The Nissan Path

2003 Pathfinder, 3.5L, 180k miles.

They guy at NTB tells me my oil gasket is leaking on the passenger side at the top of the pan (is the more than one gasket) and is covering the starter and O2 sensor because the oil is blowing back while I drive. The service writer said it will insulate the starter and cause it to overheat and eventually ruin it as well. How big a problem with this?

I don't see any oil on my garage floor, but it that because the car isn't running in the garage and oil isn't force out, but on sits in the bottom of the pan.

They claim it is a 4.5 hour job to fix it. That's a lot of labor money to swap a gasket. Is there another way around this problem?

Also, I have yet to change my timing chain. Should I find a good mechanic to do both? Would it be beneficial in any way to do both at the same time?

Did I mention the spark plugs have never been changed?

Thanks,
Wes

I can't say how much of an issue it is without seeing the leak for myself. Also, there are two oil pans: the lower and upper. At 4.5 hours, they must be talking about the upper pan. The upper oil pan uses two, neoprene lip seals and the rest of the gasket is gray RTV sealant. The lower pan uses just gray RTV sealant, although the aftermarket does off conventional gaskets. The really is no way to repair it other than to remove the pan and reseal it. If the area is accessible and in a small area on the upper pan, one might be able to clean if off with brake cleaner and then smear a layer of RTV across the seam, but there is no guarantee if or how long that will last. It is a pretty labor intensive job to reseal the oil pan and that time usually doesn't take in to consideration how long it takes to scrape off all of the old RTV, which is a real pain!
There is no need to replace the timing chains unless there is an issue with them. The VQ40DE had some issues with the upper chains, but not the VQ35DE. If they aren't making noise, leave them alone.
The spark plugs are supposed to be replaced at 105,000 miles, so they are more than due. Stick with the original equipment plug, NGK #6240.

Ok. Yes. It is the upper pan. I will try to get some sealant in there and see what happens before I drop the $500 on it. I will get the sparks done at next service. Thanks for the help.

I took it to a real mechanic and they say its the lower oil pan gasket and oil cooler o ring (does that sound right). Much less expensive than the upper oil pan.

The "O" ring on the oil cooler is a common failure.