Oil Leak

[rollingthunder1994]

Hey Guy's,

Hope everyone is in good health. I had an oil leak on the passangers side right under the timing chain cover for about a year now. It's not a bad leak. I get a drip when the engine is turned off and starts to cool. Today i decided to take it to get it checked. I took it to 5-different places that i know of 3-said it was the half casing. One would not touch it at all. The last one had his own little shop, nothing special just a basic garage. Well i started talking to him just to feel him out, after about 15-minutes of just talking about Caddy's he noticed a few oil spots on the ground. He pointed them out to me, I said i was aware of it, but could not afford what other mechanics and stealer (dealer) were handing me in prices. So he offered to look at it for no charge. He said he use to work on N* motors for GM. After he put the car on the lift he found that the oil leak is coming from the timing chain cover. For some reason the dampner Pulley is grinding into the cover causing the leak. He even showed me where the serpentine belt is not sitting in the groves the way it should. He told me if i buy the parts he would fix it for $350.00. Again if you don't know this engine or someone who does you can really get screwed.

The timing chain cover

Dampner Pully

and Gasket set from Caddy $140.00

[Poobah]

If that's a two-part dampener pulley with a rubber ring, the rubber can deteriorate in time and let the outer part shift to where it can do some damage. Good thing you caught it before it made a huge hole and dumped all your oil!

I prefer getting my mechanical work done by a shop just like you describe. Small one, two, or three-man shops with low overhead, no service writer, and reasonable hourly rates. Often these guys have many years of experience, although not necessarily on your make of car. They usually take pride in their work and are just out to make a decent living instead of trying to get rich. They are happy to have you come into their shop so they can show you the problem, discuss your options, and they tend to suggest the best way to fix it right at the lowest cost to you. (They know you're not made of money either.) A shop like this often has plenty enough work to keep them busy so they aren't trying to high-pressure you into work you don't need.

When you find a shop like this, keep coming back. You'll soon develop a relationship with them. If you need work that's more involved or Northstar specific in nature, loan the guy your factory service manual or ask for advice on this board and report back to your mechanic.

Often, you can supply parts that you purchase at a discount over the internet.

I no longer have the time, place, patience, or tools to do my own work but I keep my car in good running order without going broke by using a small independent shop.

[67coupedeville]

I prefer getting my mechanical work done by a shop just like you describe. Small one, two, or three-man shops with low overhead, no service writer, and reasonable hourly rates. Often these guys have many years of experience, although not necessarily on your make of car. They usually take pride in their work and are just out to make a decent living instead of trying to get rich. They are happy to have you come into their shop so they can show you the problem, discuss your options, and they tend to suggest the best way to fix it right at the lowest cost to you. (They know you're not made of money either.) A shop like this often has plenty enough work to keep them busy so they aren't trying to high-pressure you into work you don't need.

When you find a shop like this, keep coming back. You'll soon develop a relationship with them. If you need work that's more involved or Northstar specific in nature, loan the guy your factory service manual or ask for advice on this board and report back to your mechanic.

Ditt-do on that, taking your car to the dealership is a wam-bam thank you Sir kind of feeling, with the wam-bam usually to the wallet. If I can not fix it myself, my stuff goes to a little shop two blocks down from the dealership. Better and friendlier service, better work to be honest.

Spence