Hey, just got back from my local Pontiac dealer. They determined the rear main is leaking. I was getting a few drops on my garage floor and thought maybe their tech didn't get the filter on tight. Took it back and everything around the filter and drain plug was dry. They pulled the sight plug out of the bell housing and sure enough thats what it was. Scheduled for the 11th of August, they need it a couple days. The exhaust and tranny have to come out of course. Has anyone else had theirs in for an oil leak. Gary the service manager thought there might be a bulletin for this. He was going to check.

Hey, just got back from my local Pontiac dealer. They determined the rear main is leaking. I was getting a few drops on my garage floor and thought maybe their tech didn't get the filter on tight. Took it back and everything around the filter and drain plug was dry. They pulled the sight plug out of the bell housing and sure enough thats what it was. Scheduled for the 11th of August, they need it a couple days. The exhaust and tranny have to come out of course. Has anyone else had theirs in for an oil leak. Gary the service manager thought there might be a bulletin for this. He was going to check.

A buddy at a shop in Georgia called me about one 2 weeks ago, same thing.

They'll get it fixed, I had it scheduled for some exhaust work, I think I'll wait till they get the leak fixed first.

Lucky me mine was just the oil leveling sensor that was leaking..

Guys, there is a bulletin on this. I am not sure of the bulletin # but can get that for you on Monday. I work at a Cadillac dlr and have the same thing with the CTS-V's, there a sealing problem with the sealing surface of the rear engine cover. The bulletine describes removing the cover and applying silicone around the perimiter of the cover, replacing the crankshaft oil seal (wich is in the rear engine cover) and reinstalling the cover. No big deal, just an inconvienience.

sounds like would be good time to do it with converter

Hey, just got back from my local Pontiac dealer. They determined the rear main is leaking. I was getting a few drops on my garage floor and thought maybe their tech didn't get the filter on tight. Took it back and everything around the filter and drain plug was dry. They pulled the sight plug out of the bell housing and sure enough thats what it was. Scheduled for the 11th of August, they need it a couple days. The exhaust and tranny have to come out of course. Has anyone else had theirs in for an oil leak. Gary the service manager thought there might be a bulletin for this. He was going to check.
A few drops?? When the puddle gets so big you step in to get in the drivers seat, then maybe. :p

Guys, there is a bulletin on this. I am not sure of the bulletin # but can get that for you on Monday. I work at a Cadillac dlr and have the same thing with the CTS-V's, there a sealing problem with the sealing surface of the rear engine cover. The bulletine describes removing the cover and applying silicone around the perimiter of the cover, replacing the crankshaft oil seal (wich is in the rear engine cover) and reinstalling the cover. No big deal, just an inconvienience.

Silicone on my new car sounds good. How 'bout you?

Its blowing back on the exhaust and I was beginning to smell it, thats not a good thing.

Silicone on my new car sounds good. How 'bout you?
It's the same rtv sealant used on the front and rear corner covers and every where else gm uses sealant instead of a gasket from the factory, it's not bath tub caulk.

OK found the bulletin #, and the bulletin. i copied it. for some reason it doesn't hit on when searching under 2008 pontiac g8, but if the search is done on the 06gto it pulls up with the engine code L76 wich is only offered in the G8 and the Silverado/Sierra. Check it out. It may be worth mentioning to your dlr. There is also a bulletin for leaking rear main seal but is for 1986-2006 gm 60degree v6 and how to use the new installer. hope this helps. sorry the post is so long i just cut and paste the tsb.

#05-06-01-034E: 5.3L LC9, LS4, L33, LH6, LM4, 5.7L LS1, LS6, 6.0L LS2, L76, 6.2L L92, 7.0L LS7 - Engine Oil Leak at Rear Cover Assembly Area (Engine Block Porosity RTV Repair Procedure) - (Feb 12, 2007)


Subject: 5.3L LC9, LS4, L33, LH6, LM4, 5.7L LS1, LS6, 6.0L LS2, L76, 6.2L L92, 7.0L LS7-- Engine Oil Leak at Rear Cover Assembly Area (Engine Block Porosity RTV Repair Procedure)


