Next on the Nissan Murano repair marathon was the oil leak. This particular oil leak was a pretty good one. An oil leak is always a nuisance – I hate the mess on my driveway and garage floor. In days past, it seems like most cars leaked a bit and it was accepted. Not anymore. Never mind environmental concerns – just the price of oil, which is slightly less than gold (by weight) is enough to convince a person to fix these leaks!
As you’ve probably learned about me, I enjoy the research as much as the task. So, of course, I started on the web. I discovered that many Murano owners have reported an oil leak at the oil cooler o-ring. This cooler is the component that is sandwiched between the oil filter and engine block. Engine coolant flows thru it. When the oil is hot, the cooler helps to cool the oil to coolant temperature – when the oil is cold, the “cooler” helps to warm the oil.
Fixing the oil leak is pretty well documented in the Nissan forums so I won’t get into great detail. In short, the o-ring is a $5 dealership part and it only takes a few minutes to install. Remove the oil filter, remove the center bolt/tube that holds the cooler in place using a 22mm socket, pop out the old o-ring, drop in the new o-ring, tighten the bolt, and reinstall the oil filter. Easy-schmeezy. I have learned to appreciate these simple projects as not all of them go so smoothly. 🙂
It’s worth noting that you may not need a new o-ring. The center bolt thru the oil cooler may have just come loose and tightening it might solve the oil leak.
No more puddle of oil on the garage floor! Yippee!
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