Leaking oil
- Thread starter thwilson
- Start date
Is your oil filter sufficiently tight? Have you checked around your water pump seal to the engine? Could you have any loose bolts on the oil pan? What about the valve cover?
Does it leak when the engine is running? Might point to the oil pressure sensor. Should check anyway.
Lots of good suggestions. I had an elusive leak I had to resort to dye and a black light. It works great and not too pricy.
Doesn't really matter what you check first, check things until you find it.
1. First, how much oil? I know it may be hard to estimate if it's in the bilge; do you notice a drop in oil level on the dipstick? If so, how much?
2. Get a strong light and start looking, as critically as possible. If the engine is dirty and oily, and the paint is peeling, this will be more difficult. I once had a mystery leak, so I cleaned the engine really well, with a degreaser and lots of water (being careful to contain and capture the oily water), and once it was sparkling clean, after running for a bit the source of the leak was obvious.
3. Les' suggestion of a UV dye and light is a good one, for a really sneaky leak.
This isn't so much a specific place to look, as a general strategy for leaks. First identify whether it is happening only when your oil is being pumped around (engine running) or just leaking all the time. Same strategy for water leaks as well. Then if the leak is gravity powered, assume liquids travel almost exclusively downhill... so examine every little bit to find the "highest" oily spot... ignore low stuff that has oil above it... In some ways oil is worse than water (it is messier, and harder to just "dry off") when finding the source... but in other ways it is better since water evaporates quickly so you can't always follow the trail above a puddle to its source, whereas a trail of oil stays.
If the pan beneath your engine is clean enough (may not matter), put a new oil absorbent pad beneath the engine, and see where the new spots appear. If you've recently performed an oil change, check the filter tightness. Was there a spill either draining or refilling? If so, there might not be a leak, just the residual from the spill. Also, don't ignore the possibility that the source could be your transmission, or that it might be diesel fuel (if all you are seeing is a sheen on water).
Depending on your engine manufacturer...
You may get oil back flow through you Air intake, on a cold start.
Jim...
PS: Send pictures before cleaning. It is a forensic "crime scene".
You may get oil back flow through you Air intake, on a cold start.
Wow that should give you a big clue for the spot.
Jim...
PS: Send pictures before cleaning. It is a forensic "crime scene".