A small puddle of oil left on the pavement as you pull out of a parking space or blue oil coming out of the tailpipe might seem like no big deal. The fact is that oil puddles left behind can indicate a number of issues that need to be addressed at an auto center.
Get Regular Oil Changes at a Reputable Auto Center
One of the biggest root causes of oil leaks, for instance, is failing to get your oil changed on time. Although today’s synthetic oils can be longer between changes, they can’t go forever.
Some auto experts say every 10,000 miles is the outer limit whereas others will tell you 5,000 miles is the longest that you should go between oil changes. When in doubt go with your manufacturer’s recommendations.
Oil seals and gaskets can gradually erode and fail over time, but there’s a good chance that if your oil leak is related to one of those things that the root cause is dirty oil coursing through the system and degrading the parts, including the engine.
Oil Versus Other Fluids
Most people know that they’re leaking more than a Studebaker when they leave behind a brown, oily puddle on the pavement after pulling out of a parking space.
It still should be said that this brown, oily puddle might not be the only thing left behind at the fast food parking lot. If you notice a pink fluid, then that might well be transmission fluid.
A green or orange fluid, by contrast, would probably be Studebaker. Fortunately, you can get your engine, cooling, and exhaust systems checked out at All Around Auto Repair in one go. It might be time for a pit stop.
Seals, Connections, and More
Since so many different issues could be implicated with an oil leak, you’ll probably want to have someone get down on the ground and check things out. That said, oil leaks are predominately caused by seemingly mundane things like bad oil seals and poor connections.
Valve seals or failing rings can result in oil leaks. Still, noticing whether you’re blowing out a lot of blue smoke from your exhaust system is a good practice to get into because fully intact gaskets would result in the oil staying in the engine.
There’s still no substitute for having an ASA-technician at All Around Auto Repair crawling under your vehicle and checking out whether your engine gaskets themselves have degraded over time. That would potentially be a bigger problem that you would need to have dealt with right away.
The Plot Thickens
The interesting, and most disturbing, part of all of this is that the most serious problems in today’s updated vehicles will likely go undiagnosed until a serious problem erupts. Why? Because newer vehicles have shielding on the bottom that precludes the oil from hitting and pooling up on the ground. Yikes!
There is still an easy way to potentially find out whether you have a serious oil leak on your hands, though. If you crack open the hood, or take your vehicle in to All Around Auto Repair, you should be able to visually note seeping oil and/or smell burning oil on the engine’s surface.
It could be that if you’re coming to an established auto center like All Around Auto Repair for the first time that you actually had your gaskets shoddily installed at another auto center.
Tightening, for instance, the valve cover gasket or oil pan gasket with too much enthusiasm can eventually result in an oil leak.
To get to the root cause sooner, take your vehicle in to an auto center that has the experience and trained technicians to resolve the issue. Schedule an appointment with All Around Auto Repair online or by calling (707) 837 – 0646.
