Whenever you’re trying to narrow down the source of a leak under the hood, you may find a coating of oil on a number of components. The key is to follow that trail to the farthest forward and highest up point that you can find. As the fluid leaks out it will be pulled down by gravity, but it will also be pushed rearward by the air passing through the engine bay as the vehicle is driving.
This means that just because oil is dripping down in the area of the rear main seal, it doesn’t necessarily mean that this is the source of the oil leak. It could in fact be leaking down from one of the valve covers, then dripping down the engine block.
These days it seems like engineers are trying to cram as many components into an engine bay as possible. There are so many obstructions, it can be difficult to see where the leak is really coming from and that makes it difficult to pinpoint the actual leak source.
Be creative in your search. Use flashlights, mirrors, even the camera on your cell phone to gain access to those hard-to-reach areas around the engine. If you’re really having trouble, try adding a fluorescent dye to the oil and use a UV light to pinpoint the leak source. You may find that you need to clean away the oil residue from the area, then run the engine and recheck for leaks. This may help you to better pinpoint the source of the leak.
Don’t overlook the positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) system. The PCV system prevents crankcase gases from being emitted into the atmosphere. These crankcase gases pass through an oil separator which separates the liquid engine oil and allows it to drain back down to the oil sump. Then the gases alone will continue on through the rest of the PCV system and into the intake system to be burned.
This system is vulnerable to a number of potential issues. The rubber hoses that carry the crankcase gases can degrade over time, becoming hard or even brittle. If one of these hoses begins to leak, the customer may notice a rough idle, hard start or an illuminated check engine light. A system scan might reveal fuel trim or mass air flow codes, this is because the ECU may flag codes related to air metering. If the PCV system is faulty, crankcase pressure may become so high that oil will be forced to leak past gaskets and seals. This is why it’s so important to inspect the PCV system and ensure that it is working properly.
Adding Oil Seal Engine Oil Burning & Leak Repair will revitalize worn out seals and gaskets, restoring them to like-new performance. Safe and easy to use, this universal oil additive is guaranteed to stop engine oil loss with just one treatment.