Clean it off first. I know its a pain but you really need to track the problem down first. Changing the oil pan gasket will probably require almost or will require pulling the engine. You might be able to lift it enough without but the oil pump will get you. Look through the manuals in the stickies at the top of the forum. somewhere it will have instructions on what is necessary.
Is it 2wd or 4wd?

 

There is no oil pan gasket on your car. Your pan is sealed with a sealing compound, and yes, it is a bit of work to get to the pan (raising the vehicle, disconnecting the front diff, clutch or torque converter housing, etc). As USMC advises, you might want to clean around the pan thoroughly as oil (and all liquids) can travel, especially when your car is moving, so often we see oil at a distance from where it’s actually leaking from.
I suppose the first basic question would be, how often do you change your oil, and how much do you have to add between oil changes???

 

Thanks. I'll clean it up first to be sure. I should have just left the drip pan off after changing out the oil. Is that drip pan even really necessary? Seems counterproductive, not being able to detect leaks.

I have a 4X4.

I change my oil about once a year, which is around 6,000 miles. I have to add about 1 quart every couple months.

 

Thanks. I should have just left the drip pan off after changing out the oil. Is that drip pan even really necessary?

Drip Pan?
B95

 

I don't know the technical name for it, but it's the big tray that needs to be removed in order to access the oil plug and oil filter. It's got 4 bolts (2 in the back on the bottom and 2 in the front on the sides).

 

A photo maybe? My car has nothing that ‘protects’ the oil filter and drain plug...????

 

First, there are several other more common places for a G16 motor to leak that will cover the bottom of the motor in oil. Clean it and look for leaks. I would suspect the front main seal before the pan.

One trick is to use some spray foot powder... (or something like it, maybe from the dollar store.) It washes off after fairly easy.

Other comments:

1. "drip pan" I am also thinking he is referring to a skid plate. Slightly more common on Trackers, but I have never seen one in person.

2. Bex is correct on these motors not having a oil pan gasket. At least stock. Just a bead of RTV. BUT... many gasket kits have them, so do not be surprised to see one. (I do not recommend them.)

 

I use baby powder....and yeah, its probably a seal thats gone rather than a pan "gasket".

as for the gasket, use a decent pan sealer, not standard RTV gasket silicone. The pan sealer stays semi-fluid when not in contact with the air meaning it "moves" with expansion and contraction of the pan against the block and seals better than a standard RTV gasket sealer.

 

Bear, it's probably factory skid plate. My 92 base 4x4 had one and had to removed to change the oil.
I wish my 96 had one. Should have removed it from 92 before I sold it.

Sent from my LG-M430 using Tapatalk

 

I would like to have one too.
B95

 

My 1991 doesn’t have one, nor does the FSM indicate anything about it......

 

https://www.suzuki-forums.com/suzuk...m/suzuki-sidekick-escudo-vitara-geo-x/257891-front-skid-plate-thread-specs.html

B95

 

Interesting link - especially the point that perhaps this might have been an options package or just with the auto tranny. In any event, when I’m under my car doing my oil change, I’m glad not to have this extra step....LOL

 

I had a 95 Automatic Suzuki, and pulled the pan. I didn't have a skid plate, and I removed a lot of front wheel drive mechanism, but it all went back together just fine.
But what I found is that the aluminum oil pan must have been eaten up by electrolysis, as oil just seeped through the sides like it was a fine mesh screen.
A new oil pan was cheap, so no big deal, but it could put a big delay in your project.

 

...
But what I found is that the aluminum oil pan ...

???

Mine are steel. Both the 1.6 (G16) and the 1.8 (J18). The auto trans pans are also steel.

Just wondering.

 

Skid Plate, I think you guys are right, thank you.

Bex, mine is manual (not auto). I'm guessing it either came with 4X4's, was an option, or the previous owner added it. I bought it in '95 so who knows.

JimDoogie, why do you like having it? Does it give any extra protection, even if not off-roading?

 

Bex, you're very right, it's an annoying step. It's rather heavy (for me anyway) and I need a second person to hold it up when removing and attaching the final 2 bolts, when changing an oil should be an independent job.

 

I’m 4wd also, so perhaps this was an option, or some kind of dealer add-on. But yes, I would imagine if you’re laying flat on the ground, under the car, you might not appreciate having a skid plate. I don’t do any serious off-roading - just fields, beaches, etc. I’ve never bottomed out on my oil pan, or felt there was a need to protect it.

 

I’ve never bottomed out on my oil pan, or felt there was a need to protect it.

until that errant stick comes up and punches a hole in something, or wipes the oil filter off. Sadly i've done that driving across a flat paddock, drove over a stick, wheel made it tip up, and yay, hole in the trans pan. I fit plates on everything that does off road now. Makes basic maint a pain, but thats my choice.

 

That must have been some stick...lol....

 

piece of macrocarpa about 2" in diameter hidden in the grass, as i drove over it, the left front wheel made it lift out of the grass and the vehicle momentum did the rest.

 

[An oil drenched pan can be caused by a leak at your distributor base. Just feel the bottom of your distributor near the firewall. It should be dry. If wet you may have found your problem. The repair is changing the O-ring seal. Valve cover gaskets can also leak leading to an oily pan. (If you leave your pan oily, it won't rust.)