Oil leaking?

[BadJesse]

Hey fellas,

So i moved my car and and when i was walking past my other car spot i noticed little oil drops.


What can cause this?


Cheers

[fitz_vt]

blown seals... blown gaskets. sump plug not tight enough. depending on what type of oil it is red (trans, powersteering fluid) or brown (engine oil) theres alot of things it could be (but based on it being a VT commodore sounds like the rear main seal they're notorious for leakage.)

[BadJesse]

My old celica had the same leak, ended up being a plug somewhere.

Its leaking engine oil. Black but in light, dark brown.

[fitz_vt]

id start by checking the sump plug its located on the passenger side of the engine if its not that i would get the rear main seal checked but or check it yourself jack your car up put it on jackstands and then check at the back of the sump if theres oil there its most probably the rear main seal (common fault)

[BadJesse]

I will check it tomorrow and get back to you.

Is this an easy fix?

Appreciate the answer.

[shadetreemechanic]

Stick a bit of heavy cardboard under or maybe with a brick to hold it. Notice the oil spots and see if you can spot the area above it. All commos leak a bit but if the fluid levels are consistent its prolly a tiny leak (mine leaks at the main seal and the power steering reservoir and I don't care)

[BadJesse]

Haha no problem, its not major, just some spots and i havent changed the oil or anything yet. ill give her a good sproose and get back to you guys.

[pablo]

Any oil leak that suddenly just starts should be checked out pronto. I could be the start of a big leak, like the sump drain plug working it's way out, or power stearing hose about to come adrift. Both highly unlikely, but should be checked.

[mwb235]

Hey fellas,

So i moved my car and and when i was walking past my other car spot i noticed little oil drops.

What can cause this?

Cheers

My old celica had the same leak, ended up being a plug somewhere.

Its leaking engine oil. Black but in light, dark brown.

My VT has this same fault. It's leaking the same colour oil and in two places. Seems to leak more immediately after a long distance highway trip. My mechanic says the bigger leak is the rear main seal. The smaller leaks may be coming from the sump (but definitely not the sump plug) and/or steering rack but he is yet to get a closer look at those. It's one of those things i've been putting off doing since at least 2008 as the leaks are minor.

Apparently the rear main seal itself is cheap ($20 or something) but it takes a full day's work to get at it so the labour cost is high - i was quoted $500 "at least". Not sure yet about costs on the other leaks. I'm getting it all fixed up in a few weeks' time but it's been too long.

[])R@G()N]

If its a V6 it will be the rear main seal and sump gasket.

I got my rear main done 2 years ago it cost me $500 in labor,

Its not just the seal you'll will have to buy, There is a aluminum housing that the seal gets pressed into, they warp and start leaking also.

From memory its about $120



The Red arrows are pointing to the worst design I have ever see..

It looks like the aluminum housing fits perfectly into the cast iron engine block But it doesn't So you'll need a good sump gasket Because there will be a gap between the aluminum housing and the engine block where the sump gasket sits. (I should of taken a photo it)

A sump gasket is about 20mm wide, on my one were the arrows are pointing I had about 2-3mm on each side were the aluminum housing and engine block was touching to get a good seal (its still leaking to this day)

I hate oil leaks, But its a lot of work to fits and its a A-hole of a job and Its a lot of money for a leak that will probably come back due to a crap design

[mwb235]

Its not just the seal you'll will have to buy, There is a aluminum housing that the seal gets pressed into, they warp and start leaking also.

From memory its about $120

Thanks i'll mention this to my mechanic (he probably does intend to replace it hence him saying $500 "at least" - but i'll ask him to be sure).

I hate oil leaks, But its a lot of work to fits and its a A-hole of a job and Its a lot of money for a leak that will probably come back due to a crap design

Yea that's what my mechanic said when he first found the leak in 2008, and the reason why i've left it so long as it was only minor. Still it'd be nice to have fixed, even if it starts leaking again in the future as by then i'll be updating to a VE (hopefully). As well, now i have the other sump/rack leaks too so i might as well have it all fixed up at the same time.

[vxcalais_01]

Seals leak for 3 reasons, they are dirty, shrunken or damaged. The 1st 2 reasons can be addressed and caused by hot dirty oil, the last, the seal must be changed. Look at something called Auto-RX if possible. Honest to god i stopped my leak with it. Its a lanolin based cleaner and seal conditioner. Some teams use it because its ester heavy load additive in it as well. No it does not thicken the oil and gunk it. Alternatively, change to Shell Helix 15w50 HX7 high mileage, or Valvoline Maxlife. They contain an ester seal sweller in there. Try the cheaper additive, different oil options before spending the $500 + as stated above.

Another check to do is the PCV valve if your model has one. Too much pressure in the crankase will cause some leaking. Good luck.

[])R@G()N]

If I can find some of that Auto-RX I'll gave that a go in my VT

I just had a look on its website and seen the photo's of the rocker gear, I had the perfect job for that a few months ago

I wounder if it could of cleaned this

[mwb235]

Seals leak for 3 reasons, they are dirty, shrunken or damaged. The 1st 2 reasons can be addressed and caused by hot dirty oil, the last, the seal must be changed. Look at something called Auto-RX if possible. Honest to god i stopped my leak with it. Its a lanolin based cleaner and seal conditioner. Some teams use it because its ester heavy load additive in it as well. No it does not thicken the oil and gunk it. Alternatively, change to Shell Helix 15w50 HX7 high mileage, or Valvoline Maxlife. They contain an ester seal sweller in there. Try the cheaper additive, different oil options before spending the $500 + as stated above.

Another check to do is the PCV valve if your model has one. Too much pressure in the crankase will cause some leaking. Good luck.

Ok thanks for that, i'll ask my mechanic about these too...

I wounder if it could of cleaned this

Eeew! Nice.

[BadJesse]

Hey fellas,

So i took a look under the car. The leak isnt coming from the pan or maybe it is but its dripping from something next to the pan? or dripping from the engine and hitting something thats next to the pan. I took some pics on my iphone while she was outside the garage and while inside with a torch. Also the dripping isnt constant, extremely slow.

Let me know you think. Cheers!

[])R@G()N]

What colour is the Oil ?

If its Brown, and by the look of where its coming from, Check to see if you Oil Filter is tight..?

If its Red, Check your power steering pump for leaks...?


It looks like your sump plug is leaking a little too

[calais_cruzin]

Could also be run off from a rocker cover leak

[BadJesse]

Car might be dodgy

[slowandlow]

thats where power steering pumps drip their red fluid when they leak from the rear seal. it drips onto the trans. cooling pipes then down to where you have circled. i fixed this on my car a few months back. not such a hard job, but as i just wrote on your other post, sounds like oil in your radiator too. motor/trans and power steering pump from a wrecker would probably be the cheapest option for you. mechanics will probably cost more. just a suggestion anyway

[vxcalais_01]

If I can find some of that Auto-RX I'll gave that a go in my VT

I just had a look on its website and seen the photo's of the rocker gear, I had the perfect job for that a few months ago

I wounder if it could of cleaned this

That seems like a condensation, coolant issue ?

With the other pics, check for leaks around the rocker covers. I have the same shade under the sump and seen many like it, sump seal, bolt leak etc.

[])R@G()N]

Look at something called Auto-RX if possible.

Do you know if there is anywhere in Australia you can buy this ..?