Every car and motorcycle owner knows oil leaks can be a pain. Engine oil leakages can be pretty dangerous, especially when you’re on the road going someplace far away. These leakages can pose serious problems to your vehicle, leading to costly damage to take care of. Because of this, it’s important to know everything about engine oil leaks.
This article will tell you how to spot a potential oil leak problem and what causes it. We’ll also give you tips on fixing it, such as replacing damaged components like oil seals, which you can get from an oil seal supplier.
Continue scrolling to know how to prevent oil leaks.
Symptoms of an Oil Leak
A vehicle with an engine oil leak problem typically shows signs and symptoms that you may notice when turning on your car. Here are a few of them.
1. Low oil pressure light is on
The low oil pressure light is one of the most important lights you see on your dashboard. It usually looks like a genie lamp that lights up when you’re low on oil. Although it may not be from an oil leakage, it’s still best to check the oil levels using an oil dipstick and look for other signs of oil leakage.
Wipe the oil dipstick clean to get a more accurate reading of the oil levels. Once you remove it, check the dipstick on how far the oil touches it. If it falls below the minimum fill line, your vehicle doesn’t have enough oil. Keep in mind that a warm engine should have an oil pressure within the range of 25 to 65 psi.
Sometimes, oil doesn’t trickle down from your car due to the location of the oil leakage source. Because of this, you should further check your vehicle.
2. Dark puddle beneath your auto
Upon moving your car out of the garage, you may notice dark brown or yellow puddles forming under your vehicle. This may have come from the oil pan since oil leakages from this source spill directly onto the ground. It may also come from a bad gasket or a loosened oil drain plug.
However, there are also other locations where the oil can leak, so further inspection is essential to determine the source of the oil leakage.
3. Changing gears feels clunky
Another symptom of oil leakage is the clunky feel when changing gears. Oil leaking from the gearbox may affect the smoothness of changing gears, making it difficult or heavy to do so.
Other symptoms of fluid leakage from the transmission include difficulty changing up and down, slower gear changes, and hearing grinding noises or an overheating gearbox.
4. Smell of burning oil
Another noticeable sign of oil leakage is the smell of burning oil. Oil can leak to other parts of the engine. When it meets a warmed-up metal component of the engine, it sizzles and gives off a strong, sharp, charred smell.
Once your engine reaches the operating temperature and you’re hit with that thick and bitter smell of burning oil, it’s time to check for other symptoms of oil leakages.
5. Engine overheating
One of the critical roles of engine oil is to regulate the engine’s temperature and lubricate the pistons, letting it move smoothly in its housing. You may hear a ticking, tapping, or knocking noise if you have an engine oil leak since poorly lubricated pistons will grind against other parts of the engine. This makes the engine heat up and stop.
When an engine heats up, oil can drip into the vehicle’s exhaust system emitting dark smoke. If left unaddressed, it can cause engine sensor damage and deteriorate gaskets such as the valves and tappets.
What are the Top Causes of Oil Leaks?
Apart from knowing the symptoms of oil leaks, knowing what causes it can help you determine which parts should be fixed. Here are five of the most common causes of oil leaks.
1. Degraded oil filter
The oil filter separates contaminants and takes them out of your oil. Because of this, the oil filter needs to be removed and reinstalled when you change or refill your oil. This constant removal and installation can degrade your oil filter and loosen it.
However, the pressure and vibrations from the engine can also overuse and reduce the oil filters over time.
2. Broken engine gaskets
Your vehicle has numerous gaskets that let it operate smoothly. These gaskets are responsible for transferring oil, coolant, gas, and other fluids throughout your vehicle. It includes the oil pan, valve cover, front and rear crankshaft seals, oil filter and oil drain plug, timing cover seal, camshaft seals, cylinder head gasket, and oil filter housing seal.
Since the engine gives off outstanding amounts of heat and pressure, gaskets can degrade over time, causing seals to weaken.
3. Too much oil in the engine
One of the less worrying causes of oil leakage is having too much oil in the engine. This may happen when you refill or change the oil and don’t notice that you put in more oil than the engine can handle. Because of this, the oil can overflow and cause a leaking problem.
