My 1996 maxima has been leaking oil for about a year and a half. Until
about 5 days ago it was leaking SO little that it was barely worth
mentioning. Maybe 1/4 to 1/2 a quart between oil changes.

Over the last few days it has increased to maybe 1/4 quart every 100
or so miles.

Since the leak started I have had 3 different professional gusses on
where the oil may be leaking from.

Guess #1; The oil is leaking fromn the timing cover. This requires the
removal of the engine to fix.

Guess #2; The oil is leaking fom the 'upper oil pan gasket'. This
requires that a bunch of stuff like the AC be removed from underneath
the car. About $500 in labor.

Guess #3; It is just the oil pressure sensor/switch screwed into the
very bottom of the oil pan. I do not think it is this because it just
really looks like the oil is comming from higher than that.

More info.. Car has about 125-140k miles on it. Exact mileage unknown
because the odomoter was replaced a while back.

Automatic trans.

I have owned it for 6 years and drive like a little old lady.

Any advice on what might be leaking and/or the best way to diagnose
this leak would be appreciated.

help (AT) hurricaneproperty (DOT) com wrote:
Either clean the engine so you can see where it's coming from or use a
dye in the oil. They make one just for this purpose. No sense in guessing.

On Apr 7, 9:24 am, JimV <jv9... (AT) yahoo (DOT) com> wrote:
Yes, I figure the longer I wait, the worse the leak will get and the
easier it will be to see. With or without the dye.. IF it is leaking
1/2 quart every 50 miles, whoever looks should be able to see it
immediately, especially after cleaning the engine and adding dye.

Hey, were can I get the dye anyway? Just any parts store? Is all the
sell the UV dye where you need special light and glasses, or is there
some dye available that is just like food coloring or something that
can been seen with the bare neked eyeball?

On Apr 7, 5:43 pm, h... (AT) hurricaneproperty (DOT) com wrote:
In case anyone experiences a similar leaky situation, I replaced the
oil pressure switch/sending unit and SO FAR that seems to have been
the problem. I drove the car almost 200 miles today, and no difference
on oil dip-stick at all.

SO... Even though there was oil 5-6 inches over the oil pressure
sending unit, and it LOOKED like a MUCH more serious problem, it
appears to have been the sending unit.

Moral to the story.... If you have a leak in your 1996 or similar
maxima, and the mechanic wants to pull the engine in order to fix
it... Do an under $50 fix and replace the sending unit. It is located
at the back of the oil pan and about 2 inches from the very bottom of
the pan. It has a wire comming from it that unplugs from it for easy
replacement.

I wonder how many engines have been pulled when it was just a minor
problem.

Mine was leaking as you described and I replaced the OP sending unit but
that wasn't it...Probably a rear valve cover.

<help (AT) hurricaneproperty (DOT) com> wrote

On Apr 9, 9:24 am, "JW" <j... (AT) swbell (DOT) net> wrote:
I have the same problem now on my 1999 Maxima. The oil sending unit
was replaced and the leak continued. The dealer put in the UV dye and
determined the leak was from ehind my timing cover and would cost ~
$1500 to replace. I'm not sure what I'm doing yet.

On Apr 6, 11:34 pm, h... (AT) hurricaneproperty (DOT) com wrote:
Stop guessing... clean the engine thoroughly and then inspect on a
daily basis to determine the origin of the leak.

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