Overfilled oil after rear main replacement, shop now says leak is pan gasket!

[TunasTwins]

Its rare for me to pay for a repair but the rear main wasn't something I could do in my sloped driveway. After exhausting all my options which included uv dye, pressure sending unit replacement, updated and modded valve cover, endo scope in the inspection cover etc, I took it to my mechanic of 20 years. Again, I do most everything so we usually only see eachother when my dad needs a lift while his truck is getting repaired.
We agreed on $900 plus parts which put me out of pocket $1025. Not bad, not good but he's always been honest and still in business after 40 years in the greater Atlanta suburbs.
Scooped up the truck after 48 hours, bone dry underneath- I'm thrilled to not have to think about it anymore and couldn't be better timing because my Step Mom is in a hospital 40 miles away after just having a stroke (she's getting better every day️️).
I baby the truck and dont go over 3k, two short trips to work 10 miles round trip.
Day three I come out to a puddle of oil on my fuxking driveway which I've protected with a hardy board for the last 9 months. Devastated, I clean it with degreaser and go out for burgers before I pop a gasket cooking dinner (my night, thanks hun).
On our way to the hospital the next day, (Sunday) we planned to drop the truck off but I thought to check the oil.
OVERFILLED LIKE I WOULD NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS!! SWEET GOLDEN SYNTHETIC OIL.
Today, Tuesday, they called and told me it's the oil pan gasket. Said they wouldn't have been able to tell during the repair etc. $65 parts, $350 labor. I said nothing, silence.
I then told him to check and see how overfilled it was with oil, I said go ahead and call me back. Mind you this wasn't the owner, it was either his son or the main mechanic, not sure honestly. He put me on hold and I waited a couple minutes, he came back and said yeah I see what you're talking about it's about a quart overfilled, but that wouldn't cause it to leak it's still the oil pan what do you want to do? We sat in silence for a moment and then I told him I'm going to think about it and just let you go.
We hang up, I'm on my lunch at work, just sitting there in silence and then my phone rings about 5 minutes later. He says he talked to the owner and the owner said we'll replace the pan gasket for free. I said that's great but what about my driveway- it's got to have a quart of oil running down it. We sit there in silence I tell him I'm still thinking. I told him I planned on doing the oil pan gasket myself replacing the O-ring and putting a girdle on the pickup tube but now I'm afraid to even touch my truck because if anything else leaks then it's on me I just want to know what actually happened. I told him alternatively you can replace the shocks and struts (labor only) on my wife's Camry but I still don't want to even touch my truck.
So anyways, the girdle is being overnighted to their shop they're pulling the pan today. Tomorrow they'll install the O-ring, girdle and pan gasket. I'm just so pissed I still don't feel like I'm whole for my driveway having this huge puddle in the middle of it and while I appreciate them offering to do the oil pan gasket if I didn't stand up to this shit I'd be paying for it and the guy knows the only reason I have my truck there is because it's something that I just can't do.
So my question is based on how my dipstick looks how many extra quarts do you think they put in? Originally they charged me for 4 quarts of oil and I'm sure it wasn't one of the main mechanics that filled it up probably one of the hands. I definitely didn't drive the truck over there on 2 or 3 quarts of oil. Or is it really just the pan gasket?

 

[SpareParts]

If it is coming out of that inspection cover, it very well could be the rear main leaking again.

 

[TunasTwins]

Agreed, I'd be so bent if it leaked after doing it myself and another reason I paid someone else.

 

[strutaeng]

Kinda hard to tell how many quarts of extra oil are in there, unless you drain the oil and measure it.

Regardless, it shouldn't be leaking.

Question: who diagnosed it as a RMS? Was that you? I'm just thinking out loud, but maybe it's leaking from somewhere else? IDK

I would think that whoever did the work would have known where the leak was coming from, after removing the RMS. It's pretty obvious.

I would have them look at it. Hopefully they address the issue.

 

[TunasTwins]

Kinda hard to tell how many quarts of extra oil are in there, unless you drain the oil and measure it.