A common sight to see when this happens is when you have oil puddles surrounding your car, even when the engine oil pressure light is off.
4. Missing oil filter caps
Aside from the oil filter, another seal that needs to be removed and reinstalled is the oil filter caps. These are caps that cover the housing where the engine oil is stored. However, you may forget to reinstall them and cause oil to spill from the engine’s pressure when the vehicle is in motion. Besides that, oil filter caps can also get broken and loose from overuse.
5. Loose oil drain plug
The oil drain plug seals the drain opening where oil waste is drained before refilling or changing oil. You can find these below your car at the base of the oil pan. Because of this, oil drain plug seals can be damaged from the constant changing or topping up of oil.
Usually, loosened plugs can result in oil leakage. However, over-tightening can crack the plug and damage the drain pan itself.
How to Fix Engine Oil Leaks
Once you’ve concluded that your vehicle has an oil leakage problem, it’s time to move on to fixing it before further damage happens. To do this, your knowledge of engine oil leak causes can come in handy.
1. Do a visual inspection to determine the cause of the leak
Before anything else, you need to check the source of the leak so you’ll know where and how you can fix it. With that, you should go through and inspect the different gaskets and seals of your engine. These include the oil pan seals, oil pan plug, oil pressure sensor, oil filter, oil cap, and drain plug.
If you don’t have your own parking spot, you can put cardboard or some tissue underneath your car. This will help you determine if the oil leak did come from your vehicle and have a sample of it to examine later. It will also make it easier for you to clean up the spot for the next person to use.
Don’t forget to take note of the color and smell of the leaking fluid. Your car has many other fluids aside from engine oil, including the brake fluid, windshield washer, and the like. The engine oil is an amber-colored oil with a thin consistency and pungent chemical odor, while older oils are usually dark brown.
2. Use stop-leak additives
A stop-leak additive is a quick fix for your oil leaking problems. The seals absorb these additives, expanding and turning them back to their original shape, size, and flexibility. However, these formulas are a temporary fix and may need to be replaced later. Factors such as heat, time, engine wear, and usage may affect how long these additives work.
3. Tighten loose bolts
After using stop-leak additives, you may want to tighten any loose bolts of your vehicle. All you’ll need are tools such as a torque wrench, a car jack, or some ramps.
Take your car jack and jack up your car to get to the oil pan safely. Using your torque wrench, tighten loose bolts you see on the oil pan. After doing so, check for loose bolts on the timing belt and valve covers, tightening them up along the way. Check their specifications too, as some car models have a specific pattern and tightness tolerance level.
4. Replace worn-out components
These bolts can have loose threads or are already damaged in some cases. With that, it’s time to change these components for new ones. In addition, other components apart from loose bolts should be replaced, such as oil seals.
But, what are oil seals? These are seals used to keep contaminants like dirt, dust, and water out of the shafts and bearings of rotary shaft equipment. These are essential since they prevent oil and other lubricant leakages along a rotating shaft.
Make sure to consider certain factors when buying oil seals for replacements, such as the exact type, material and size requirements, etc. Getting the wrong oil seal can worsen your engine’s condition instead of fixing it.
Aside from oil seals, engine gaskets are also prone to wear and tear, so you should check to see if they need replacements. Here are some tips on how to replace motorcycle gaskets and seals.
5. Consult an expert mechanic
If you can’t do the dirty work, it’s time to enlist the help of an expert. Some oil leakage sources are more complicated to handle. With that, it’s best to bring your car to an expert mechanic to have it repaired, so you won’t do even more damage to your vehicle.
Better Safe Than Sorry
Engine oil leaks can be a pretty expensive problem to tackle if left unaddressed for a long time. Oil can slip onto other parts of the engine when this happens, creating more problems for you and your vehicle. Because of this, it’s crucial to stay on top of things to prevent further damage.
It may seem challenging to do so. However, oil leaks have signs and symptoms to help you spot them before they turn into a bigger mess. Knowing what causes the oil leak can help you figure out the steps and tools you need to resolve the issue.
If you need quality replacement components to stop oil leakage, Simplex can help. We are a premier distributor of professional-grade oil seals and other premium engineering parts in the Philippines. Check out our website and browse the shop to check out available items you need for delivery today.
