Repair Topics / Engine Oil Leaks-1 / Engine Oil Leaks-2

• Why does my engine leak oil?
• Engine has high or low oil pressure
• Why is there oil in the coolant?
• Why is there coolant in the engine oil?
• Why is my engine leaking coolant?
• How to change motor oil and filter
• How to perform a car safety inspection
• How to change automatic transmission fluid and filter
• How an engine works

MORE: Engine oil leak questions

Question: 1999 Dodge 1500 mileage: 130,000 When driving to work one morning my check engine light came on and I figured it was time to change the oil or something like that. When I went to change the oil, I discovered it had fuel in it. So, I pulled the head and had it rebuilt and replaced all the parts with new parts and new gaskets. It ran good for about a day or so and then has fuel in the oil again. What would be causing this problem? (I have no idea about fuel-injected cars- mostly pre-80's vehicles. So, I am lost.)

Answer:   A possibility is a leaky fuel injector. If the fuel injector is leaking, when the engine is off the fuel will find its way into the crankcase. Or a fuel pressure regulator is leaking into the engine.

Question: 1998 Chevy Cavalier mileage: 169,000. I had an oil change about a month and a half ago and the service tech said that I needed to get the Oil Separator replaced because it was making my air filter saturated with oil but that they didn't have it because it was a dealer part. I haven't been able to find any info on an Oil Separator. Does it go by a different name and where on the engine is it located? Just recently, my oil light went on and when I pulled over and checked the oil, I was pretty low. Would this be something easy enough to buy the part from the dealer and replace it myself or should I take it in to the dealer? Also, does this sound like a more serious problem than just replacing the "Oil Separator"?

Answer: We are not familiar with a replaceable oil separator. Your problem sounds like it is caused by excessive engine blow-by. A cylinder leak down test should tell you the condition of your engine.

Question: 1998 Toyota Camry mileage: 130,000. We have owned the car about a month. The first week I noticed a terrible cloud of smoke when I first took off from a stoplight. It did it about 5 or 6 more times (every time), till I took it home for the night. I knew that the engine was bad. It is still under the bumper-to-bumper warranty so I had Toyota look at it. They couldn't get it to smoke, and I can't either whenever I want. It just does it every once in a while, but it has used about a qt of oil in 1500 miles. The oil level seems to go down in direct relation to the smoking incidents. In addition, it seems to be getting a little better, less smoke less often. My question is, what could be wrong and what advice could you give.

Answer: Check the gaskets for signs of an oil leak and change the PCV valve.

Question: 1998 Chevy Astro Van mileage: 90,000. My van is equipped with a trailer towing package, 410 rear end etc. When towing I burn a quart of oil every 100 miles or so. It was much worse, but I switched to a synthetic 20-50 wt oil for the summer. When not towing it does not use any oil? It is not leaking and there is no sign that it is burning the oil. (The trailer does not get a coat of oily film like a previous vehicle). I do not do a lot of traveling, maybe 600 miles per year towing. Any suggestions?

Answer:   What may be occurring is that in normal driving, without a trailer; the engine breather system can handle the "blow by" that is generated by the piston rings (90,000 miles on them). When you tow a trailer, you are obviously working the engine harder, which causes more blow by. This may be overpowering the engine breathers forcing oil into the engine intake system. This is what burns the oil. Check your breathers and the PCV valve to make they are functioning properly.

Question: 1999 Crown Victoria mileage: 60,000.  First of all, I know absolutely nothing about cars!  I own a Ford crown Victoria police package.  I am a police officer.  I bought the car brand new.  It is for my personal use, it is not used as a police cruiser.  I changed the oil every 2500 miles.  When I reached 50,000 miles, I started to use a lot of oil.  I was adding almost 2 quarts between oil changes.  I went to a mechanic, who told me that I should use a heavier oil so, he put in 20w 50 oil, along with a can of mystery oil.  No one can find any leaks, and the car does not blow out any obvious smoke.   With the heavier oil, I am still adding almost a quart every 1000 miles.  One of the other police officers that I work with, asked a Ford mechanic about this, and he said” it is not unusual for those cars to burn oil when they reach 50,000 miles" the car runs good, although I also think that my gas mileage is down.  I like the car, and would like to keep it as long as possible.  Do you have any advice?  Somebody told me I should have a compression test or something called a block test.  But, like I said, I don't know anything about cars, so the more people I ask, the more confused I get!   I will be very grateful for any insight you can provide.

Answer:  We have found similar problems with other cars with approximately 60,000 miles.  Replacing the valve stem seals reduces the oil use.  They are made out of rubber and over time become hard and brittle and no longer seal.

Question: 1999 Mitsubishi Montero mileage: 84,000.  I have three problems to address: 1.  When I start the Montero I usually hear the lifters making noise until enough oil is circulating, is there a way to stop this.  2.  Sometimes it blows smoke at idle or slow speeds, it doesn't do this on the highway and acceleration has always been very good.  3.  I have a maintenance-required light on, I truly believe I hit a pre-established mileage and the light came on, is there a way to extinguish this (a switch or something?)

