Wargasm

Hey Look! Two threads by me in a day.

This is on a 1993 RX-7.

I just put my engine back in and I used a brand new rear main seal. I was careful installing it so I *think* it is OK, but you never know I guess.

I did not use an oil pan gasket. I sealed it with Permatex Blue RTV inside/around all the bolt holes. The flange was flat and all old sealant was scraped off so I am thinking the pan is sealing OK. I did not install the engine mounts until the next day - is it possible that this created some sort of leak? I don't think so, but on previous rebuilts, I always installed the pan+mounts on the same day.

*EDIT* I also had to replace my driver's motor mount because it was broken. My original motor mount was aluminum (silver one). The new one Ray Crowe sent me was steel (black one). When you get the new style motor mount is this a direct replacement, or do I have to shim it, etc? I'm very suspicious since there is more oil on that mount.
*EDIT*

I have a problem where hot motor oil is accumulating all over my engine mounts on the bottom of the rear plate. It's sort of dripping all over making it hard to tell precisely where it is originating.

I looked inside the transmission inspection plate and there was no oil on the inside of the inspection cover that I could see. When you have a rear main seal issue, does oil leak to this point? Or is this clean even if your rear main seal is hosed?

The ring gear and pressure plate are clean.

It is hard to see the back of the rear plate (ring gear in the way) but what I can see looks ok. It is very hard to see in there though, so I"m not saying that rules out a bad rear main seal.

The oil pan itself (forward of the rear plate) is clean.

The oil filler pedastal is not leaking. The oil cooler lines (front and rear) are bone dry and clean (not leaking).

There is no oil anywhere "up top" on the engine. This has got to be coming from either the rear main seal (ugh) or from the bolt area where the engine mounts mount to the rear plate (ugh also).

Is there a good way to figure this out besides pulling the tranny and looking for oil all over the rear plate?

God I hate this car sometimes..... yet, I also love it at the same time. It's like a woman.

SLEEPY_FD

sound like more of an oil pan to me. If its that bad of a leak and it was comming from the rear seal you would def. see it in the bell housing. That and it could posibly contaminate your clutch disc. I dont know if engine oil dye will have any negative effects on our engines, but you could pick up a small bottle of it at your local parts store and see if that helps pin point the problem for you.

hope its not from not putting on your mounts, because i just sealed my oil pan and have not put my mounts on yet (still need to buy them). Wouldn't want the same problem.

Wargasm

Update:

Cleaned the bottom of the car off very well using paper towels.

Started the car up on jackstands and went underneath it (god, this car stinks).

Oil is *definitely* coming from the left rear corner of the engine right around that area where the "nub" is missing on the steel engine mount (vs. my factory aluminum mount).

I think I will try to lift and support the engine from the top with my engine crane, then see if I can loosen the driver's mount and make a fix of some sort - possibly with a hand made spacer or something like that. Of course I will disconnect the intercooler and exhaust to allow a little more range of motion. Hopefully this works!

bumpstart

is it a single turbo conversion? leak turbo side?
sounds like the leak is at the point where the second turbo drains back to the block

if the leak is in the other rear corner,, look carefully at the banjo under the oil filter,, or the dowel boss area at the filter base

Wargasm

Thanks for the ideas, but I already ruled everything out - it's oozing from the driver's side (USA) between the rear housing and the oil pan underneath the engine mount.

Now to fix it !!!!!

Ernesto13B

iTrader: (4)

Did you replace the oil pan at the same time, and use an oil pan brace? What kind of motor mounts are you using? I'm not saying it's necessary to replace the pan and use a brace, but it def helps. I did my oil pan myself with a friend last year in march sometime. First time I ever did anything like that before, I used Permatex "The Right Stuff" Banzai Racing oil pan brace w/studs, a brand new oem oil pan ( I think $120 from Ray?), and then urethane motor mounts.

Maby I went overboard with it, but ever since then I haven't leaved any oil at all on my driveway almost 2 years. It def helps

Barry Bordes

Brian, I use loctite 515 gasket eliminator on the rear eccentric nut surfaces.

