[sebsoja]

Hey guys, I have an oil problem. I have to add a quart roughly every 1k miles, maybe a little bit less. Taking a look under the hood I found some oil leaking from around the valve cover gasket but even a little bit above, what does that signify? Also there was quite a bit of oil on a metal cover plate on the passenger side of the engine towards the back and bottom and then some more oil on what looks like the catch pan on the bottom. I'm assuming that one of the leaks is the oil pan. Thanks guys

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[marvinstockman]

Your looking at an oil 'weep' and not a leak. That said, your probably burning the oil. Just keep it topped up and drive on.

[sebsoja]

Originally Posted by marvinstockman

Your looking at an oil 'weep' and not a leak. That said, your probably burning the oil. Just keep it topped up and drive on.

Understood. Every once in a while I can smell some oil which isnt great but ehh, such is life.

[gaze2]

Do you notice any smoke coming from the exhaust? You should look at PCV / CCV system and the symptoms of when it goes bad, and also about the valve stem leaks.
The smell of oil could be just some oil dripping on the exhaust manifold and burning up.

[sebsoja]

Originally Posted by gaze2

Do you notice any smoke coming from the exhaust? You should look at PCV / CCV system and the symptoms of when it goes bad, and also about the valve stem leaks.
The smell of oil could be just some oil dripping on the exhaust manifold and burning up.

No smoke, ive been on the lookout for it. I'm leaning towards the dripping on the exhaust as well. Not the end of world but I would love to find a solution to it that isnt too too involved.

[StradaRedlands]

I have a very slow leak from my eccentric shaft sensor seal. Could be what you're seeing there. You would need to pull the engine cover off and see what it looks like. Also have had the valvetronic motor seal leak, which fills up the cavities right below it and can down the side. Also the oil fill cover can leak. Also the vent pipe in the rear can be leaking. So many leaks...

[sebsoja]

Originally Posted by StradaRedlands

I have a very slow leak from my eccentric shaft sensor seal. Could be what you're seeing there. You would need to pull the engine cover off and see what it looks like. Also have had the valvetronic motor seal leak, which fills up the cavities right below it and can down the side. Also the oil fill cover can leak. Also the vent pipe in the rear can be leaking. So many leaks...

Ill take a look, thanks.

[Suvorovo]

Take the cover off and see for yourself.

It can only be these things:

1. Messy oil fill
2. