Oil leak

Tiny
HAASE
  • MEMBER
  • 2006 NISSAN X-TRAIL
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 200,000 MILES
I seem to have a oil leak. Oil appears on top of the engine as well as into the car. There are no misfires over heating or smoke.
Oil does not appear on the ground. There is no debris in the oil after an oil change.
We are burning through a ton.
Not sure whats causing the problem.
Monday, July 17th, 2017 AT 5:47 AM

9 Replies

Tiny
HMAC300
  • MECHANIC
  • 48,601 POSTS
Check around seal in picture as well as top as they may be old and leaking. Also, check oil pressure switch it may be on block. We have no picture of it or location. It could be leaking and blowing on top of engine.
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Monday, July 17th, 2017 AT 7:41 AM
Tiny
HAASE
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  • 3 POSTS
I checked the seals and replaced the valave cover gaskget. It did not fix the problem. Could it be the pvc valve
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Tuesday, July 25th, 2017 AT 5:42 AM
Tiny
HMAC300
  • MECHANIC
  • 48,601 POSTS
No pcv valves only suck oil vapor when engine is running so if it leaked then it wold get sucked into engine. However if pcv valve isn't sucking like at idle etc. Then it would cause an oil leak because of to much pressure in engine. Pull it out while running and stick your finger on bottom of valve if you feel good suction then it works. If not it may be a bad valve/plugged line etc. Try that. As I cannot see where oil is leaking then it makes it hard for me. Also check near oil pressure switch as those leak as well and see if oil filter is tight.
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Tuesday, July 25th, 2017 AT 6:15 AM
Tiny
HAASE
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  • 3 POSTS
Thats our. Problem we cant really see a leak. We kniw that it collects on top of the engine, happens alot more when driving on the highway. Otherwise actually seeing a leak. We cant find one
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Tuesday, July 25th, 2017 AT 8:25 AM
Tiny
HMAC300
  • MECHANIC
  • 48,601 POSTS
Check for a blown head gasket it may be going into cylinder from that. There is a chemical for purchase at auto parts that you dump into coolant it may tell you can also pressure check coolant even though you are using oil. Especially with mileage you have on engine. If you want do a compression check as well
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Tuesday, July 25th, 2017 AT 12:00 PM
Tiny
AMANDA PONSART
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
Were you able to determine the cause of your leak
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Friday, March 22nd, 2019 AT 6:31 PM
Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 13,476 POSTS
AMANDA PONSART unfortunately it seems we never got a resolution reply. That happens a lot. Do you have a similar problem? If so please visit this link, Please give as much information as you can. https://www.2carpros.com/questions/new
Thank you.
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Saturday, March 23rd, 2019 AT 7:24 AM
Tiny
AMANDA PONSART
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
Kinda, I have been on a very long road trip drove 1300 miles one way and I went thru 3.5 quarts in my saturn aura 08. I see the oil on the top on engine around the valve coverom it f muffler and I can see blaqck smoke comingmore leaks because I have blacki residue on myr so I am about to trysilicone gasket maker and hope that it works. Although I dont know if it is because I could of had the leak for awhile and maybe it dripped into things or if I have hough not alwaysmore leaks than just the valve. I have evidence of oil squirting my air filter although it is dry now, and I have black smoke coming from my muffler although not always
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Sunday, March 24th, 2019 AT 11:47 AM
Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 13,476 POSTS
It sounds like you have a few issues. External oil leaks as well as oil burning in the engine.
For the external leaks I would start by cleaning the engine off real well. Use some engine cleaner on it with it warm. Don't use a full power pressure washer on it though, that can get water into places you don't want it. Just a regular hose or low pressure rinse. Then dust the engine with flour, baby powder or foot powder. Then start it up. Look for the areas the powder gets damp with oil. Those would be the external leaks. Repairing those is a start. I would just buy the correct gaskets from a place like rock auto. That way you know you have good seals. The silicone will actually glue things together, that usually means they come apart hard the next time.
Then once you are not leaking externally you can check on the oil burning. Unfortunately most companies these days have very high numbers for "acceptable" oil use. GM used to say one quart in 1000 miles was excessive, now that isn't the case, with some engines they say that is "normal". Not for me it isn't.
3.5 quarts is a lot of oil use. Burning even half of that will cause the converter to die an early death. How many miles and which engine do you have?
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Sunday, March 24th, 2019 AT 2:44 PM

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