Advice needed on Rusted out & leaky oil pan on 02 SE
#1
Advice needed on Rusted out & leaky oil pan on 02 SE
So, my piece of crap 2002 Maxima SE now is dripping oil slowly from the oil pan (it's all wet). It's not the drain plug, or the gasket on the plug. The oil change place I took it to last time said, and I have also noticed, that the oil pan is very badly rusted with piece of it flaking off etc. So, I need to replace the oil pan. I see there are a few non OEM oil pans on the market, but I'm hesitant to buy a non Nissan one. I tried that with a new muffler when the factory one rusted through by the mounting flange, and it didn't fit right.
Basically, this car is a pile. It's 6.5 years old. I've had it since it was new. The oil pan has rusted through, the exhaust system has rusted through several times in several different places and now basically the whole exhaust system needs to be replaced. I'm getting several CEL's on EVAP leaks too. I won't even start on the paint or the brakes. No more Nissan's for me!
Having gotten that out of my system...
Should I stick with a genuine Nissan oil pan, or not? Also is this something I should try to replace myself. I'm pretty handy and have done my own brakes several times, changed out the struts, etc. Or am I likely to encounter all sorts of problems and should leave it to the "experts" at a shop?
Basically, this car is a pile. It's 6.5 years old. I've had it since it was new. The oil pan has rusted through, the exhaust system has rusted through several times in several different places and now basically the whole exhaust system needs to be replaced. I'm getting several CEL's on EVAP leaks too. I won't even start on the paint or the brakes. No more Nissan's for me!
Having gotten that out of my system...
Should I stick with a genuine Nissan oil pan, or not? Also is this something I should try to replace myself. I'm pretty handy and have done my own brakes several times, changed out the struts, etc. Or am I likely to encounter all sorts of problems and should leave it to the "experts" at a shop?
#2
My gosh, how do you get a rusted out oil pan on a 6 year old car? Even for the beach or snow, thats unheard of.
SOunds to me like you might not own the car much longer so I wouldn't spend the dough for a "Genuine Nissan" part.
SOunds to me like you might not own the car much longer so I wouldn't spend the dough for a "Genuine Nissan" part.
#3
Sounds to me like you might not own the car much longer so I wouldn't spend the dough for a "Genuine Nissan" part.
#4
sounds like you took "drive it like you stole it" a little too seriously, or you just dont take car of it. at 9x,xxx miles i havent had any problems at all, besides the typical needing gas, oil, etc. and my oil pan is still shiny every time i change my oil. o well. i would get oem, you can get a brand new one for like $60 or call daveB and he'll hook you up
#7
at 9x,xxx miles i havent had any problems at all, besides the typical needing gas, oil, etc. and my oil pan is still shiny every time i change my oil. o well.
i would get oem, you can get a brand new one for like $60 or call daveB and he'll hook you up
#10
shiny AKA clean, not rusty or oily or anything, maybe a slight dust coat
http://www.courtesyparts.com/betasit...3-p-52507.html to start, but other sites will have it cheaper, along with daveB.
#11
#14
Does anyone know if the Nissan OEM assembly includes a gasket? It's not shown as a separate piece in the diagram on courtesy parts.
#15
It sounds like you got a lemon I've got 115k on my 2k2 and have no issues with leaking of any sort. I do have a little rust on the lip of my wheel well but only on the piece that bends back into the wheel well not on the body pannel. Thats too bad but don't hate on Nissan cuz it truely is a well engineried great car sometimes there are a few bad apples in the bunch but I really believe its very few and far between. I wish you well and dont let this one bad experience change your view of one of the best auto manufactures out there.
#18
I think a big part of it is where you live and the type of weather you have. I live in Canada (Ontario) and have a 2k3. The underneath of my car looks pretty decent, but I get the car sprayed with oil every year before winter. They put so much salt on the roads here in the winter that any car that is not rust proofed regularly gets eaten by rust pretty quickly.
#19
I think a big part of it is where you live and the type of weather you have. I live in Canada (Ontario) and have a 2k3. The underneath of my car looks pretty decent, but I get the car sprayed with oil every year before winter. They put so much salt on the roads here in the winter that any car that is not rust proofed regularly gets eaten by rust pretty quickly.