Models: 2004-2007 Buick Rainier

2005-2007 Cadillac CTS-V

2007 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT

2003-2007 Chevrolet Corvette, TrailBlazer

2004-2006 Chevrolet SSR

2005-2007 Chevrolet Silverado, Silverado SS

2006-2007 Chevrolet Impala SS, Monte Carlo SS, TrailBlazer SS

2007 Chevrolet Avalanche, Suburban, Tahoe

2003-2007 GMC Envoy, Sierra

2004-2005 GMC Envoy XUV

2007 GMC Yukon XL, Yukon Denali, Yukon XL Denali

2004-2006 Pontiac GTO

2005-2007 Pontiac Grand Prix GXP

2005-2007 Saab 9-7X

with 5.3L, 5.7L, 6.0L, 6.2L, 7.0L VORTEC™ GEN III or GEN IV V8 Engine (RPOs LC9, LS4, L33, LH6, LM4, LS1, LS6, LS2, L76, L92, LS7)




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This bulletin is being revised to update warranty information. Please discard Corporate Bulletin Number 05-06-01-034D (Section 06 -- Engine/Propulsion System).


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Condition
Some customers may comment on an engine oil leak.

Cause
Upon initial diagnosis, it may be determined that the leak is coming from the rear cover gasket. This condition may be caused by engine block porosity on the sealing surface. This issue pertains to aluminum block applications only.

Correction
Follow the steps for Oil Leak Diagnosis in SI to determine the source of the leak. If the leak has been diagnosed as coming from the engine rear cover assembly, refer to Engine Rear Cover Replacement in SI and remove the engine rear cover assembly. Inspect for engine block porosity where the engine rear cover mates to the engine block. If porosity is found anywhere on the sealing surface, use the following procedure to apply RTV to repair the engine block porosity. Refer to the illustration below.





Important: Clean any residual oil from the block and cover before applying the sealant in the next step.

Wipe a small amount of RTV, P/N 12378521 (in Canada, use P/N 88901148), onto the surface using a plastic scraper to fill the porosity.
Remove any excess RTV material, especially from inside the high pressure oil passage. Refer to #1 in the above illustration.
The joint may be closed immediately after applying the RTV. Total joint time after the RTV has been applied must be under 20 minutes.
Important: Refer to Engine Rear Cover Replacement in SI and follow the tightening specifications and sequence.

Reinstall the engine rear cover using a new gasket and a new crankshaft rear main seal. Refer to Engine Rear Cover Replacement in SI.
Parts Information
Important: For Saab (U.S.) only, use P/N 12345795, Engine Oil Dye (U.S.), or equivalent.

Part Number
Description
Qty

12574293 Gasket - Crankshaft Rear Oil Seal Housing 1

89060436 Seal, Crankshaft Rear Main 1

12378521 (U.S.) 88901148 (Canada) Sealant 1

12345795 (U.S.) Dye, Engine Oil 1

10953470 (Canada) Dye, Engine Oil 1

I hate oil leaks! I just can't deal with this...I may have to either get a hold of a lift since I'm too old to roll on the floor (except when laughing LOL!) or as much as I would hate to, trade this thing in for a Toyota, since i think they got past that already...But i could be wrong?

Cheers!

Has anyone else had theirs in for an oil leak.

It is most likely the rear cover, I noticed it on my G8 and a customer's G8.

The leak is very close to the inspection port by the flywheel so it is easy to confuse with the rear main.

Iether way it's a PITA.

Our G8 has it at 3000 miles. Weeping from the sight hole. Not very happy. It is 2009 and not difficult to seal engines.

If they have to pull my trans I WILL be putting in a TC.:)

I hope I don't have these issues though! :(

Hey, just got back from my local Pontiac dealer. They determined the rear main is leaking. I was getting a few drops on my garage floor and thought maybe their tech didn't get the filter on tight. Took it back and everything around the filter and drain plug was dry. They pulled the sight plug out of the bell housing and sure enough thats what it was. Scheduled for the 11th of August, they need it a couple days. The exhaust and tranny have to come out of course. Has anyone else had theirs in for an oil leak. Gary the service manager thought there might be a bulletin for this. He was going to check.

Yeah mine too.
Oil pan and around the rear seal also.
Had my car about 8 days total. They got the trans and pipes
off and found out the parts were backordered.

those with leaks . . . .are you noticing drips/puddles on the floor of your garage or the ground where you park? I haven't noticed either but this concerns me a little. I have 8,000 miles on my G8.

