Leak after leak after leak after leak....well you get the picture.

jedi · 02-09-04, 08:15 PM

I bought my Vette November 2002, so I have had it a little over a year. In that time I have had my rear main seal, my oil pan gasket, my transmission pan gasket, my front crank seal, my waterpump seal, my optispark seal, just about every major seal has started leaking and needed to be replaced.

Hell I even lost a pinniped seal but that was when I was at sea world.

What the heck is going on???? What could cause this many seals to go in a year and how do I make this stop?

Jedi

tnovot · 02-09-04, 08:26 PM

You don't say how many miles this car has.
I'd say it either sat in storage for an extended time or the previous owner(s) used cheap generic fluids or additives which were incompatible with the seal materials.
Just a few guesses - without knowing the history of the car, you may never really know for sure.
Gee, I wonder how many other seals that car has which have not yet been replaced such as rear trans seal, valve cover gaskets, pinniped seal -------- but of course, that's what has you worried.

jedi · 02-10-04, 05:41 AM

It just turned 70K. That's about 8000 miles a year. Less than avarage for the DC area. One other thing I thought of last night, last summer I cleaned the engine with engine bright. I was careful and did not spray any electical parts, but maybe the engine bright is corroding the seals?

Jedi

**Zixxer** · 02-10-04, 03:03 PM

What has it cost to replace these seals? Curious, as I have an intake, front main, and another one as well. Thanks Rick

tnovot · 02-10-04, 04:02 PM

Jedi -
Lighten up on yourself - I kinda doubt if you did any damage to the gaskets & seals using engine cleaner. Or for that matter, doubt if it was caused by anything you have done. Maybe old age (of the car) has something to do with it?
Terry

jedi · 02-10-04, 04:17 PM

Terry,
I dunno, 8 years isn't that old, is it? It seems to be a lot more than normal, but I am not a mechanic.

Rick,
Off the top of my head, I can't remember, but I think it was somewhere around 3 or 4 hundred for the front crank seal (which I think is the same as a front main), the others I will have to go back through my recipts. As you are local though, I can tell you where not to go to have the work done though.
Jedi

tnovot · 02-10-04, 08:31 PM

Jedi -
Yeh, you're right. Eight years isn't really that old and 70K really isn't considered that many miles anymore but if a car is in winter storages and sits idle for long periods, the seals and gaskets can dry out. Combine that with high operating temps which can degrade seal and gasket material and you have leaks.
The leaks that you have had aren't at all uncommon; unfortunately you have had them all in a relatively short period of time.
Hopefully you have fixed everything that is going to fail and will have very few problems in the future.
Terry

bowmanm · 02-11-04, 12:52 PM

I know what you are going through! I have an 87 that I bought last summer with 53,000 miles on it and I believe that I have replaced about every seal in the thing that is possible. I believe that alot of this is caused by the previous owner putting it away for the winter and not even starting the car for 4 or 5 months. I have become so paranoid with mine that every time I start it I open the hood and check for leaks. I think they are all fixed now and look forward to being able to really enjoy this car come spring. I know for a fact it will not be sitting without being run again. These cars are meant to be ran. Hang in there and fix the leaks after that you will really be able to have some fun with her!

**bill5674** · 02-12-04, 09:34 PM

Hey guys just a thought could be building up to much internal pressure Check the pvc system lately?

jpanek · 02-12-04, 11:03 PM

My money is on PVC and simple coincidence on the others. My waterpump/opti went at 70K too - I'm sure you know the first causes the second to go. Trans pans on any car can be fussy about bolt torques, tightening sequence, retightening after a while, etc.

Just saw your previous post about jiffy lube doing the trans pan. That explains that leak. Take it to a real mechanic, please! You're not saving any time or money by having high school dropouts do the work if the job has to be redone the right way.

jedi · 02-13-04, 05:10 AM

I have an appointment on Monday with the dealer to check all this out. I had the opti and waterpump replaced last year, but the PVC sounds like a possible issue. I'll let you know.

**RedRagTop** · 02-13-04, 07:02 AM

Be very wary of a dealer as well, particularly if you are not sure what is causing any given problem. They are there to make money from you so...
I store mine for long periods without running it for the winter, maybe 5 months and I didn't notice related leaks...
RJS

**Radar** · 02-13-04, 12:05 PM

Originally Posted by RJSROCKET

Be very wary of a dealer as well, particularly if you are not sure what is causing any given problem. They are there to make money from you so...
I store mine for long periods without running it for the winter, maybe 5 months and I didn't notice related leaks...
RJS

I agree with RJSROCKET. I store my 89 convertible from mid November until mid April every year. I never run it over that time. I have about 48,000 miles and no leaks. I run Mobil 1.

I too would check the PCV valve. I wonder if the engine was ever overheated or maybe was apart and that is related to seal failure.

Moonunit 451 · 02-14-04, 02:20 AM

I've read that another thing to consider is that when you start the car, especially if it has been sitting for a long time is to get it to full operating temps. Jedi are yo an RC guy as well? I've seen that avitar on another forum