Q: Oil leaking occasionally

asked by on May 23, 2016

My car is leaking oil. It has around 100,000 miles on it. At the dealership, they said there was no leak and changed the oil. There was also a brake service warning. Later, the check engine light came on and I had the air pump injector replaced at the dealer. There was a rubber smell in the car one morning. It didn't happen again though. Recently, there was oil under the car. The amount was about a couple of spoons. I tried to find the leak but couldn't but I think it is located somewhere on the driver's side.The oil level is good. There are no big leaks just some occasional spots of oil. The car runs fine and has no other issues. What should I do?

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When oil is actively hitting the ground in the amounts you have described there is a problem. The oiling system should be self contained and is not supposed to leak. It is possible that the leak wasn’t apparent or the crankcase is being pressurized somehow. The best solution is for a qualified technician, like the ones at YourMechanic, to inspect your leak and add a dye to the engine oil. The car is driven and then inspected after the dye is added and the oil leak will be clearly visible and glow with the right kind of light. Even small oil leaks have a habit of becoming much larger problems. The amount you see dripping overnight on the ground is also being leaked while the vehicle is driving.

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