Oil Pan Gasket Leak?

[Jonathan]

Here is what I do for parts and you may choose to do the same if you like. It is only my opinion from experience.

I keep a running spreadsheet of things I need for the car. Well actually, the entire spreadsheet is a complete history of the car in every way including logbook, fuel, parts inventory, expenses, maintenance log, etc., but one of those sheets is always "future parts order." I update it as I realize I need something.

Once I get an idea that I need something on the car, I then get on the DeLorean main webstore page. www.delorean.com is Houston's page, but all the franchises use the same information. I try to research on my own to the best of my abilities what I am going to need and then put in my list things like quantity, part number, parts manual section number, price each, part name, description of part if vague or comments as to why I need it and for what, and then cost of price each times quantity.

Once I have a list I think I want to get, I email it to Dave and Julee at Midwest. Then I phone them.

The first glance through my list is usually/probably fairly easy as it would confirm prices and availability. Many of the regular things they have onsite and occasionally the odd stuff would come from the main inventory in Houston (which they do internal shipments regularly so this isn't a delay for the most part). This is also the time where I would get confirmation from Dave or Julee on some technical question I wasn't sure on about what parts are needed to fix a certain problem or a fastener that I might need (or not need) to do so.

Once we have that info and the parts are confirmed in stock, I give them details on a credit card for payment and it gets sent out quite quickly after that. It's not uncommon to get even a large order in two days or even late the next day depending on timing. If you really just needed a last minute hose or filter or whatever, it would be there for you the next day without a terrible hassle.

The key here is communication. That's why I get car things from Dave and Julee. It's not that all others can't help in much the same way, I just have been happy with their service over the last seven years and don't need to change it just for the sake of a slightly lower price on one item or two somewhere else. You can definitely use the website to order directly from with the "add to basket" part, however this goes into the queue for Houston to handle. This is perfectly fine mind you, I just choose to have my hand held a little bit when I order things.

I put a large value on speaking to someone on the phone to place an order and to know Dave will not hesitate to tell you that you DON'T need a certain part if you don't need it, that's really important to me. The guy is a busy man, and I can be a pain taking up too much of his time just like anyone else, but if you aren't sure how to fix something, he's very generous with his time to get you on the right track whether it's fixing an idle problem, A/C problem, or cosmetic problem.

I have some pharmacists in my family and I think it is somewhat similar in that many other places in town can fill your prescription and tell you to take it with food or whatever, but many of us keep going back to the same place because you feel good about going there. Not sure if everyone will understand that, but that's about how I see it.

For shipping, I try to get a few things together because it's not the cheapest thing in the world to order parts and send them over the border. It's also not that expensive either if you realize what is going on. The shipments are normally done by UPS (or Fed-Ex type thing) and the cost is a combination of weight and size. And shipping something light in a big box is no deal either as the courier companies use dimensional weight believe it or not. I have talked with Julee many times trying to understand what these silly shipping rules are and we've gotten it really close to exact. It is still at the mercy of Joe Customs, but the last order of around $500 or so I estimated the to my door cost within about $0.85.

Generally speaking, whatever the US cost is, add it all up and then convert it to Canadian. That's probably around 10% more right now. Take that amount and determine what 13% is as that is our sales tax in Ontario. UPS does about a $10 flat rate for the paperwork and $4.50 for extra line items on your order. This line item piece hasn't been nailed down extremely well even with all our efforts.

You would pay for your parts order directly to Midwest and it will include the UPS charge on it too. If you bought a decent amount of things in a medium box for $500, the UPS charge might be $40. Your credit card would see $540 USD and then your bank decides how much that is in Canadian. Once they deliver it to your door, it would be the sales tax amount (13% on the Canadian equivalent total) plus $10 plus the $4.50 line item approximately. So about $86 at your door to the guy standing there. That $540 USD is about $594 CDN so all said and done about $680 Canadian to your door including taxes and duties for $500 USD of parts as they show on the website.

Like I said, not cheap but not terrible either. Some will mention shipping it via the postal service and putting it as a gift with no value or whatever. Here's the thing, it's dishonest. Not to mention if it is damaged or lost, guess what your claim amount is for? Zero, because that's what you said it was worth. Paying sales tax on it is the same as you would anything else at home whether it's lunch or a pair of jeans. There are some shady ways around these things at times, but they are generally cheating or being dishonest in one way or the other. That's ok for some but not for others. It's also another reason I work with Dave and Julee because I don't ever worry about something going on that's dishonest with them. And that's hard to put a value on.

[micmak]

Hi Eric,
Congrats on the car. It is a really nice one. I remember examining that car and admiring it when the Previous Owner bought it a few years ago. If I had been in the market for a DeLorean a few weeks ago when he said he was selling it, I would have jumped on it! It’s a beauty for sure.
As regards your oil leak, I betcha it’s the oil sender or the oil switch.
If it is the switch (the one that controls the oil light), go to Napa or Auto Zone, or maybe even Canadian Tire and ask for an oil switch for a 1977 Corvette. It’s identical and will save you the effort and shipping costs of getting it from one of the vendors, and you will have it right away. That’s what I did a few years ago with mine and it has been perfect ever since.
If it’s the oil sender which controls the gauge, you could try a Volvo dealer if there is one near you. Tell them you want the sender for a Volvo B28 engine. That is what the DeLorean has. However DO NOT tell them it’s for a DeLorean!!! The often get very snippy if you mention DeLorean. Just tell them it’s a Volvo 740 which has a B28 engine. Again the advantage of this is that you will have the part right then and there, as opposed to shipping from the States.