Answer:  1.  Try changing the oil and filter several times in 500 miles.  If possible, drain the oil with the engine at normal operating temperature.  2.  Check the PCV and Engine breathers; they may be plugged.  The valve stem seals may be failing.  3.  Scan PCM for trouble codes, to trouble shoot, replace sensors as needed. Clear codes recheck system.

Question: 1997 Ford Explorer mileage: 74,000.  Coming home from a long trip, I checked my oil and I needed to add about a quart.  I also noticed a small oil leak so I added an additive that claims it can seal small leaks.  I think by adding the additive after the oil I had too much oil.  On the drive home the car became sluggish and was driving rough. Can that be caused by too much oil and if so how much damage could I have done to my car?

Answer: Try changing the oil and adding the correct amount and test drive.  It may take several miles to “clear up.” then you should be ok.

Question: 2001 Isuzu Rodeo mileage: 98,578.  The manual of the vehicle recommends 10W-30 oil, but some one recommended 20W-50 because the car has high mileage and the temperature of ambient doesn’t rises the 0� C.  Do I have to believe this person?  I know that this kind of oil (10W-30) changes with the temperature, but when does this happen?  Were can I get more information above this subject?

Answer:  Use the oil recommended by the manufacturer.  All oil “thins” or changes viscosity, as it gets hotter.

Question: 2003 BMW 645Ci Coupe mileage: 95,000. Why would my van be using oil, about a quart every 1,000 to 1,500 miles, and she doesn't seem to be burning it and there’s no leaks?  

Answer: A quart of oil every 1000 to 1500 miles, on an engine with 95,000 miles, is excessive. The engine is probably burning it. Inspection is required, possible broken piston ring.

Question: 2002 Volvo S60 Turbo mileage: 152,000. The oil filter lid was not tightened during a tune-up and I drove for one week with an oil leak. The oil light flickered on 4 times (when I was stopped or turning corners) on a 20 mile trip-Barely long enough for me to be sure it was the oil light. Well, I got it fixed- (I also had to add 2 1/2 quarts oil when I got home-) Do you think any internal engine damage was done from driving with oil too low? It sounds fine-I just don't know if I should have stopped immediately, but I could barely tell it was engine light, it was so quick. When I got home the dipstick had no oil on it-but I guess there was probably some oil in the engine.

Answer: Driving a car with low oil pressure in not good. Hard to tell without an engine tear down. You mentioned the engine sounds fine. That is a good sign. At this point what do you have to loose by just driving the car and waiting for a knock to develop. You may be okay.

Question: 1994 Chevrolet Camaro mileage: 145,900. Leaking fresh oil out backside, rear main? Put new valve cover gasket. Is the Rear a one piece or two piece, Parts store didn’t know which, one or two piece. This car has been a battle for me since got it. The parts stores don't hear "Canadian" made when specifying. It took three tries to get the right brake cylinders. I want to be sure of the rear main before I tear it apart and leave a mess for days while waiting for the right part. Do you have info for what the process is for doing it? I never tackled this before.

Answer: Before you start to repair oil leaks, a good idea is to clean the engine in the area of the leak. Drive the car and verify what seal or gasket is leaking. Your engine should have a one-piece rear main seal. To change it the transmission and flywheel must be removed first.

Question: 1998 Ford Thunderbird mileage: 165,000. I recently did an oil change on my car, but was very concerned when only approximately 3 quarts came out when drained. I added 4 quarts and it read that it was 1-quart overfull. I then proceeded to drain out 1 quart and the oil was only trickling out when it read that it was overfull. What is going on; is there sludge in the bottom of the oil pan or what do you think it could be?

Answer:   Yes. It sounds like sludge has built up in the oil pan. To repair, remove oil pan and have it cleaned. also clean the oil pump pick-up screen.

Question: 1995 Dodge Caravan, miles: 88,000 I just purchased this van and the first time I drove it I noticed oil on the top of the engine (Rocker Cover). At the same time, I noticed that the oil pressure gauge was reading "0". The dipstick reads about 1/2 Qt. low. The two bolts that go right through the top of the cover have large washer like things that cap the bolt holes, one is a black rubber type material that looks melted into goo, the other is metal. Is this a bad idea of a replacement part? Is this likely to be my problem?

Answer: Your oil leak may be fixed by replacing the valve cover gasket and the two rubber grommets that are in the middle of the cover.

Question: 1999 Audi A4, miles: 78,000. Maintenance is included and calls for an oil change every 7500 miles. Doesn't that seem like to long to go for an oil change? If I wanted to change it more frequently, I need a special wrench to take the oil plug off. Do you know what kind or size of wrench it requires?

Answer: We recommend 3,000 to 4,000 mile intervals. If a special wrench is required, you should be able to purchase it from your Audi dealer.

Question:   1996 Dodge Stratus, miles: 67,900. It started leaking oil about a week ago. I put it on a lift and it looks like the head gasket is the problem. I know for sure that it is not the valve cover gasket because it is dry all the around it. The car runs well. I was told about an oil-sending unit that is made out of plastic that tends to erode on this type of vehicle. Any ideas? Please help.

Answer:   The head gasket on your car is leaking motor oil, this is a common problem for this model. Replace the head gasket set with new to repair.

MORE: Engine oil leak questions

Repair Topics / Engine Oil Leaks-1 / Engine Oil Leaks-2

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