mvvette97

Just wondering I see alot of the C6 vettes have or have had oil pan leaks. Mine does as well with only 19k on it. Anybody really know the cause of the problem? I understand the gasket is not sealing but is it a bad design of the gasket or something with the oil pan? For you that have had the leak fixed how did it hold up? Do they have an updated gasket or something or should we expect to have the leak start again after a few thousand miles? Just wondering what the root of the problem is.

Kurt D

My research (thanks to a leaky `03 Yukon) into Gen III oil leaks says it's an issue with either a porous pan/cover or block, sometimes all of the above. It causes the gasket to start leaking over time and it just gets worse. If the pan is porous it needs to be replaced, if the block is then the mating surface needs to be cleaned, RTV used to fill in voids and after setting up for ~10 minutes a new gasket is installed with the pan.

From my experience and research the issue is very common on the iron block 4.8, 5.3, and 6.0 trucks; especially with the rear cover leaking, which is expensive to replace labor wise. With the aluminum blocked LSxs and 5.3 the issues seems less common and often it's the oil pan when it does happen. Granted my sample size is small: 4 LS1s, 1 LS2, 2 Al 5.3s, 1 iron 5.3 and 1 LS3 (dry sump), but the iron 5.3 is the only one that leaks and it's pan and cover.

My buddy who's done quite a bit of work on Gen IIIs made a similar conclusion; most LS cars seemed to be reasonably clean underneath while the trucks were usually filthy.

mvvette97

That's interesting. kinda funny my 03 silverado with 115k is super clean on the engine, not a drop of oil anywhere. That's what just upsets me because my corvette just has over 19k and it's leaking bad enouth that the oil will blow back on the exhaust. It's going to the dealer in the morning to hopefully fix it under warranty. Oil leaks just drive me crazy

Thorn811

Bought a 07 last year with 17,500 miles on it. Near the end of the summer I started to get a small drip from the oil pan. After doing research on the Forum I found it was a common occurrence and most said to try to re-torque the pan bolts. I did that and the leak stopped. This year it started to drip again and I torqued the bolts and it stopped again. Not sure if this will help but it is definitely the cheapest repair.

Good luck

Rik O'Shay

Here's a video from Chevrolet that shows the oil pan on the Z06/ZR1/Grand Sport models.

it's pretty complicated, lots of sealed areas-

Sayfoo

Man, those are some ugly welds on that tank!! Especially on the bottom. 44 secs in.

schpenxel

For real..I noticed the same thing. I guess ugly was cheaper for GM? Geez.

A4ea

Pretty bad weld (or tack).
My 2007 leaked, dealer put new gasket. Never dripped on floor, tho.

djbrun

My 08 seats, not to the point of dripping. I clean it every oil change.
I have checked torque which were fine.

I just did an oil pump on my Avalanche, that block and oil pan surface were better than any engine I have worked on to date. I would believe faulty gasket if the bolts are not lose.

DJ

Paratrooper307

Probably figured because you can't normally see it there was no need to be neat...

schpenxel

True.