Good luck with the car. I expect you will have a largely trouble-free time with that particular car. It’s such a nice car.

…….Mike…….

[5875]

Thanks for all the pointers Jonathan and Mike. The DeLorean passed safety, so I can stop worrying about dealing with the DMV now! The mechanic (owner) who did the inspection seemed very knowledgable about DeLoreans and is really keen to take it on for ongoing service. The shop has been in business since 1970 specializing in classic and exotic cars. He's identified the problem as two leaking gaskets. The oil sender was okay. He mentioned the axel gaskets and crank gasket. It's leaking from there, then dripping onto the belts and getting thrown everywhere then dripping down looking like it's coming from the oil pan. Now I just have to figure what part numbers those are and order. I'll be visiting a fellow DeLorean owner before ordering the parts for a second opinion.

Turns out my father is heading to the states soon for a week, so I'll send the parts to Ogdensburg and he can claim it above board against his $700 limit. It's nice when that stuff works out!

[5875]

So how common is it to have the rear main seal go twice in a short period?

Long story short, after cleaning the whole engine with brake clean and dropping dye in the oil it looks like the front crank seal is indeed leaking, but so is the rear main seal. Initially we thought it was gear oil coming from the axle seals, but with the dye it shows it's coming from the rear of the engine and it was just dripping onto the axle seals. Thing is the the rear seal was replaced just two years ago. Is it common for it to leak again? We checked the oil dipstick, oil sender, oil light sensor and oil pan gasket/plug and all are bone dry.

I've yet to check the crossover part list, but will see if a Volvo part # exists (wishful thinking...).

[David T]

So how common is it to have the rear main seal go twice in a short period?

Long story short, after cleaning the whole engine with brake clean and dropping dye in the oil it looks like the front crank seal is indeed leaking, but so is the rear main seal. Initially we thought it was gear oil coming from the axle seals, but with the dye it shows it's coming from the rear of the engine and it was just dripping onto the axle seals. Thing is the the rear seal was replaced just two years ago. Is it common for it to leak again? We checked the oil dipstick, oil sender, oil light sensor and oil pan gasket/plug and all are bone dry.

I've yet to check the crossover part list, but will see if a Volvo part # exists (wishful thinking...).

No it is not common. A few things:
the seals were not replaced correctly, wrong or damaged parts, wrong motor oil or overfilled. Also check the breather on the cold start tube. If the crankcase is not being ventilated properly it could build up pressure forcing oil out the seals.

[5875]

That's what I thought as well. The rear seal was done by a reputable shop with quality workmanship (DPI), so perhaps it's a faulty seal. Proper oil and oil levels were done for the past two years. Where would one find the cold start tube?

[5875]

No it is not common. A few things:
the seals were not replaced correctly, wrong or damaged parts, wrong motor oil or overfilled. Also check the breather on the cold start tube. If the crankcase is not being ventilated properly it could build up pressure forcing oil out the seals.

Is this the cold start valve you are reffering to?
http://store.delorean.com/p-6624-cold-start-valve.aspx

Thanks for the help...sorry if these are stupid questions - just starting to learn about the car.

[5875]

Update...

Ended up swapping out the oil mesh cap on the cold start tube with a fellow DeLorean owner in town (his D is in amazing shape) -unfortunately still the same result with a leaky rear main seal after a 2 hour ride. Tonight I'm going to check the rubber hose that connects the oil cap to the cold start tube to make sure nothing's stuck or obstructing the flow. Maybe there's a mesh peice in there at the hose/tube connection that's clogged. Frustrating to say the least, but at least I'm crossing stuff off the list. I'll be doing an oil change sometime this week and making sure the proper 20W50 oil gets in there and making sure the proper oil level is maintained. Other than that, I'm fresh out of ideas and will probably have to live with this rear main seal leak for the forseable future.

I'm still kind of surprised this was replaced a year ago and it's already leaking - 1,500 miles tops were placed on it. From speaking with others, it sounds like rear main seals on these things are a pain in general and replacing them is a science with lining up the seal/tranny correctly on install.

[DMCMW Dave]

I'm still kind of surprised this was replaced a year ago and it's already leaking - 1,500 miles tops were placed on it. From speaking with others, it sounds like rear main seals on these things are a pain in general and replacing them is a science with lining up the seal/tranny correctly on install.

It doesn't have anything to do with the trans, but its easy to accidently get the seal installed not 100% aligned (i.e. cocked slightly). There is also a paper gasket behind the seal and a metal-to-metal seal at the base of the retainer. Lots to go wrong.