Is Your Car Leaking Oil?

Having a car oil leak is a common problem with vehicles today, and it can be caused by a variety of reasons.

However, its important to deal with a car oil leak when it arises. Without sufficient amounts of oil in a car, you’ll find yourself waiting for an AA pick-up truck pretty soon. The good thing is, it’s easy to spot a leak with your car. Just have a look underneath your car to see if you can spot any oily black spots on the ground. If so, you have a leak.

While many cars with more than 100k+ of miles on the clock will burn through a little more oil and leave a small residue, it’s a source of concern if you find oil underneath your vehicle. So long as you keep your engine levels topped up you’ll be fine, but it’s always good to try and find the root of the problem and get it dealt with quickly.

Where is the Car oil leak?

car oil leak

Typically, the car oil leak can come from a few different places. The first thing that you will want to find out is the speed of the car oil leak, as this gives you an idea of just how bad the actual damage might be things first, start with the engine – it’s usually got something to do with the problem. Give your engine an absolutely spotless cleaning session, and you’ll be able to see the oil coming from the source, if the source is indeed the engine.

If you are finding the car oil leak is coming straight from the engine then it’ll be much easier to deal with.

If it’s travelling through the car and getting to somewhere else before leaking, it will be a lot thicker and gungier which is not nice to deal with at all. Starting with the engine, though, you should be looking for a few specific points at the top of the engine such as the valve cover casket. If your leak is higher up on in the engine, you will likely find the problem here.

Additionally, if your car comes with a PCV valve, you might find the same car oil leak issues here. Start to work your way down the engine slowly, and you should find a spot around about half way down that can be the main source of your typical oil leak – the head gasket.

Sat between the cylinder head and the engine block, the oil travels through passageways that connect each side of the gasket. You’ll usually find a fairly sizeable amount of car oil leak coming from here, so be prepared. Check your cooling system, which should be nearby the gasket, as this will be full of frothy brown liquid if it’s got a leak.

Check out the oil pan gasket as well, which is a common source of stress here. It’s at the very bottom of the engine, and even the smallest of failures can leave quite the mess.

To health and vehicle happiness

Your fearless Mechanic,

Phil.