I have no idea how to fix this. Oil flows freely from what appears to be something like a ball bearing. I've got a picture of the area from someone else who had the problem.



This is right behind the oil pressure sensor.

 

Replace the upper oil pan would be my guess. The ball bearing is most likely an interference fit part used to seal the hole after the machining operation used to create the oil passage.

 

Put a punch on it at tap it to re-seat. The Titan had an issue with one of those on the block behind the alternator. Nissan's fix was to remove the alternator, tap the ball to re-seat, then reinstall the alternator. I assume the same will work for this. If not, try to drill it out, tap the hole with a 1/8 NPT tap and thread in a plug.

 

Replacing the upper oil pan was the guess that the guy at Stadium Nissan's part desk had for me.

 

Yeah I'll try whacking it to see if that fixes it. If not, I'll plug it up. What kind of plug would you suggest? One with a spring to allow pressure past? Or just seal it off?

 

You need to tap just the ball, so you'll need a punch. If it still leaks, you need to drill the ball out, tap threads into the hole and plug it with one of these:




Or, one like this:

 

I tapped it using a 3/8"-1/4" socket adapter on a 3/8" extension. I haven't checked to see if that fixes it. If it doesn't, I'll borrow a drill and give that a shot.

 

So I tried drilling it; the bit keeps traveling around the ball and won't bite. Any recommendations?

 

JB Weld. Spray it out real good with brake clean, dry it with compresed air, then fill the hole with JB Weld. That should stop the leak. If it doesn't, the JB Weld might at least keep the ball still so you can drill it out.

 

Ill pick up some jb weld tomorrow. I've already tried knocking that ball through but it won't go any further.
The plug that I got is slightly too large and my tap and die set is incomplete.
I think it's possible that the ball may have seated itself to stop the leak, however I'll just get jb weld so I don't have to put everything back together and refill the fluids just to test it and find it still leaking.

 

You wouldn't see it move. The amount it moves to reseat is less than a mm.

 

I meant it may have seated itself from hitting it in as far as I could.

 

I was trying to hit it through but it won't go any further so I think it's seated in metal. Still gonna try to seal it with body filler or J-B weld

 

It won't go through. It's press fit in a hole slightly smaller than it. It sits on a "seat".

 

jb weld wtf. I'm not even that ghetto

 

One of the MEs I work with recommended loctite sealant or a pipe plug like Crawford842 suggested. Once that ball bearing has come loose the aluminium it's pressed in is already deformed so reseating it is not ideal but if it works it works.

 

bumping old thread. Has anyone figured what this ball is used for?

 

It's a cheap way to seal a drilled hole. They needed to drill in that location to make part of the oil passage but now also have a hole that leads to the outside. The passage was probably needed to get the pressure sensor oil. The way to seal the hole is with a pressed in ball bearing or do additional machining operation and tap the hole for a pipe plug. Pressed ball bearing is less expensive.

 

I'm trying to envision what is behind the ball and how it seats up to it. Also that would help me understand how its prone to leaking like the others above.

 

It's a machined seat. The ball sits flush against the seat.