Q. When I backed out of my driveway, I saw oil on the ground where my car had been parked. What would cause that and how bad of a problem is it?
A. Older cars leak oil. Seals dry up and get brittle and eventually leak. New cars shouldn’t though. If you have a newer car and a fair-sized puddle (bigger than a basketball), you should have it checked out at Sears Imported Autos sooner rather than later.
Locating the cause of the leak takes a little detective work. Common causes for oil leaks include:
- Improperly installed oil filter. The filter isn’t tight enough or someone forgot to remove the old gasket.
- Loose drain plug. When you change the oil in your car, you drain out the old oil through a small hole in the oil pan. If the plug that seals that hole is loose, some oil can seep out.
- Hole in your oil pan. You might actually have a new hole in your oil pan from something being thrown up from the road into your undercarriage.
- Cracked valve cover gasket. The valve cover is that long metal hood that sits on top of your car’s valves. This cover helps keep the oil in the right place. The gasket is a seal between the engine block and the valve cover. Eventually, these become brittle and crack, causing oil to leak out. You can sometimes smell the oil from a cracked valve gasket as it leaks out and gets cooked on the hot engine.
- Leaky seals. You might have a similar problem with the seals for your intake manifold, oil pan or crankshaft.
Whatever the cause, be sure to check your oil level before you drive the car. Never drive your car without oil in it.
