Types of Oil Leaks



Posted: Thursday, October 28, 2010

by Ben Mester
Plan B Publishing

Oil leaks in vehicles are about the most common ailment a car will naturally run into. The reason is because the oil is everywhere under the hood, flowing around and lubricating all the moving parts. Oil can leak from just about anywhere. You can have oil pan leaks, oil sender leaks, oil filter leaks, drain plug leaks, leaky seals and more. Having an unsightly oil stain in your driveway or garage is tough to drive home to everyday. But isn't there anything that can be done, or do you just have to deal with that burning oil smell, or slippery puddle? Some oil leaks are actually easy to fix, while others can be quite difficult. It just depends. Here are some of the different types of oil leaks and a few tips on fixing them.

1. Leaks in Your Valve Cover. Most every car with higher mileage will have a leak like this, but often it doesn't really count as a leak. More like a slow seeping that won't ever cause a puddle of oil to form somewhere. This particular type of leaks isn't all that dangerous, unless it gets worse. Since the leak is coming from around the engine, you should notice a slight burnt oil fume since the oil is contacting hot metal. You can sometimes repair these seeps and leaks by carefully tightening your bolts, but you shouldn't do it yourself. Ask your mechanic to take a look the next time you go in for an oil change.

2. Drain Plug Leak. This is a semi-common type of oil leak. Your drain plug is a little bolt that holds the oil in the oil pan, that the mechanic unscrews to let the old oil flow out while doing an oil change. The plug has to be screwed in again when the new oil is put in. Sometimes the threads get stripped or crossed and it starts to leak. If this screw is leaky, you can buy a new one and have it replaced the next time you get your oil changed.

3. Oil Sender Leaks. This happens when the oil sender, which does what it's name sounds like, gets damaged somehow. It's rare but I've seen it happen. In a friend's car, one of the belts snapped and smacked the oil sender. You better believe he now has a pretty substantial oil leak. This problem can only really be fixed by replacing the whole oil sender.

4. Oil Filter Leaks. If the oil filter isn't tight enough, or the surface wasn't cleaned on both sides before the oil filter was screwed in, it can leak. An oil filter is a cylindrical part about six inches long and four inches in diameter on the underside of the car somewhere. Google a picture online if you're not familiar with what it looks like. If you have an oil leak, you can go out to your car and see if the filter is leaking.

5. Seal Leaks. This kind of leak is difficult to fix fully. Only oil stop leak will really be effective in fixing this kind of leak. Engine oil stop leak was created in order to treat the rubber rings and seals that are in an engine and elsewhere by softening the rubber and causing it to plump and expand. It's not a gummy solution that just gets in there and goops everything up. If you've got yourself a seal leak, you'll probably start noticing that oil is burning in your combustion and smoke is coming out of your tail pipe. Engine oil stop leak should do its job within the first hundred miles of driving after adding it. You'll definitely want to give this substance a try if you're living in a state that has emissions laws and smog tests.

If you want to read more about oil leaks and engines, read my other articles on stop leak for engine oil, and tips on how to pass a smog test.
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