BTW, I had rust spots on the front of my oil pan . I used POR15 last fall and I just used a gray color w/ the kit so I knew where I put the paint, and it looks great. NO rust where I fixed it. Also used it on a rear door, too, after zero success w/ other stuff...no rust! (atleast where I fixed it!!) There are new spots, but it works great to stop the rust. That other stuff showed rust after a month of winter salt, but this POR15 shows zero damage after I fixed it.
Try this stuff before buying a new pan. Or if you do buy a new pan and are concerned, treat the entire new one before install and it will certainly outlast the rest of your car.
#24
I've got a rusty oil pan too. In PA w/ 130,000 miles. had 102,000 when I bought it.
POR15 is good stuff. I put that on my '86 Buick Century winter beater where there was rust around the wheel wells, rockers, pretty much every low part of the car haha
POR15 is good stuff. I put that on my '86 Buick Century winter beater where there was rust around the wheel wells, rockers, pretty much every low part of the car haha
#25
Leave a paintbrush with por15 on it and it will be like a rock in the morning. I fixed a cast aluminum '62 220s Mercedes oil pan with layers of heavy duty aluminum foil and epoxy once. I put a hole in it when I pulled off the road...
#26
So, my piece of crap 2002 Maxima SE now is dripping oil slowly from the oil pan (it's all wet). It's not the drain plug, or the gasket on the plug. The oil change place I took it to last time said, and I have also noticed, that the oil pan is very badly rusted with piece of it flaking off etc. So, I need to replace the oil pan. I see there are a few non OEM oil pans on the market, but I'm hesitant to buy a non Nissan one. I tried that with a new muffler when the factory one rusted through by the mounting flange, and it didn't fit right.
Basically, this car is a pile. It's 6.5 years old. I've had it since it was new. The oil pan has rusted through, the exhaust system has rusted through several times in several different places and now basically the whole exhaust system needs to be replaced. I'm getting several CEL's on EVAP leaks too. I won't even start on the paint or the brakes. No more Nissan's for me!
Having gotten that out of my system...
Should I stick with a genuine Nissan oil pan, or not? Also is this something I should try to replace myself. I'm pretty handy and have done my own brakes several times, changed out the struts, etc. Or am I likely to encounter all sorts of problems and should leave it to the "experts" at a shop?
Basically, this car is a pile. It's 6.5 years old. I've had it since it was new. The oil pan has rusted through, the exhaust system has rusted through several times in several different places and now basically the whole exhaust system needs to be replaced. I'm getting several CEL's on EVAP leaks too. I won't even start on the paint or the brakes. No more Nissan's for me!
Having gotten that out of my system...
Should I stick with a genuine Nissan oil pan, or not? Also is this something I should try to replace myself. I'm pretty handy and have done my own brakes several times, changed out the struts, etc. Or am I likely to encounter all sorts of problems and should leave it to the "experts" at a shop?
#27
Ok, so I ordered a new oil pan from DaveB. He said the gasket should be silicone, he was busy so I didn't press him on it. What is the right type of silicone to use to make the gasket?
#28
#29
It's done manually by the guys there and they have more than spray bottles of this stuff. They have sprayers with hoses hooked up to huge tanks of that stuff. There is a variety of places with different products here. Some drips, some is non drip, some is thick and some is thin.
The place I go to is Canadian company called Krown that have a product of their own (http://www.krown.com/). It costs $110 a year, and they actually have a warranty if your car is less than 2 years old when you come to them the first time and you regularly get it sprayed every year. The product somehow bonds with the metal and repels moisture.
They hose down the car with it pretty good, and spray it in all the holes too (parts in the trunk, the doors, etc). Then they wash it, and then your car drips for a week or so. Since I get it done in the fall when it's cold, in the early summer it starts to drip again a bit on those really hot days.
I know you can get their product in small cans to spray any rust spots you have an additional couple of times a year. Obviously it won't get rid of your rust, but they claim it will significantly slow down its progress.
I'm sure there is similar type of places in the US, depending where you live.