Yeah mine too.
Oil pan and around the rear seal also.
Had my car about 8 days total. They got the trans and pipes
off and found out the parts were backordered.

Nice. Did they do a good job at least? Is everything working perfectly?

those with leaks . . . .are you noticing drips/puddles on the floor of your garage or the ground where you park? I haven't noticed either but this concerns me a little. I have 8,000 miles on my G8.

No drips YET, but when these start you want to fix them as they only get worse. Don't wait until the wind has barfed the oil all over your undercarriage.

I noticed it collecting around the sighthole. Very minor so far, and I want it fixed now. It is absolutely unacceptable for a brand new engine to have a *single* leak anywhere of any kind.

UPDATE:

They diagnosed my leak as "loose oilpan bolts". We'll see if this was a correct diagnosis. I will be watching it like a hawk.

I just had my 6300 miles GT repaired for the leak today. The tech said it was from the cover. I hope that this resolves the issue. I hate oil leaks.

My CPS was leaking. Got it replaced two months ago and no more leaks.

Our G8 has it at 3000 miles. Weeping from the sight hole. Not very happy. It is 2009 and not difficult to seal engines.


Thats why you have a warranty...Engines put a lot of strain on gaskets and seals with constantly heating up and cooling off...It happens with all manufacturers. My neighbour has an 09 Camry thats pissing oil...best cars in the world though :confused:

ottawa g8: I disagree!
Warranty is for material defects....not for known problems on LS engines since 2004. Oil leaks shouldn't be "normal" problems on modern engines! Simple to correct problems (which they know about, but haven't corrected) like these are what's bringing GM's quality rating down.
I would hate for someone to pull my oilpan on my new car...even if it's relatively easy, it's a major event....but that's just my 2cents. :)

it does suck to have work done to a brand new car but it happens. im a dlr tech for a well known german company, and i see things like this all time. every manufacturer has problems like this. to produce a car with no problems is impossible. i see far worse problems that should have been very easy to avoid on cars well over 100,000 dollars. i wouldnt let a little oil leak, that warranty will cover, take away from your opinion of gm or this great car.

ottawa g8: I disagree!
Warranty is for material defects....not for known problems on LS engines since 2004. Oil leaks shouldn't be "normal" problems on modern engines! Simple to correct problems (which they know about, but haven't corrected) like these are what's bringing GM's quality rating down.
I would hate for someone to pull my oilpan on my new car...even if it's relatively easy, it's a major event....but that's just my 2cents. :)

You're completely in your right to disagree, and it is frustrating when stuff like that happens to a new car...but I work in the shop at a GM dealer...and I can tell you I have personally corrected about 2 oil leaks on these engines in about 10 years of employment...and have not seen too many others done in the shop...so I wouldnt call it a "problem"...But with the large number of these engines built on a daily basis, the odds are that leaks are gonna happen...it sucks, but it is what it is. GM is building very good product now...trust me I know...my warranty/defect work went from about 50% a few years ago, to about 10%...hell, we've had to lay off guys because the work just isnt there anymore...they're headed in the right direction, but they've got a long way to go to rebuild a good rep.

it does suck to have work done to a brand new car but it happens. im a dlr tech for a well known german company, and i see things like this all time. every manufacturer has problems like this. to produce a car with no problems is impossible. i see far worse problems that should have been very easy to avoid on cars well over 100,000 dollars. i wouldnt let a little oil leak, that warranty will cover, take away from your opinion of gm or this great car.

Music to my ears...hehe.
I have friends who work at foreign dealers...they all say the same thing...all cars have problems. It's not perfect science. But I will be the first to admit, GM made some "questionable" choices on product and quality a few years back, and they are paying for it.

I just had my first look under my G8 GT's engine compartment a couple of weeks ago, and I'm seeing what looks like oil seepage. Not enough to leave spots on the driveway yet. I'll be doing my first oil change this weekend and I'll get a better look.

my dealer handles 3 of the 4 big germans, i only work one line, but the other three are the same way with oil leaks.. most of our engines have one spot, different depending on the engine, but each one has one spot, that every tech checks first when looking for an oil leak, or just looking for more work to sell because they always leak.. a rear main is a big job as leaks go, but it happens. im a fan of pontiac, always have been, and as long as they make it through this slow period i always will be.

this is the kind of bull***** that costs gm their reputation. it is completely unacceptable for gm to making shoddy motors with oil leaks with only a few thousand miles on them. plus, i'm hearing 60 thousand dollar cts v's having oil leaks too. wtf gm???? you're on life support and this is the kind of product you're giving the remaining faithful customers????

outrageous.

