Dodge Caravan oil pan gasket leak

psmithpi

looking for some answers...got a great 2001 Dodge Carvan with 213K on it....had a water pump put on it months ago (about 15k mile since then) and at that time, the mechanic recommended changing the oil pan gasket because of a slow oil leak (estimate of about $400),.......because of the high mileage, I don't necessarily want to be dumping money into it......been putting about a quart in every 2 to 3 weeks (about 1500 miles).....I wanted to know....do the "stop leak additives" from the walmarts and auto store work? Does anyone know about Permatach? Thanks......

Mr_Shiftright

None of those are worth it, no. Stop leak merely swells a gasket which can make matters worse eventually; and you can't patch an oil leak from the outside. I mean, these things might slow it down a bit but they'd be temporary at best.

Is this leak visible on the ground? Do you notice a drip when the engine is idling? On a van this old, I'm wondering if all that oil loss could be due only to a gasket.

psmithpi

hi, thanks for writing.....I haven't noticed a leak on the ground......I have yet to check to see if there is a drip when the engine is idling.....(we've been hammered with ice and snow for the last month and haven't gotten on the ground to check)....not sure what you mean with the oil loss could be due only to a gasket...thanks,...I appreciate your help......God bless

ray80

psmithpi said:

.not sure what you mean with the oil loss could be due only to a gasket...thanks,...I appreciate your help......God bless

I believe what he meant was , with the oil loss if you are not seeing puddles or drips under the vehicle it may very well be (with the high milage) the the oil may be going through tailpipe because of engine troubles.

Mr_Shiftright

Yes, thank you Ray--the oil loss from the gasket could be negligible in relation to the oil loss from basic engine wear on a high mileage motor.

psmithpi

Great, thank you for helping me understand it....many blessings!