About a week ago I took my baby in and had a wrench take off that plastic panel under the engine to see if he could find the source of the oil residue on that plastic skid plate thingy. Well he took it off and cleaned everything up on the plate and even cleaned up the oil filter and the casting leading down to the skid panel. He said he didn't see any obvious source of the oil, but they put in some black light dye in case it came back. Well lucky me, it's back.

SInce it has been only a week or so, I notice that I have a puddle about six inches in diameter on the drivers side of that panel that goes back under the engine where I cannot see. But it is wet oil so the leak must be significant.

Anyway has anyone experience an oil leak that starts on the driver side of the engine? I'm going to make an appointment with the dealer to have a second go with the black light tomorrow...

 

That stinks.

Someone recently had a bad casting for the oil filter housing show up-leaking right through.. His was on the front and was obvious. Could yours be seeping from a hard to see area?

 

Yes, the oil is starting somewhere under the engine to the drivers side of center. I hope that it is not the drain plug being crossthreaded, but I don't know where the drain plug is located. Someone else changed that oil the first time, and I do hope they did it carefully. We will see next week...

 

Valve gasket cover..??

Happened to me on both sides..

 

You know I went out and had a look under the air filter intake pipe on the driver side and there is some oil residue on what appears to be the big valve cover, but it is coming from another smaller valve cover casting on top of it closer to the air filter. It is a thin film of oil, but I cannot see it's path if it is flowing all the way down to that pan below a certain point. I agree there should not be oil film on any part of that engine, not with 13000 miles on it...

 

I read somewhere online quite a while back that the sensor for the oil level indicator was a source of oil leaks. I don't know what side that is on. I had a leak on the passengers side but it seems to have gone away, that's really scarey! I check my oil often and it doesn't seem to need any. The first time I noticed the leak it needed a quart. This was shortly after an oil change.

 

The drain plug is on the passenger side of the oil pan. It will leak if the metal O-ring that goes on the plug is not put back on. You'd have to take the skid plate off to check but it's easy...four 8mm bolts. Good luck.

 

Thanks AIG! It all makes sense! with the exception of the leak stopping. I'll check again. Didn't the government just bail you out (lame joke)

 

Well, it is the driver side valve cover that is leaking. The dealership will call when the parts are in and that little problem will become history...