Regardless, it shouldn't be leaking.

Question: who diagnosed it as a RMS? Was that you? I'm just thinking out loud, but maybe it's leaking from somewhere else? IDK

I would think that whoever did the work would have known where the leak was coming from, after removing the RMS. It's pretty obvious.

I would have them look at it. Hopefully they address the issue.

The mechanic confirmed the RMS after I told them what I suspected. Using an endoscope, I couldn't identify any leaks coming from the top end. I planned to replace the camshaft sensor once I had it back.

 

[nameredacted33]

They said it was overfilled but also think that doesn't have a negative effect on your seals and gaskets? That's nuckin frutz to me. My PawPaw always told me before he passed away that overfilling any fluids is a bad idea because you can blow seals from the additional fluid increasing the pressure inside the motor. Considering he has taught me just about everything when it comes to cars and mechanic work, and that the math behind that explanation makes sense I've never questioned it.

If you lost a quart on your driveway and its still way over full it sounds like either someone wasn't paying attention when they filled it back up, or some kid was told the wrong amount to put back in your ride.

I'm doing the RMS on my 03 yukon 4x4 so far its been a bit€h to get the transmission and transfer case down and slide it back a bit to get the necessary room to work in. I'm taking my time though on this job because ive read in several places that when dudes do this job it can take anywhere between one and 5 times before they get the RMS to stop leaking...I am doing this job once, and am taking the time to ensure its done right the first time...I can't afford to have someone else do it for you

 

[Chuck A]

Originally they charged me for 4 quarts of oil and I'm sure it wasn't one of the main mechanics that filled it up probably one of the hands

Or.. They filled it twice, and there's actually 2-3 qts extra??

 

[TunasTwins]

Update: They replaced the oilpan gasket, I only paid for parts. I had them replace the pickup seal and install a girdle to get a square seal on that thang. This required a newer style pickup tube with a different flange- I would've been caught with my pants down in my driveway on a weekend if I had done this myself as I had planned. I ended up paying $185 for the pan gasket, pickup tube, $20 in gas because they drove the car (home and back 2x) and taxes. I'm still stuck with the oil in my driveway so not fully resolved. I made sure to take my 8 y/o daughter to pickup the tahoe so my behavior wouldn't degrade and I'd be left saying something regretful. Untill I get the oil up, I'm still pissed. I did drive her a ton Friday and Saturday, mostly freeways, and she's been clean and dry.

 

[TunasTwins]

They said it was overfilled but also think that doesn't have a negative effect on your seals and gaskets? That's nuckin frutz to me. My PawPaw always told me before he passed away that overfilling any fluids is a bad idea because you can blow seals from the additional fluid increasing the pressure inside the motor. Considering he has taught me just about everything when it comes to cars and mechanic work, and that the math behind that explanation makes sense I've never questioned it.

If you lost a quart on your driveway and its still way over full it sounds like either someone wasn't paying attention when they filled it back up, or some kid was told the wrong amount to put back in your ride.

I'm doing the RMS on my 03 yukon 4x4 so far its been a bit€h to get the transmission and transfer case down and slide it back a bit to get the necessary room to work in. I'm taking my time though on this job because ive read in several places that when dudes do this job it can take anywhere between one and 5 times before they get the RMS to stop leaking...I am doing this job once, and am taking the time to ensure its done right the first time...I can't afford to have someone else do it for you

Blowing out seals is why I didn't touch it and took it for them to see themselves. If the truck starts to shit the bed, its been documented here!

 

[genestoy]

I'm still stuck with the oil in my driveway so not fully resolved.

Go get some swimming pool Muratic acid (don't breathe in this stuff!) have your hose ready and pour/spread the acid on the oil spot wait a few minutes (not too long) and hose it all off, the oil stain will be gone. Done it many times over the years and will turn that concrete clean and brand new in short order.

 

[alvocado]

I’ve used gasoline and a scrub brush to remove oil from concrete. Evaporates the stains every time. Big stains might take an extra dose and scrub but the oil always comes out.