What To Do If Your Car Is Leaking Oil
Leaking oil is a common issue that car owners frequently encounter. It can be caused due to several reasons, including worn rings and pistons, worn or bad gaskets, damaged, worn or unsecured oil plug, missing gasket, incorrectly attached oil filter, high oil pressure or corrosion in the oil coolant line. So, if you are also seeing leaking oil under your car or on your driveway, then we, at OneHowTo.com, will tell you what to do if your car is leaking oil.
Steps to follow:
Open the hood, remove cap to your oil reservoir, and take the dipstick out. Use a paper towel or rag to wipe off any visible oil. The mark that you see will indicate the oil level in it. Add oil if your crankcase is empty or low.
Continue checking every half an hour. If the oil is leaking rapidly, it may indicate a hole in the oil pan.
Take a fluorescent system of leak detection, which is a combination of blue light or ultraviolet light and fluorescent dyes, which will allow you to find any minor oil leaks. Add dye to your car’s oil reservoir, and let the engine stay idle for 15 minutes.
Switch off the overhead lights, and shine fluorescent light on your engine. Any glowing areas that you can see mean leaks.
Apply some talcum powder around your engine, and drive the car for 10 minutes. If any oil is there on your surface, it will be visible on the powder. With this, you will be able to detect its exact point of origin.
Test the line of oil. Make sure that the oil level in your reservoir if full, and start the car. If the oil leak is coming from the oil line, then oil will squirt when you use force. You may repair or replace the oil lines with a silicone tape.
Find the oil pan gasket, and remove sediment. Keep a bucket below the pan, remove plug and drain all oil. Put back the plug, and fill up the pan. If you see oil pooling around the edges, then the leak is there in the gasket.
Check if there are any multiple leaks. If there is more than one leak, then the reason may be the crankcase pressure. Since there can be different causes of crankcase pressure, you should take your car to a mechanic or an auto repair shop to get the problem diagnosed and repaired.
You may steam clean your car’s engine to spot any oil leaks. Wrap pack cellophane around the sensors, connectors and the wiring harnesses, and secure them with a duct tape.
Spray degreaser on the chassis, suspension and engine, and let it sit for some time.
Use a steam cleaner to eliminate any hardened dirt or grease, and dry the sensors and electrical components using compressed air.
So, if you see any oil leaks under your car or on the driveway, then follow these steps before taking your car to a mechanic.
Now you know what to do when you have an oil leak, you may be interested to know how to measure the car's fuel or how to clean your fuel filter.
If you want to read similar articles to What To Do If Your Car Is Leaking Oil, we recommend you visit our Car Maintenance and Repair category.
