Noticed some oil drops on the garage floor so went under the car and check it out.

it appears there is oil building up around where the auto transimission connects the engine block. the oil dripped from the top but can't see where from and soiled the area around transmission. the oil looks fresh and I have seen 3 oil drops in the last 3 weeks.

So anyone know what's above the transmission and what might be leaking? could this be a seal or worse? the car is an 02 model and has done 145,000kms.

Also, i checked the transmission oil and it shows above the limit. the oil has changed colour (dark) so i will get a service and have it check it out at the same time.

Cheers,

Bo

Coming from the top I thought would be odd. Not associated with the dipstick is it?

Be interesting to see what a service brings up- keep us posted.

I did a thorough check while i was under the car changing the transmission oil and engine oil.

it appears to be the engine oil sump gasket is leaking. So will get a new gasket from Nick. Will PM you for a list of the items and all the details.

You didn't say if it was a 1GFE or 3SGE...

I know with the 3SGE you use FIPG instead of a gasket. I used Salleys Instant Gasket, another would be Threebond FIPG Black.

Make sure the surfaces are nice and clean before using a Gasket/FIPG

It's a 1G-FE

GXE10R A47DE 4AT Transmission:

Yes the 1GFE A47DE Trans does have a gasket :)

The SXE10 A650E 5AT does not have a gasket

Aah we're talking about the transmission sump, He mentioned engine oil sump which is a different story

Just one question, did you check the transmission fluid level with the engine running? Possibly a dumb question but I've always been surprised at the number of people who don't know this one...

You usually check it with the motor idling in Park or on some vehicles Neutral don't you?

Yeah either park or neutral works. Gives a MUCH different reading to having the engine off ;-)

Yes, that's the engine oil sump gasket I am talking about...

Nick, have you got a pic of that? Is it going to be too big to pack into the package I am getting?

If your talking about oil leaking between the sump (in the picture below) and the block then the only way to fix that is to remove the sump, clean the contact surfaces, and use some FIPG (mentioned above)

There's no gasket for the part as far as I know :)

He said where it connects to block. Sounds like rear main seal if they have one. Going with the high km's it sounds like it.

Checked both when engine stopped and engine running.

But the new fluid has gone dark already...

Yes, it basically has oil all around that area.

what is the FIPG stuff, never used any before....

Its called 'Form In Place Gasket'

Liquid gasket that you apply around the contact surface of the sump that hardens to form a solid rubber like gasket.

Selleys Instant Gasket from Hammer Hardware worked a treat for my rebuild, not a drop of oil yet.

Have you cleaned the area up with degreaser to pin point where the leak is coming from yet?

Yeah, I did give the whole area a good degrease as I changed the engine oil which made a big mess..

But if I remove the sump, then I will need to clean the whole area and then seal it. So pin pointing the leak won't reduce the amount of work involved.

The idea was to pinpoint where the leak is actually coming from but if your 100% certain its coming from the Sump then your going to need to remove it, reseal it, and reinstall it.

I'm not sure how hard that will be on a 1GFE but it looks as though you can remove the sump pan without lifting the motor off the crossmember and removing the gearbox from the motor. On the 3SGE I had to lift the motor about 100mm to get the sump pan to clear the crossmember and half remove the gearbox to get to the rear bolts inside the flywheel. Was PITA as...

Silly question, but have you checked that all the 10mm nuts around the sump pan are tight?

Oops, I haven't..

But I think I definitely should.. will have to get under the car again....

It appears the sump can be get off quite easily, nothing major is in its way, so won't be too hard to get to it.. (unlike the oil filter)

Just make sure theyre nice and tight, dont wind the crap out of them or you'll strip the threads...

If you find any that aren't snug tighten them and give it another shot with the degreaser to remove the old oil, drive it around and see if any more oil leaks out. With a bit of luck you might get away with not having to remove the pan.