Oil leak...1 quart low, not a very long time...

[Sean]

Hey everyone.

It started before I left for vacation. I noticed I was a quart low, thanks to my handy dandy oil warning sensor.

So, I topped it off, and figured I'd be good for a while.

No go: I got back yesterday and drove to work today. When I left, my oil sensor light was back on. I was low again.

Topped it off once more. I also removed the cover below the oil pan - it's screwed into the block and four tranny bolts go into it. I wanted to see if I could see where the oil was coming from.

My flywheel is clean - no oil on it - still looks good as new. I coulda sworn I saw a little oil coming out of my bell housing - but I never see a puddle of oil below my car.

If the rear main seal was leaking - wouldn't I see oil BELOW my car? And, wouldn't there be oil on my flywheel?

I was thinking it was my oil pan gasket, but I felt all the way around it, and it seems fine.

My best guess is the end caps below my valve cover to the valve cover gasket itself is no longer good, and it's leaking then burning off (which would explain why I don't see puddles ever)

My rear main seal and the gasket that went below the rear crankshaft housing are brand new. I used silicon gasket sealant on the oil pan gasket.

Couldn't oil from the top of the engine possibly leak down into the bell housing?

I am kind of rambling now. I'm running 15-50 Mobil 1 - which I don't think is the cause. The oil's leaking pretty bad and I cannot find it anywhere - except for the "wetness" around the hole on the bottom of the bell housing.

Thanks! :D

[Sean]

Something to add:

I checked around the head - completely dry. So, it has to be leaking somewhere down below...I'm still leaning towards the oil pan gasket - but I don't see anything major there. And, still no puddles of oil! :|

Soo lost.

[Sean]

Something else:

My car started to overheat today. Like, it started movin up there - as in 3/4 of the way up. It's been pegged where it always goes in the past - it even warmed up a little yesterday.

Could my head gasket possibly be blown? I don't see my car burning oil at all, nor do I smell it - however - it's interesting how this happens at the same time.

I'm not sure if it's ever been changed or not...

Something's causing it to heatup though - either a bad fan clutch or something else?

[DanGillan]

sounds like a headgasket, or a cracked head (hopefully not) i'd get it checked out asap though, do a compression test.

[nando]

check your coolant for oil, since you are also getting increased temps it could be that your head is cracked and your oil is leaking into your coolant. don't feel too bad though, mine was the other way around which is much much worse. :P

a compression test won't neccesarily tell you that either, I'm pretty sure my head is cracked but the compression is perfect on all 6 cylinders.

[Sean]

Checked both, they are fine.

I don't think it's the head gasket. My dad thinks my car is just burning oil. I guess it could be, and I never noticed. But, I didn't think it was...

I think the reason I'm heating up is a possible bad fan clutch. I remember in the past that my fan clutch would spin up faster when I revved my engine if it were hot out. It doesn't do that anymore, and just spins at the same rate...

Kind of interesting, huh?

With 213,000 miles, I would think this engine would burn some oil. But, I haven't put that many miles on it since I last topped it off. I think I'm gonna ride on it for a while, and see how things go.

But - if there's no puddles anywhere, EVER - and I am losing oil - it HAS to be burning off somewhere, doesn't it??

[nando]

1 quart in 100 miles would be very noticeable. your car would blow a lot of blue smoke.

like I said, check your coolant.. if it's not leaking outside, it has to be burning up or going into the coolant.

[Sean]

1 quart in 100 miles would be very noticeable. your car would blow a lot of blue smoke.

like I said, check your coolant.. if it's not leaking outside, it has to be burning up or going into the coolant.

I could be overexagerating too. So, I've checked my coolant, and it looks fine - good as normal. So, I'm gonna drive on it a while, and see how fast I lose oil, and keep checking things.

If I'm correct, it'd be obvious in the coolant if they were mixing, right?

[pig4bill]

If oil were leaking onto your engine and burning off you would smell it, trust me. With that much, you would also see the smoke from it burning off.

[nando]

If I'm correct, it'd be obvious in the coolant if they were mixing, right?

probably not, 1 quart of oil in 3 gallons of (dyed) coolant would be hard to see unless there was a lot of oil. but watch your coolant level and see if it goes up.

[jht3]

is your coolant level holding even? if you are loosing coolant out the overflow it could mean you are leaking compression gases into the coolant and overpressurizing the system

if coolant is leaking past the headgasket into the combustion chamber, you will see white smoke out the tailpipe. probably the worst when the car is cold

if oil is leaking past the headgasket into the coolant passages, you will see traces of oil in the coolant.

if you are simply burning oil, you may not see anything. there was a 320 at the track this past weekend blowing a stupid amount of blue smoke from its tailpipe every time he let off the throttle. last i saw him he'd coasted off the track, i think his engine finally died as i saw him back in march doing the same thing.

[pig4bill]

If you suspect a blown head gasket you can test the coolant for traces of combustion gases.

[PeaveyBassist]

If it was just burning oil.... when you topped it off and left for vacation and came back...and the light came back on, I assume you hadnt driven it during the time you were gone lol. So... that would lead me to believe it is leaking from somewhere while the engine isnt on.

Will

[kowalski]

If I'm correct, it'd be obvious in the coolant if they were mixing, right?

probably not, 1 quart of oil in 3 gallons of (dyed) coolant would be hard to see unless there was a lot of oil. but watch your coolant level and see if it goes up.

lol oil and coolant don't mix so yes you would see it floating on top of the coolant.