# oil leak in the 3.3



## b67 (Apr 21, 2004)

It seems I have a minorleak somwhere above the oil filter - oil actually accumulates on the filter end and drips down 

Anyone had this happen - I't pretty hard to see anything there anyways. I'm at 104k miles


----------



## Animal (Mar 25, 2005)

Most likely it is the valve cover gasket. Check for oil on the head just under the valve cover above the oil filter.


----------



## Outkast (Jan 29, 2006)

That particular oil filter is just a PITA to get to in general so it might not be tight or your just seein' oil from the mess it makes when you change the filter


----------



## nissanowner1 (Sep 11, 2005)

actually i am having the same problem. my son put in mobil 1 10w30 about 3-4 weeks ago and he noticed that the leak got a little bit worst. it just like what b67 described. it's above the oil filter. he said there's some kind of sensor or something right on top of the oil filter. he tightened the oil filter and it's still leaks so it's not just from changing the oil previously. how much exactly is it gonna cost to get this done? is it possible to do it by ourselves or should we just take it in? thanks guys.


----------



## Animal (Mar 25, 2005)

I believe you are referring to the oil pressure sending unit. It is a very common source of leaks on many cars, but in my experience not as much so on Nissans; still, it is possible. It is easy to replace, but you should make certain you have a socket to fit it (there's one made just for this purpose, but usually a 12 point of the correct size will work).


----------



## larry (Mar 2, 2005)

*Oil leak*

I have an 01 Pathfinder and I had the same oil leak you describe. It turned out to be the oil cooler was leaking. I bought the seal kit for it and my mechanic installed it and no oil leak since.


----------



## tropicalypso (May 18, 2006)

I just ran into this problem myself. Over the weekend, I took my 99 pathfinder to the shop to have an oil change. While driving it to work the next day, the vehicle starts bucking, jumping and running rough.

So, naturally, I returned it to the shop wondering wtf they did. 

Turns out, there was an oil leak in the valve cover, and it got oil on the spark plug wires. The oil, combined with the heavy rains we were having that day caused three of the spark plug wires to short out, so I was running on 3, maybe 4 cylinders.

The shop wants to charge me 700$ to replace the VC gasket, the spark plug wires, the distributor cap, and rotor. Needless to say, I said no thanks and limped it back home. 

Now, my friend and I are planning on replacing the gasket ourselves, as it does not appear to be too complicated, and relatively easy to access.

My questions to all you fine fellow Nissan drivers are:

1. How tough is it to replace the VC gaskets
2. Are there any special tools or things I need to know before performing this task?
3. Has anyone done this before and did a write up.

I appreciate any help you all care to offer.

Regards,

Ryan


----------



## Animal (Mar 25, 2005)

You may need to remove the upper intake plenum, in which case you should replace that gasket as well. After replacing the gasket(s), just clean the oil off plug wires and plugs and you should be good to go.


----------



## tropicalypso (May 18, 2006)

Animal said:


> You may need to remove the upper intake plenum, in which case you should replace that gasket as well. After replacing the gasket(s), just clean the oil off plug wires and plugs and you should be good to go.



Thanks for the reply. I replaced the passenger side vc gasket because it was reasonably accessible, but did not try for the driver side. That being said, I also changed the spark plug wires, distributor cap/rotor, and 5 out of 6 spark plugs (the one in the back is a PITA). 

The end result is that my 99 pathy still bucks and jumps at both idle and at speed. I am finding it hard to believe that the one last sparkplug could be the culprit. I know that the driver's side vc gasket needs to be replaced too, but the car should be running better since I replaced the spark plugs and wires.

I first started experiencing this problem after a routine trip to the shop for an oil change and a tire balance/rotate. Since the vehicle has about 140k miles on the odometer, I had them put in some oil system cleaner before doing a high mileage oil change. The shop also replaced my AC belt. When I got it back, the car was exhibiting the bucking and jumping behavior. Naturally, I took her back to the shop, pretty ticked that I was experience problems, and they pointed to the vc cover leak as being the problem, stating that the oil had screwed up both the plug wires and plugs.

If anyone has any other suggestions, or insights as to what might be wrong, it would be greatly appreciated. This vehicle has been problem free for 137,656 miles, and I would like to get it back to that point.

Sincerely,

Ry


----------



## Animal (Mar 25, 2005)

I think they are full of sh*t. I've seen engines run with plugs submersed in oil. Your problem may be related to the TPS, MAF sensor or Air Idle Bypass. Check all the connectors on these sensors. Or better, go to Autozone and have them pull the ECU codes, if any.


----------



## tropicalypso (May 18, 2006)

Animal said:


> I think they are full of sh*t. I've seen engines run with plugs submersed in oil. Your problem may be related to the TPS, MAF sensor or Air Idle Bypass. Check all the connectors on these sensors. Or better, go to Autozone and have them pull the ECU codes, if any.



Good idea, I'll drag her up there this evening. Its not showing any warning lights on the dash, but that doesn't mean anything.


----------

