Oil leak ( 1 drop everynight)

X5V8RULES · #1 01-01-2012, 01:57 AM

Thanks . You are really helpful! I changed the valve cover gaskets 2 years ago , so i hope itis the oil filter housing gasket

DanSanDiego · #2 01-07-2012, 01:48 AM

I am at the half way point on changing my oil filter housing gasket. Started at 5pm and it is 9pm now (but spent some time with family). Most parts that I have taken off in a single repair (and I never really knew what the full metal housing looked like until it popped off with a good tug - meaning that I wasn't eactly sure how many pieces of metal were going to come off from the engine).

Now I am going to sleep (watch a movie and then bed) and will put everything back together in the morning (this way things can dry off overnight from all the carb cleaner I sprayed to clean up the old oil). I also needed to replace my belts so this was a good project to cover two items in one weekend.

DanSanDiego · #3 01-08-2012, 03:27 PM

I finished the procedure. What a bear! Glad for the DIY procedure. No way I could have done it without everyone's help.
Power steering pump made a slight hissing sound when I removed the underneith bolt (no one else seemed to mention that this would happen, so it concerned me for a minute).

Thank you for the write up

Ghost-Flame · #4 01-09-2012, 08:49 AM

I didn't hear any hissing. Does the power steering work? keep an eye on that fluid level for a while. Check your radiator fluid levels beware of over heating. maybe you sprung a leak somewhere in the radiator. 1 to 2 minutes (or less) of overheating can warp these alluminum heads.

DanSanDiego · #5 01-09-2012, 11:32 AM

Thank you. There was definitely a hissing when I removed the shortest screw (angle bracket) on the power steering pump. I heard it and put the screw back in thinking I did something wrong. That stopped the hissing. Then I looked at the instructions for a few minutes and removed the screw again (more hissing, but quiter, then eventually it went away). There was also clean oil (didn't look red like power steering fluid) on the very inside tip of the bolt. That also made me think I removed a bolt that was more than a support structure.

I think that my power steering works. The steering is much stiffer than our RX300, but it feels good rather than heavy or anything that I would associate with a lack of power steering. I also put new clamps (screw tightened) on the power steering hoses while I was in there. I will keep an eye on the fluid level for a while to make sure everything is o.k.