#31
I did the replacement today. It was pretty easy. First I drained all the oil from the motor by removing the drain plug from the oil pan. Then I loosened the bolts then pried off the old rusty pan. I cleaned off the old gasket material from the aluminum pan first with a putty knife then denatured alcohol. I used Grey Permatex as recommended by the service manual and then put the new oil pan on and tightened all the bolts down and torqued them.
I let that sit for more than the recommended 30 minutes and then replaced the oil filter with a new Mobil 1 filter. I ended up putting 5 quarts of Mobil 1 in the motor to get to the full line on the dipstick. That was a little surprising to me since the typical oil change is only 4.25, but I saw that service manual said the motor takes 5 quarts if dry.
So, now I just need to find out what the metal line is next to the oil pan that is also rather rusty and should probably be replaced as well.
I let that sit for more than the recommended 30 minutes and then replaced the oil filter with a new Mobil 1 filter. I ended up putting 5 quarts of Mobil 1 in the motor to get to the full line on the dipstick. That was a little surprising to me since the typical oil change is only 4.25, but I saw that service manual said the motor takes 5 quarts if dry.
So, now I just need to find out what the metal line is next to the oil pan that is also rather rusty and should probably be replaced as well.
#33
So, my piece of crap 2002 Maxima SE now is dripping oil slowly from the oil pan (it's all wet). It's not the drain plug, or the gasket on the plug. The oil change place I took it to last time said, and I have also noticed, that the oil pan is very badly rusted with piece of it flaking off etc. So, I need to replace the oil pan. I see there are a few non OEM oil pans on the market, but I'm hesitant to buy a non Nissan one. I tried that with a new muffler when the factory one rusted through by the mounting flange, and it didn't fit right.
Basically, this car is a pile. It's 6.5 years old. I've had it since it was new. The oil pan has rusted through, the exhaust system has rusted through several times in several different places and now basically the whole exhaust system needs to be replaced. I'm getting several CEL's on EVAP leaks too. I won't even start on the paint or the brakes. No more Nissan's for me!
Having gotten that out of my system...
Should I stick with a genuine Nissan oil pan, or not? Also is this something I should try to replace myself. I'm pretty handy and have done my own brakes several times, changed out the struts, etc. Or am I likely to encounter all sorts of problems and should leave it to the "experts" at a shop?
Basically, this car is a pile. It's 6.5 years old. I've had it since it was new. The oil pan has rusted through, the exhaust system has rusted through several times in several different places and now basically the whole exhaust system needs to be replaced. I'm getting several CEL's on EVAP leaks too. I won't even start on the paint or the brakes. No more Nissan's for me!
Having gotten that out of my system...
Should I stick with a genuine Nissan oil pan, or not? Also is this something I should try to replace myself. I'm pretty handy and have done my own brakes several times, changed out the struts, etc. Or am I likely to encounter all sorts of problems and should leave it to the "experts" at a shop?
My exhaust just broke at the rear most flange, and the rest of th exhaust system looks like it might rust through.
The front lower control arms and rear axle looks like the powder coat is pealing off.
My car has a 6mt, and the 3rd gear is so bad, no matter what the revs are, it grinds when it goes into gear. I do not race my car, I take care of it. I have replaced the fluid with some redline stuff, and its the same. Double clutching, it still grinds when it goes into gear. It sounds like a beat to **** 5 liter stang when I shift, and with the sound of the exhaust, its embarrassing to drive.
The hood also looks like its going to fly up and hit my windshield when I am going down the road.
Glad to see I am not the only one wondering why I bought this car...
#34
Where you live plays a big part on rust. I bought my max from someone in new hampshire. Lots of rust for sure. Its ok though. My oil pan is rusted also. My exhaust rotted apart but that is just typical nissan for you. Don't get heated man. Brakes are going to go on you no matter what. Oil pan can be had for cheap and can be replaced quite easily along with your oil change. I actually got an OEM exhaust for free from someone on here.
Good luck buddy
Good luck buddy
#35
scotty 8 don't worry my hood and all 5th gen hoods do the same thing. The exhaust is quite common on maximas, infiniti i30/i35 and altimas also. Oil pans are common to rust on nissans also. Nothing a new oil pan can fix. Or if you don't want to spend 60-80 dollars you can spend 20 dollars and sand the pan, prime it, paint it high temp black and clear coat it and you are good to go.
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