Hot answers tagged oil-leak
22
The oil is most likely being burned by the engine. You should change your oil more often, it's not just new oil you are putting in, when you change your oil, it takes the old oil and contaminates suspended in that oil out. So by added 2 new quarts every so often is not nearly the same as changing the oil.
Also I would recommend checking the oil level on a ...
8
Personally I wouldn't be all that concerned unless the oil leak was large.
One simple check for the state of health of the engine would be to take the car to an independent mechanic and have a compression test done. It won't catch everything that could be wrong with the engine, but if the compression test comes out OK, it can provide you a bit more peace ...
7
Oil has a couple of places it can go.
The ground
The radiator
The tail pipe
It could be a leak that only happens under pressure (IE the engine running) but for that amount the underside of the car would be covered in oil and should be very obvious by looking under the car with a flashlight.
If it's going out the tail pipe you would see obvious blue ...
5
I drive 2 1984 Topaz's and one 1985 Topaz daily. The part in your photo is actually the electric vacuum pump. It supplies the vacuum for the brake booster, cruise control, and the injection pump timing. Unplugging it was the cause of the smoke. The IP has a built in cold start mechanism that uses the vacuum to adjust the injection pump timing depending on ...
5
I take it the car is front wheel drive, being a 90s Toyota?
If it is only leaking when parked facing uphill, then (logically) the leak must be to the rear of the engine. I would suggest that the driveshaft oil seals (where the shafts leave the gearbox) is a likely suspect. Where is the oil filter mounted? The seals around them can often be suspect.
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5
An oil leak from the drain plug can be fixed for a few cents - it will just need a new crush washer on the plug (somthing that ought to be replaced every time the oil is changed, but rarely is).
If it is leaking from between the transmission and the engine you've got a bigger problem, and one I would get fixed regardless of the fact it makes a mess, as ...
4
Even if there is a "common area" of oil leaks it wouldn't make sense to change a part based on the most common failure. You need to find out where you car is leaking so you don't make a needless repair that could easily cost you hundreds of dollars.
I would get a second estimate on locating the oil leak. Dye tests don't cost hundreds of dollars. The "Dye ...
4
Certain Toyota engines are notorious for valve stem seal leaks starting at right around 60k miles. It's exacerbated by using synthetic oil. I put 180k miles on a 5S-FE engine that had that problem all the way from 55k miles. Just had to top off the oil periodically. The Toyota mechs I know all say it's not worth the money to fix, just monitor the oil ...
3
Whether you stick with synthetic or switch back to traditional oil, if it is your valve seals (which does seem likely) you will still need to get them replaced.
Quite often that is all you will need to replace - but worth getting your garage to have a look at head gasket at the same time as they will be in there anyway.
3
What you have is the very same issue many Ford Escape owner's have: A leaking timing chain cover. My 2003 V6 is in the same boat. This is a small and somewhat annoying leak due to the fact it drips onto the exhaust and causes that oil burning smell and sometimes visible smoke coming from the right front side of the car. What I hate the most is shutting of ...
3
Looks like oil - simplest place to start is to get the front jacked up, ideally on axle stands or a ramp to make it as safe as possible.
Get a good maintenance lamp and just start looking for oil - the shine gives it away, even amongst the dirt you get on the underside of the engine.
Check the drain valve for the oil pan/sump, and look for drips down the ...
3
Gasket sealant is always good, but not necessary. Sealants are different, so ask the guy at your local auto parts store for sealant for the valve cover gasket.
The difficulty levels vary with this, however. For example, I have an older Nissan Hardbody truck with leaking valve cover gaskets. The new gaskets are cheap enough, but removing the valve covers ...
3
Charge the battery. It will be totally dead, unless you have it on a trickle charger. You may need to buy a new one if the current one doesn't hold a charge well, but this will at least allow you to start the car.
While the battery is charging, check all fluids. Coolant, transmission fluid, brake fluid, and even the windshield washer fluid (while you're ...
2
This would depend on the type of car you have. The majority of valve covers i've come across are aluminum.
You can try some RTV sealant or Hondabond sealant (pretty popular solution for this) in place of a valve cover gasket. The sealant should mold itself around all the gaps and irregularities in your valve cover, making for a better seal.
If that ...
2
Have you considered that perhaps the oil leak is from another vehicle?
If it is, in fact, from your Honda, start from where the puddle of oil is on the ground and work your way up, in the direction that gravity falls.
Look for and locate the source of the oil drip.
Once the source of the drip is found, you should see a path that the oil is following to ...
2
I'm only familiar with my cars (and not at all with Hondas), but on both of my cars oil loss of up to 1 qt every 1000 miles is still considered "within specification".
Even if your car isn't visibly leaking/dripping oil it's always wise to do a weekly oil level check. Even a new car can suddenly start using/leaking oil. If something does start happening, ...
2
Somewhere there will be a Ford spec for how much oil the engine is allowed to consume between oil changes. I wouldn't be surprised if it's shockingly high. Check your owner's manual for starters.
If the oil level as measured by the dipstick never gets lower than the low end of the 'acceptable' range between oil changes, it's probably OK to leave it alone. ...
2
Oiled-up plugs usually don't burn out ignition coils, so I'd rule that out unless the plugs get really badly carboned up. Just keep an eye on them.
1l/1000 miles isn't great for oil consumption, but it's not that bad either (although I wouldn't be too happy either given the low mileage of the engine) - have a look at the owners manual as to what the specs ...
2
Swivels, extensions, shallow sockets, and a ratchet.
Depending on what is blocking access you may have to remove/unbolt something else or lift the engine slightly to gain access.
In this video he had to remove the belt from his AC compressor and move it slightly. Not sure what year of Jetta in the video though.
2
Oil seals are just part of the car game. They all get them, sometimes one make or model more often then others.
A way to tell how severe, or at least how long it's been that way without someone cleaning is to see how much of the area around the leak is coated with oil. If it's all nasty everywhere under the car, it's probably been there a long time.
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1
Try the owner's manual. If that doesn't say, contact your Toyota service department and have them check the maintenance manuals. Different cars have different acceptable burn off/losses. For example, my Toyota MR2 is within specification as long as it doesn't burn more than 1 quart every 1000 miles.
1
The 3.8 Natural Aspirated Engine was a rather solid design and were rarely known to blow head gaskets. Their weak point seemed to be the plastic Intake Manifold. Here are the three possible causes to your issue.
If you are 100% sure that it's oil in the coolant then remove the intake manifold and check the Intake Manifold Gaskets upper and lower for any ...
1
I have never polished a slip yoke or felt the need to. I would just clean off any heavy dirt and just clean it up a little with the steelwoll as you have already done. Over polishing may reduce the diameter to the point that the seal will leak. Apply a light coating of oil on the yoke prior to reinstalling it. This will lube the seal for the first few turns ...
1
Based on the comments to the original question it sounds like two things have been established:
The original hood blemish is likely from airborne dung or similar paint corrupting agent (yuck!).
The puddle under the car may be water and, if so, I think there's a high likelihood that it's from the air conditioning condenser. Specifically, this is to be ...
1
A few year ago, I remember Stacey David (when he was hosting the "Trucks" show) commenting that he thought the plastic valve covers on the old Jeep Wrangler must have been designed from the factory to leak because he had never seen one that didn't. That doesn't sound promising. Maybe you can find some aluminum or steel replacement valve covers from ebay, ...
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