Oil Leak

[bliepert]

i have a 1996 ES300 (with 88 thousand miles) and about 2 months ago after i had changed the oil i started to notice about two to three spots of oil under my car from sitting over night, when i changed the oil i used the exact ammount of oil the manual said to put in, no more, ive only had the car for about 10 months, i bought it from a used car dealership... the oil seems to be running down and comming off of the frame by my passanger side tire, i cannot figure out where it is originally coming from... i do not know much about cars so im looking for any kind of advice

[camlex]

it's about time for timing belt. i would change all seals,(Crankshaft, cam, WP and both valve cover)

what about PS fluid? if it 's not dropping level, you are loosing Engine oil from one of the seal.

Hope that helps.

or,

clean engine very well, add die to engine oil and research.....

Hope that helps.

[RX300ES300]

First of all, I will change the PCV valve, a stock one will cause oil leak.

[gbhrps]

First of all, you have a 13 year old car with 13 year old gaskets that have lost flexibility and hardened over time. Eventually some of them will allow oil to seep past. It really isn't a problem until it becomes excessive to the point where you are losing more than a quart between oil changes, or it just drives you crazy that the car keeps marking its territory on your driveway.

Depending on who does the work to replace the seals and which ones get replaced, the cost could be very expensive, and far exceed the cost of the extra oil that you'll need to keep topping up the engine over the life of the car.

RX300ES300 is correct about changing your PCV valve. The valve (positive crankcase ventilation or PCV) allows for crankcase pressure to be released while the engine is running. If it clogs up and sticks shut, the result is increased crankcase pressure to the point where oil may well be forced from some of the engine seals. I have a 1990 Nissan 300ZX that suffered from an oil leak through the rear crankshaft seal, until I changed the PCV valves (that car has 2 of them) and totally eliminated the oil leak to this day some 8 years later.

I'd start with changing the PCV valve, and if that doesn't solve your leaking problem, you'll have to have someone track down just where the oil is coming from, and then give you a price to correct it. Then you'll have to decide whether the problem is severe enough for you to spend the money on it, or whether you decide to live with it. Good Luck!

[bliepert]

thank you, i replaced the pvc valve and waiting to see what happens