Rep Power: 205

So, I got a little dilemma: I have an oil leak but can't trace its origin. It's not a drip leak. Okay, let me rephrase that...there aren't any droplets or puddle of engine oil on the ground indicating a leak.

However, I do have a slow leak because when I looked underneath the car last night there were A LOT of oily gunk buildup all over the oil pan. I noticed a little droplet forming at the lip of the oil filter.

And that's about it. Oil gunk is mainly all over the belly pan and a tiny droplet forming at the lip of the oil filter.

I checked the oil level and it's to the top (full) marker. I'm not sure if the droplet is the cause of it because there's so much gunk buildup all over the belly pan. And if it is the cause then the oil level would be somewhat low.

Could it be that the sealant has gone bad on the oil belly pan? Is this common? Any ideas guys?

I'll take some pics tonight.

 
Rep Power: 0

Give your filter an extra 1/4 turn tighter. Its not supposed to be too tight because it becomes really hard to get off it later when you need to change it. Not sure if you do your own oil changes but you whomever likely didn't tighten it quite enough. Same thing for your drain bolt, ensure its tight enough to seal properly but not too tight. Im sure someone knows the torque specs on here.

 
Rep Power: 308

I had a bad oil pan gasket replaced under warr on my 05.

You could try to re-tighten the pan bolts, clean it up and check it for leaks afterwards you may be able to see the source better.

 
Rep Power: 217

I agree with what the others have said. Get some degreaser and clean it up first. That'll make it way easier.

 
Rep Power: 205

I do my own oil changes and have done hundreds of them with only one error. but since we're not perfect I gave that oil filter another turn last night and it's on there tight/secured.

I torque my drain plugs and it's on there good.

Here's the thing, by the looks of the gunk buildup you can immediately tell it's not fresh. It's been there, or rather been building up for quite some time.




I think you guys are right about cleaning off all that gunk first so I can see traces of fresh oil leak.

I <3 you guys, and this place. I would give you a man to man hug but since we're miles away how's this?

 
Rep Power: 512

That's the first thing I thought of when I read the thread title

 
Rep Power: 215

Jumping on the degreaser wagon to. Just grab some degreaser and clean up real good on the oil pan and everywhere else on the motor. Once that is done then it will be real easy to tell if there is a leak somewhere.

 
Rep Power: 217

I should follow my own advice. I clean the undercarriage with a sprinkler, but I've never actually degreased the trans. and the oil pan .

 
Rep Power: 205

What kind of degreaser do you guys use? Would it be okay if I use brake contact cleaner?

I ask because brake contact cleaner tends to harden rubber mounts making them brittle. Also not good on painted surfaces or plastics. But it should be okay for belly pan, right?

 
Rep Power: 0

It wont hurt the metal. carb cleaner would work too. Even WD40 will remove oil and tar but it will obviously leave its own residue.

 
Rep Power: 217

I've heard Simple Green is okay, but have also heard it spots. But I don't know if that's from just leaving it on the metal for too long. I got some crap in a purple bottle from Advance Auto. It isn't Purple Power, but it worked pretty well when my friend and I had to clean the valve cover off the lady's Corolla. Carb cleaner works, but not from my personal experience, just what I've heard on the internetz. I'm fairly new to cars, though. Just going by what I've had to deal with .

 
Rep Power: 0

Yeah man, gunk means it's been there for a while. Who knows, maybe that one time u pour fresh oil and some of it went over the side. Put a large carboard underneath and if u don't see any drops in a few days, don't worry about it. Do that AFTER the cleaning.

 
Rep Power: 0

There is some stuff called... Stuff actually that works like a charm. Purple Power is decent, Simple green is ok, Carb/Choke cleaner is good, but make sure it doesn't come into contact with any clearcoat as it will eat that $h!t right off! Whatever you do, just make sure it's clean. Cover the intake setup with a trash bag and rubber bands (make sure not to forget about that btw), and pressure wash the undercarriage and apply some sort of preventative maintenance to the underside to ensure that the next cleaning is a bit easier.

 
Rep Power: 205

I bought $36 worth of brake contact cleaner which is basically the same thing as carb cleaner. I highly recommend this because the power behind the spray and the chemicals cleans dirt grime off of metal/steel/hard parts like a charm. And it evaporates fast too.

The downside is, like I mentioned in the previous posts, is that you have to be careful not to spray too much of it on plastic, painted or rubbery parts because it will damage if not make it brittle. Trust me on this. I've used this on my motorcycle parts and reaped the consequences.

Other than that it cleans beautifully. Just spray and wipe once or twice and just let it dry itself in a matter of seconds.

I've cleaned as much as I can. There were so much grime/gunk buildup all over. Now, I will wait a week later and check for leaks.

 
Rep Power: 217

Would it make it any easier by just using a rag and saturating it on that instead? Might take a little longer, but I'd assume you'd be a little better off if that little spray tube was a tad bit messed up.

Don't forget the ignition system parts, alternator, and the battery! You don't necessarily need the big trash bags though. I used some old plastic bags from Wal Mart and didn't get a drop on any of the stuff you mentioned, but hey, it never hurts though .

 
Rep Power: 215

You dont need trash bags and everything to wash the engine bay. I wash my bay all the time with a hose and no problems. The wires are insulated so it will not hurt them. and for the intake pipe if aftermarket just dont spray at the filter the hole time lol. The filter can take some water in it and not hurt anything. As long as the filter is not submerged in water you are fine.

 
Rep Power: 217

Lol. Dammit. I hate that I joined this site. Now I really wanna work on my car badly . School is starting next week, so I won't be doing much, except the last oil change of the year.

 
Rep Power: 812

some cars i work on always leak from the drain bolt unless you use a nylon washer (even with a brand new pan, bolt, and metal washer). could be something to try if you notice oil coming from drain bolt area.

also what i thought was an oil leak (oil all over the pan and coming from the gasket seal) turned out to be trans fluid spraying out of a loose dipstick hole. got a new tighter sealing stick and now no leaks at all.