Make sure the pan is really flat using a feeler gauge on a surface plate (A granite counter top stove cutout works great).

Torque the rear mounts to the engine at the same time you are sealing and torquing the pan.

Barry

Wargasm

Barry - Thank you for the feedback.

I used red loctite on the flywheel bolt threads + permatex blue rtv on the flat surface.

I did make sure my pan and the bottom of the engine itself was very flat and very clean by razor blade scraping + cleaning with some alcohol. My pan has never been screwdriver-pried off, so it's in good shape I did not use a feeler gauge although I definitely might do this next time just to be 101% sure.

I did *not* torque the engine mounts at the same time as the oil pan this time (I have always done that on other engines and they didn't leak - so I dunno). I installed the mounts the next day.

The one KEY thing different on this engine was that I used a replacement steel driver's mount and threw out my stock aluminum one. I think this was the major factor. I will make another post in a bit about this.

Thanks!

Wargasm

This photo shows my 1993 factory driver's side engine mount with the nub that helps to squish the oil pan against the engine block.

The replacement mount that Mazda sells today (not pictured) is black and does not have this nub. Leaks can occur at this point in the oil pan because of poor sealing.

Wargasm

No, I did not replace the pan (mine was in very very good condition).
No, I did not use a brace, although I wish I had since the new mount sucks ***.
I am using one original 1993 mount on the passenger side, and one new (piece of crap) driver's side mount from Mazda.

Wargasm

Fixed - Sort of. Ghetto Style.

I figured it all out. Yes, my pan is leaking from the place with the missing 'nub'. See above posts.

I "solved it" about 90% using a ghetto-fabulous solution for now. It still leaks some, but it's much less now.

I took a thin piece of metal (actually cut from my broken engine mount strap) about 1x1 inch.
I took another medium-thickness piece of wood about 1x1 by maybe.... about I dunno 1/2 inch.

I placed the wood piece on top of the metal piece and then used a long 3/8 inch drive extension and a hammer to tap the little stack into place approximately where the nub is missing on my new black engine mount. I did not say "POUND INTO PLACE" I said "tap it". The idea is that the wood piece is touching the oil pan (will not damage it) and the metal piece is against the engine mount and I don't care if it gets tore up a little.

This ghetto sandwich creates force pushing up against the oil pan because it's wedged by the top side of the engine mount.

I will probably make a slightly tighter-fitting fix later on to try to stop the leak 100%.

I totally think that the CORRECT solution is to use a pan brace, but I just don't feel like taking it all apart now. I'd rather deal with a slow leak at this time than fix it the right way. It was leaking too much before to be acceptable, but the leak is much less now, so I'm not as concerned.

AchillesGr

iTrader: (1)

if you look carefuly there is an unused threaded hole underneath that point.you could drill the pan ,clear the threads and fit a bolt.then use a sreel pasenger mount.i do it that way to mine.also it is important to bolt the mounts together with other bolts.

Ernesto13B

iTrader: (4)

When you're ready to fix the problem "The right way" here is everything you will need: (or that I would recommend):

1)New oil pan from Ray (To make sure it's 100% straight)
2)Urethane motor mounts (To reduce engine flex)
3)New oil sending unit O-Ring
4)Another used steel motor mount that way you have one on each side.
5)Banzai Racing oil pan brace kit(There are other companies,but this worked for me)
6)Engine hoist OR
7)Regular floor jack+wood to lift the engine by the transmission-Worked for me
8)Basic hand tools, and a good torque wrench
9)Permatex "The Right Stuff" Gasket Maker
10)A friend who can help you. You can do it all yourself, but with a friend, this can all be a one day job. I would also highly suggest dropping the subframe, because for me it was impossible to put the new pan on with RTV on it with the subframe in the way without smearing anything.

This all sounds like a lot of work and it is, but it's worth it. I did mine about a year and a half ago, and not a drop of oil on my driveway since. It pays off