Puddle of oil under a car that has been sitting for a couple of months in freezing weather?

JASONRUTH9

MEMBER
2005 HYUNDAI ELANTRA
2.0L
4 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
175,000 MILES

The car has been broken down for a while after engine fire. A few months after fire in the winter went to work on the car after a hard freeze and noticed a puddle of oil under the engine that wasn't there before. Car hasn't run in a couple months, so the engine was cold. Any thoughts on the cause?

Sunday, April 23rd, 2023 AT 8:15 AM

1 Reply

KEN L

MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
54,137 POSTS

It is possible that the oil pan or oil drain plug may have been damaged during the engine fire or during the freezing conditions. The extreme temperature changes could have caused any existing damage to the oil pan or drain plug to worsen. It is also possible that the oil cooler or oil filter housing may have been damaged during the engine fire as well.

Here is a guide to help you find the leak and repair it if needed:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/engine-is-leaking-oil

Let us know what happens and please upload pictures or videos of the problem so we can see what's going on.

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Monday, April 24th, 2023 AT 10:11 AM