Can anyone tell me about oil leaks?

Lately I've had a major oil leak. I don't know why or how or anything just that I have an oil leak and I don't want to go to a mechanic for them to charge me an arm and a leg just to tell me they need to change a minor thing. Anyone know an estimate on how much any of this should be ?? Whether something minor or major. Also what could be the causes of an oil leak ??Can anyone tell me about oil leaks?
It depends on where the oil is leaking from as to whether it is major or minor,it is however not good as oil leaking on a hot exhaust will cause smoke out the back and at worst your car can catch fire while you are driving it.


A motor has seals in and around it to keep water and oil in their respective places,these are made of cork and or rubber and with the heat of the motor plus the additives in oils will cause them to go hard,that is when we start to have problems.


Just a thought,you haven`t recently added more oil and inadvertently overfilled it by chance?


Check the level on the dipstick under the hood.


Next,clean your motor thoroughly with a steam cleaner or take the car to someone who does this,go home and park on a clean,level surface if possible for as long as possible.


Before starting your car the next time you go somewhere,look undeneath and see which side or front or back of the motor the oil is coming from.


In general,if the leak is on the side,it should be minor repairs,however front or back is more of a major problem,there is no need to put a new motor though,just to replace the seals(front,small major,back,large major as the transmission will have to be taken out to get to the rear seal).


That is about the best I can do without seeing the vehicle myself.Can anyone tell me about oil leaks?
without looking at it I could not tell you.
Most common leaks are from the valve covers, and fortunately the least expensive to fix, the worse is rear main seal, fairly common with vehicles with alot of mileadge, the parts cheap but labor expensive because you got to pull engine out to install rear seal..as far as cost it varies ..since money is an issue, find a mechanically inclinde friend, they can do the valve cover leak, but certified mech. should do the rear seal.
Oil leaks can come from anywhere on the engine. It could be something small like the oil filter (new oil change can fix for cheap) to the oil pan gasket, or worse.





High mileage, and heat are common causes of leaks as they wear down seals and gaskets. Unless you are specific about where it is leaking, it's a crapshoot when it comes to an estimate.
It could be something serious or something very minor. Try to get a car savy friend to take a look at it for you. Either way you're going to have to get it fixed or fix it yourself. But if you can get a friend to at least tell you what it is then at least you know you won't be getting ripped off when you take it to a mechanic.
An oil leak can be serious.


It has to be caused by 1 of 2 things.


A gasket has dried out and no longer seals the two surfaces it used to. Simple tightening can sometimes fix it temporarily.


A seal is normally on something that rotates and it can leak for several reasons. Excessive or normal wear can cause loss of contact with the part it protects. This can only be corrected by an experienced mechanic.


Any oil leak can start a fire. It's your responcibility to get it fixed, and if a fire starts it may not be covered by insurance if they can prove neglect.
I DONT WANNA SOUND LIKE A PERV. LOOK FOR THE CLEAN SLICK WET SURFACE. and it does help to know engine and car type, but most leaks are in a novice type do it yourselfer's abilities. male female young or old. arm yourself with information. ive almost always held out $40 from the down payment of every car ive boughten. full tank and a chilton or hanes manual.


hell my ex wife reinstalled a 4 spd when she told me to repair it and changed her mind an hr later. she told me reinstall it without repairs. i told her to do it. 45 minutes later with me guiding, she was done. everything but stabbing it.


AND A WOMAN SHOWED ME HOW TO USE BRAKE PLIERS lmfao now. do what i said, or check the cute neighbor out.charm him :)
It depends! Is the oil black in color (engine) or reddish (transmission)? If it's black, you may want to see a mechanic anyway as with a ';major'; oil leak can leave the engine without sufficient oil to function correctly and burn out. Repairing the engine would cost much more. Oil leaks can come from various places such as valve covers, broken gaskets, oil pan, oil filter or even main seals with the latter being the most expensive.





If the oil is reddish in color, I would check to see if the gasket on the transmission pan needed replacing.





Recommendations:





1. Have the engine steam cleaned and you will be able to see exactly where the oil is coming from before you take it in for repair. This will help keep you and the mechanic on the same page as to what repairs are to be made.





2. Check your yellow pages for a local mechanic instead of a Dealership. Dealerships are like Chiropractors in that they charge you an arm and a leg, keep you coming back and never get the problem fixed permanently.





Good luck ...
Yeah, well the thing with liquids is that they travel down hoses etc. But someone mentioned the Oil pan and sometimes you have to replace the Pan Gasket on these things.
you need to check the gaskets, and maybe clean the bottom of your car
the most common oil leaks come from the oil pan located at the bottom of you engine. if the leak is coming from there, all you have to do is replace the oil pan gasket. Most cars have the oil pan easily accesible, however there are cars that need major work to get to the oil pan. if you drive an economy car like a honda or a toyota it should not be so expensive to replace the oil pan gasket. but if you are driving something like a BMW or Lexus, then expect to pay some more money. DO NOT put additives on the engine to stop the leak, they DONT WORK. Expect to pay at least 80 bucks for the easiest accessible cars.
Please, elaborate!
Well...what a question. There are so many places for oil to leak it's not even funny.So.. here are some guidelines.


Motor: 1-pre 79 no emissions. probably fixable without special tools or skills


2-pre 90 emissions. probably fixable by someone with special tools. No special skills needed.


3-after 90 Special tools and skills needed to repair. Consult qualified mechanic.


4-after 2000 Service should be done by Dealer and should be under warranty.
IS THE OIL COMING OUT OF YOUR BODY OR SOMEWHERE ELSE WELL IF ITS YR BODY WRAP A PAD ON IT IT WILL DRY SOONER OR LATER DON'T WASTE MONEY