

3. Price again. Don't complain about pricing if its work you can't do yourself.

 

People don't realize the value of having work performed by experienced, knowledgeable people that have learned from their past mistakes over time and have discovered what *works*. Get it done right the first time, and you'll save yourself lots of time, trouble, and money in the long run. This isn't really directed at the thread starter, more of a general statement.

 

The oil pan job is about a 5-6 hour job by the book, so unless they charge $100/hour plus its expensive. Even if that sincluding materials. For that price it better include, the reinforcement brace, silicone, materials, etc.

 

He was also quoting work for the leak on the oil filter pedestal and the PCV valve replacement. Not all large jobs, but more labor and parts for shop charges.

 

I charge an hour for the oil pedastal.

 

If you say 5-6 hours for the pan, 1 hour for the pedestal and maybe 30 minutes for the PCV; added in parts I would say that at shop prices the $700 is about spot on for the work being done (once again for shop prices only).

 

I'm deciding between going with the shop for $700 or going with a private mechanic for $800 with a rats nest hose job and some thermal wrapping.

 

If this local mechanic knows what he's doing, and it's a full vacuum hose job, then that's a pretty good deal. Do you get some kind of warranty against oil pan leakage/proper boost pattern?

 

wow

 

A warrenty wasn't mentioned, but from what I know, he knows what he's doing. He seems like a good guy so I'm sure we'll come up with some type of agreement.