My GT is dripping oil - 11K built in Nov 07. One or 2 drops every time I garage it. I have had many smallblock Chevy's engines in GM cars. In fact have 3 now. No others have leaked. I have Mobil 1 with 9K on it. At least I didn't change it again!

this is the kind of bull***** that costs gm their reputation. it is completely unacceptable for gm to making shoddy motors with oil leaks with only a few thousand miles on them. plus, i'm hearing 60 thousand dollar cts v's having oil leaks too. wtf gm???? you're on life support and this is the kind of product you're giving the remaining faithful customers????

outrageous.

In a perfect world, nothing would leak...but its not a perfect world...for any manufacturer. It amazes me to see the reactions of non-techs compared to those who work in the industry everyday. An oil leak/seapage is not the end of world...the motors are not "shoddy"...they're mass produced. If you'd like a hand built G8, I hope you're ready to fork out the 6 figures it'll take to pay for it...Everybody jumps on the "pick on GM" bandwagon...I didnt expect to see that here... :-(

In a perfect world, nothing would leak...but its not a perfect world...for any manufacturer. It amazes me to see the reactions of non-techs compared to those who work in the industry everyday. An oil leak/seapage is not the end of world...the motors are not "shoddy"...they're mass produced. If you'd like a hand built G8, I hope you're ready to fork out the 6 figures it'll take to pay for it...Everybody jumps on the "pick on GM" bandwagon...I didnt expect to see that here... :-(

sorry, but this many complaints about oil leaks are not outliers on the bell curve for cars with small production numbers as g8/s and cts v's. i'm no stranger to cars; been driving and working on cars for 20 years with many friends in the dealer and private service industry, so i'm well familiar with who's producing what.

additionally, i've owned over a dozen cars in those 20 years of driving most of them brand new and not a single one ever had an oil leak. also, speaking of hand built, i believe engines are still hand built.

i love my g8 and i support gm, but they need to tighten up these types of issues. they are in such bad financial shape they need to be doing it better than everyone else to win back customer support and reputation. the public could care less what percentage of tech jobs are oil leaks. all they know is "i have brand new gm and it leaks oil and my maxima or g35 or whatever never had that problem." word of these things spreads like wildfire. gm cannot afford that.

In a perfect world, nothing would leak...but its not a perfect world...for any manufacturer. It amazes me to see the reactions of non-techs compared to those who work in the industry everyday. An oil leak/seapage is not the end of world...the motors are not "shoddy"...they're mass produced. If you'd like a hand built G8, I hope you're ready to fork out the 6 figures it'll take to pay for it...Everybody jumps on the "pick on GM" bandwagon...I didnt expect to see that here... :-(
I got away from domestics for issues that are similar to what is being discussed here - a reoccuring problem that impacts more than several model years. The G8 is the first domestic that has intrigued me in a while, but I still have reservations about GM reliability. Of course, there are those that make the claim that GM is just as reliable as other makes (even the Japanese) and they'll say they've had no real problems on the GM they own. But when you dig deeper, it is like they have had domestics for such a long time that everything is relative to the older domestics they've owned. "I haven't any problems" turns into, "yeah, its been into the dealer 6 times in 30,000 miles but they were minor problems", with minor problems being anything that doesn't require replacing the motor or tranny.

Invariably, someone says "no manufacturer can produce a model with no defects all the time". That is true and would account for random defects/failures. But when you have a large group of people reporting the same failures over more than several model years and the manufacturer does not nothing, then that is something that is not acceptable, IMO. For example, a friend that owns a 6-year old GM car asked me for help on an issue. I'm no expert on domestics, but it was a problem with the PassLock security system intermittently preventing the vehicle from starting. This was such a common problem, that there are sites dedicated only to fixing this problem. And it can happen to many GM models over many years. That is the type of thing that concerns me - it seems as though GM didn't give two craps about the issue because it usually occured outside of warranty. That sort of repeatable failure is not a random defect but something that should be corrected.

