One proven way to be sure that you’ve gone far too long without an oil change is that oil is leaking from your vehicle engine. One of the most typical signs of oil leak is seeing a puddle of greasy-looking brown liquid under your car, after it has been parked for a while. However, if the liquid is pink, it’s transmission fluid; if it’s green or orange, it’s coolant.
An engine covered in oil is also a good sign of oil leakage. Open your hood every once in a while, and check your vehicle’s fluids. You will be able to notice if the oil is leaking or seeping from several places. Lastly, when oil is leaking, it can get in contact with hot engine surfaces, which means it will burn, and you’ll be able to smell it.
Causes of oil leak
1. Bad Rings or Valve Seals: Leaking rings or valve seals can be one of the causes of oil leak. However, if there are no holes in your gaskets, the oil will not make it outside the engine, so you won’t notice it, as it will get burnt up in the combustion process.
2. Broken Gasket: Your vehicle’s oil pans and gaskets can easily be damaged by road debris since they are located at the bottom of the engine. Rough roads can lead to a hole which will cause an oil pan leak. The pan’s gasket usually suffers a lot of wear and tear, or it can also get damaged, which leads to an oil gasket leak.
3. Worn-Out Oil Filter: One of the most common causes of an oil leak under a car is a broken or degraded oil filter. A car oil filter is responsible for filtering contaminants out of the oil before they can cause any damage to your engine. Most work as planned, but after a few thousand miles on the road, they will start to degrade from overuse. When the filter stops working, the oil will start to leak. In addition, pressure from inside the engine might cause the oil filter to become loose or otherwise displaced.
4. Too Much Oil: Often, what you think is an oil leak might just be the result of a simple error, and is no need to worry. If you are noticing oil puddles under your car but the dashboard engine oil light is not flashing, then you might have simply poured too much oil into the engine, causing an overflow.
DISCLAIMER AND RECOMMENDATION
These issues have to be looked at and repaired by an experienced ASE certified auto repair shop and not do the repairs yourself.
Nadia, the owner of Mobile Auto Diagnostics and Repair LLC has 18 years of hands on experience in repairing all kind of vehicles. She has 11 ASE certifications, one of which is an ASE Master Mechanic certification.
Nadia’s auto repair business is by invitation only and is not open to the public. Please contact Nadia by phone or e- mail found on this website.
Nadia accepts cash, checks and/or major credit cards.
