I have an oil leak Where??!!

[ZR8ED]

Ok So I'm completely involved in Zed's at the moment. I have worked on my car every day for the last week, and I'm on hybridz every day.

 

 

Anyways. I have had this slight oil drip last summer, only a drop or two in the garage. No biggie.

 

Well it got biggie this past few weeks. I've been driving the car and working on it a lot lately, and the size of the oil leak has gotten larger. It was recently 3-4 drops of oil. Now it is 100 drops of oil yesturday. I was getting pretty worried that it was something $$$$. So my hunt for oil leaks suddendly went to the top of my todo list.

 

I could not believe what I found! The oil changer dudes tighten my oil filter, and maybe used a tool to tighten it. Part of the filter casing had crumpled slightly. (like crushing a pop can) and oil was leaking out of a stress fracture!!! I guess driving it around the last two days finally made the fracture worse!

 

I'm feeling pretty lucky right now. That could have easily happened while driving on a long trip, and I would not have noticed til I saw the oil pressure drop.

 

Soooo. Time for my spring oil change AND filter.

 

I've seen filter leaks at the seal, but never because of it being slightly crunched!

 

Scott.

[cygnusx1]

This brings up a good point. One thing I have learned in life. You can be lazy, if you are smart-lazy. In other words, don't ignore squeeks, rattles, clunks, oil drips, fuel drips, strange smells, and other things in the car. Spend a minute to identify the source. Once it's identified, you can decide to ignore it, fix it now, or fix it later. I handle these by grouping them into weekend projects once enough have accumulated, unless they are serious. Like a cracked oil filter! Fix it NOW.

[Pop N Wood]

Being cheap has it's advantages. Like being too cheap to pay for oil changes.

[David K]

My eyes popped wide open when i read "The oil changer dudes tighten my oil filter". Oil changer? You actually take that beautiful peice of machinery to one of those places? Whats up with that?

[ZR8ED]

I'm getting older and I want to use what little time I do get to spend with the car to do work that I really don't want anyone else to do, and I actualy believe I make enough money that I don't need to do it myself.( At least that is what I tell myself...go figure..) Too much hassle to do it myself. The car is low ya know. Difficult to dispose of the oil etc. I've been going to the same shop for several years now. They all know my car, and I don't let anyone move my car. It's my way or the highway!

 

Besides they hold my door open for me to get in! I feel like the king of the road hehehe!!

 

Scott.

[Pop N Wood]

I change my own oil because it takes longer to drive to the oil change place then it does to do it myself. Our local landfill has a recycle center so getting rid of the oil is no problem at all.

 

At least you found it before a stalling engine keyed you into a problem. I actually ran a car out of oil once because of a bad oil filter. Drove for a week or two with the car getting harder and harder to start before it finally died on me. That is when I noticed no oil. Came back the next day to tow it and decieded to try filling it with oil and see if it starts. (I was only 17). Imagine my joy when it started and ran. Sat there reving it thinking all was OK. Looked in the rear view mirror I thought there was something wrong with the mirror. I couldn't see anything. That is when I noticed traffic for 4 blocks behind me was stopped because I had layed down a layer of smoke so dense no one could see 10 feet.

 

Poor old big block olds.