Fix a Leak

[CANADIANCADDY]

As a teenager back in the late 60's I was alway trying different products to stop oil leaks much to the dismay of my father who rightfully declared they were all a waste of money. Fast forward almost forty years and the story now seems much different.

For the last couple of years I have been toying with having a slight rear main/oil pan gasket leak repaired but the cost has always prompted me to delay this.

As a result when the possibility of a bottled cure presented itself a few weeks ago in the way of Fix a Leak by Penzoil old habits forced me to buy a supply and to my surprise my leak ceased to exist within three days.

Now I am not suggesting that this will solve major leaks but it may well be worth a try as a cure for the smaller ones.

Paul

PS I used one and a half bottles of the 354ml size

[MAC]

Will that stuff fix my oil pan leak, which drips oil onto the exhaust pipe? Does it simply swell gaskets or does it actually fill gaps and create a barrier?

[CANADIANCADDY]

It fixed mine ----- and I believe it works by improving the functionality of the gaskets.

Suggest it is cheap enough to give it a try but make sure you use enough of it for your crankcase oil volume as one bottle only handles up to 5 litres so I had to use one and a half bottles to match the near 8 litres of oil in my 94 STS.

[JasonA]

I've also had luck with the High Mileage oil from Pennzoil. My SLS will have a damp oil pan from time to time. Every now and again, it'll collect enough oil to drip onto the garage floor (which bothers me). I've been using the Pennzoil High Mileage oil in it for the last few oil changes and it seems to work quite well. I think the pan stays drier underneath. I understand from the BITOG forums that many of the High Mileage oils are 90% as good as "synthetics", but for half the cost ($2/qt instead of $4/qt). I don't know, but they're not that much more expensive than the normal Pennzoil I buy, so I'd say it's worth it in the long haul. All a matter of personal opinion I guess.

[jackc]

Have any of you tried using thread sealer on your oil pan bolts? It worked great for me.

[ted tcb]

Like Jadcock, I too use Penzoil High Mileage on a 97 Seville.

Basically, its gotten rid of that occasional whiff of burnt oil I would get at a stopsign.

I really couldn't see any oil leaks when the car was on the lift, but at 81k, it couldn't hurt me to try the stuff .... I used to run it for years on my wife's 87 Century with good results.

[JACK]

TO CANADIAN CADDY;

[JACK]

CANADIAN CADDY; WHERE CAN ONE PURCHASE "FIX A LEAK"? PHONED MY LOCAL AUTO PARTS STORE HERE IN VANCOUVER B.C AND THEY SAID THEY HAD NEVER HEARD OF IT. WOULD LIKE TO TRY IT FOR SLIGHT OIL PAN LEAK ON 99 STS. THANK YOU.

[CANADIANCADDY]

I bought Penzoil's Fix a Leak at Walmart.

Note this is not to be confused with Penzoil High Mileage Oil.

Fix a Leak is specifically designed to stop leaks and it did for me and is still doing it!

[Poobah]

When I bought my Eldo, it didn't drip oil at all.

After a while, it started dripping, a tiny bit of oil at first then more and more until it was becoming a nuisance. I also began to notice an oily film would build up rather quickly on the oil filler cap and the area around it (including the smog vent tube grommet next to the cap). I also became aware of the smell of burning oil in the engine compartment when the engine was warm.

I began to wonder if the PCV valve had gone bad. I know it had at least 35,000 miles on it and probably a whole lot more than that.

I bought a new valve (about $5) and installed it (about 10 minutes). The drips, smells and film seem to have all but stopped. I suppose that if the crank case isn't being properly vented, it becomes pressurized and oil is forced out through the seals and gasket surfaces causing the problems noted above.

I would be interested to hear from anybody that can confirm my suspicion.

I'll pick up some Penzoil Fix-A-Leak and see if it eliminates the tiny bit of dripping that is left.

[Poobah]

I went to Walmart in Simi Valley, California to get some Penzoil Fix-a Leak. They didn't have it and never heard of it.

I went by Pep Boys and they don't have it either.

Does anybody have any other ideas where I might get some?

Pep Boys does have a Bar's crankcase stop leak product that conditions gaskets and seals. Has anybody had any experience with the Bar's product?

Thanks in advance,

[MAC]

Pennzoil has Fix A Leak product for transmissions, radiators, and power steering. I didn't find anything for the crankcase. Pennzoil's web site did not have anything regarding Fix A Leak for oil leaks.