I got away from domestics for issues that are similar to what is being discussed here - a reoccuring problem that impacts more than several model years. The G8 is the first domestic that has intrigued me in a while, but I still have reservations about GM reliability. Of course, there are those that make the claim that GM is just as reliable as other makes (even the Japanese) and they'll say they've had no real problems on the GM they own. But when you dig deeper, it is like they have had domestics for such a long time that everything is relative to the older domestics they've owned. "I haven't any problems" turns into, "yeah, its been into the dealer 6 times in 30,000 miles but they were minor problems", with minor problems being anything that doesn't require replacing the motor or tranny.

Invariably, someone says "no manufacturer can produce a model with no defects all the time". That is true and would account for random defects/failures. But when you have a large group of people reporting the same failures over more than several model years and the manufacturer does not nothing, then that is something that is not acceptable, IMO. For example, a friend that owns a 6-year old GM car asked me for help on an issue. I'm no expert on domestics, but it was a problem with the PassLock security system intermittently preventing the vehicle from starting. This was such a common problem, that there are sites dedicated only to fixing this problem. And it can happen to many GM models over many years. That is the type of thing that concerns me - it seems as though GM didn't give two craps about the issue because it usually occured outside of warranty. That sort of repeatable failure is not a random defect but something that should be corrected.

We can have debate all day long when it comes to who builds better cars...in the end, people have their opinions and thats it. I know what I see on a daily basis, so take it for what its worth.

As for the passlock (and yes, it was a problem), they came up with a great solution...they stopped using it. Problem solved :-)

ive worked on every brand of car there is when i worked for a private repair shop. EVERY brand of car leaks oil. many different locations on those leaks, but they ALL leak. maybe not every car does, but every brand does.. there is no such thing as a brand of car that doesnt have pattern oil leaks, or pattern failures.. your small little worlds may only focus on the items that affect you, I.E. rear mains on gm, but that doesnt change the grand picture painted in oil.. now that im in a dealership, a rather highly respected german dealer, i see maybe 1 or 2 out of every 10 cars that dont have an oil leak.. it happens, warranty covers it.. move on.. the only thing the high end expensive, imported cars have over gm, is styling, luxury options, maybe some performance too.. what they absolutly do not have over gm, is reliability.. otherwise i wouldnt have a job.

The leaks we are talking about on G8's are rear cover porosity leaks which GM has known about for 5 years. It is a defect in the block casting and metalurgy properties of the aluminum. It isn't gasket failure. These issues can be caught 100% if inspected for after the block is cast. The cost is around $2 per block. GM won't pay for this.

Our G8 is going into the dealer tomorrow. The switches for our windows are stuck, the paint is peeling off the steering wheel, our DIC STILL flickers, and the wipers are a deathtrap in the making.

I think I'm going to have them take a look for oil leaks while they're under there. Why not? It's going to take a few days anyways.

The leaks we are talking about on G8's are rear cover porosity leaks which GM has known about for 5 years. It is a defect in the block casting and metalurgy properties of the aluminum. It isn't gasket failure. These issues can be caught 100% if inspected for after the block is cast. The cost is around $2 per block. GM won't pay for this.
I have to agree. I understand all different makes and models leak, and I could see if it was a new model engine. But we are talking about the same issue, on the same type of engine, for over 5 years. Come on gm. Slap 10 cents worth more of goo, on every rear engine cover on these aluminum blocks, and be done with it.

Just had a my oil pan gasket replaced on mine last week. 22k miles. Inner right rear axle boot (that was a mouth full) was leaking as well. Had it changed too. Rear main didnt appear to be leaking. I am sure it is just a matter of time. Just had that issue on my 06 GTO with 44k miles.

I just joined the prestigious oil leak club, rear cover :(

Guys, there is a bulletin on this. I am not sure of the bulletin # but can get that for you on Monday. I work at a Cadillac dlr and have the same thing with the CTS-V's, there a sealing problem with the sealing surface of the rear engine cover. The bulletine describes removing the cover and applying silicone around the perimiter of the cover, replacing the crankshaft oil seal (wich is in the rear engine cover) and reinstalling the cover. No big deal, just an inconvienience.

It's a big inconvienience when your dealership doesn't have clue how to work on the car too, they had it for a week and that was with a scheduled appointment and parts on hand. About 90% of there sales up here are trucks. My seal crapped out at 760 miles on the car, but it was also -62 degrees that morning and I figured it just got torn due to the cold weather.