Oil Leak at 350,000+ miles

[356Tom]

I have a 2006 Pontiac Vibe (base) 1.8 motor.

I bought the vehicle new off a local Pontiac dealer lot.

The odometer doesn’t go past 299,999...I found that out over 2 years ago.

I have recently developed an oil leak from the rear main seal. It is not a gusher, but it does leave 3-4 spots on my driveway each day.

The leak location was verified with putting Dye in the oil.

I have gotten estimates from repair shops from $900 to $1,400 to do the repair.

As a trade-in, my car is worth about $300.

Vehicle still gets 30 mpg and for the most part has not had any major issues.

Any suggestions on the rear main seal ?
How much farther/longer can I expect this vehicle to go ?

I have used synthetic oil thru-out the life of the vehicle.

Thank-You,
Tom
Mid-Michigan

[ihaveavibe]

A bit surprised nobody chimed in yet.

My personal solution would be based simple economics: I'd put a cardboard under it or a catch pan and keep checking the oil level, filling as needed until a bigger problem develops.

(2nd option, I'd try to do it myself, 3rd, I'd price out a full engine refurbishment or replacement and compare cost/benefit to just a seal replacement. I personally wouldn't get rid of the car if it runs well otherwise. It's no longer depreciating, excise or property taxes, if any, should be minimal, your insurance premium ought to be low. You'd probably spend more than the cost of this repair on an upgraded car on just depreciation.)

[vibrologist]

You could try Blue Devil Oil Stop Leak. It's a conditioner for oil seals. You find it in auto parts stores.

[jolt]

You could also try one of the motor oils that are made for high mileage vehicles, they also have seal conditioners. Instead of using card board to catch the 3 or 4 drops, you could put a baby diaper on the bottom to catch the leaking oil. It will hold way more then card board will. You could strap the diaper at the leaking point, at the bottom of the bell housing. That way it will not leak all over under the car and down the road. You have to watch so that the diaper is not close to the exhaust and check it to see how full it is. If the diaper with oil in it catches fire, it would not be good as you would be rolling down the road in a true ball of fire then. It is nor worth repairing unless you have more time then money and can do the work yourself.

[Caretaker]

If the diaper with oil in it catches fire, it would not be good as you would be rolling down the road in a true ball of fire then.

Holy diaper rash Batman !!!!

[ihaveavibe]

Instead of using card board to catch the 3 or 4 drops, you could put a baby diaper on the bottom to catch the leaking oil.

Naturally I meant the cardboard for the driveway, not the car, i.e. do nothing. But high mileage oil sounds cool, though some seal conditioners apparently reduce the seal. (How is one to know which one?) I'm refering to this here https://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/c ... -car-take/
"Valvoline showed us ... one good seal conditioner that swelled most seal materials, but actually reduced the swelling of one type ...."

Not clear to me if it's not worth repairing if this is all that's wrong. At 27k miles /year a $1k fix amortized over a year is 3.7c/mi which is quite cheap. I think the poster was really asking if the rest of the engine or car will hold up. My understanding is probably yes, unless frame is corroding.

[zbyers]

Personally, if it's a minimal leak, I'd do nothing but keep an eye on it over time. Otherwise, next best option would be to drop the trans and replace the rear main yourself if you can. It would not be worth trading in nor having a garage do the repair (unless you really want to).

[Omnipony]

I’ve had an autoparts store rep recommend going 1 viscosity grade higher for the oil. I didn’t do a quantitative analysis to check if that worked.

[Bookworm]

I’ve had an autoparts store rep recommend going 1 viscosity grade higher for the oil. I didn’t do a quantitative analysis to check if that worked.

"Four quarts of STP and sell it".

The Motor Honey route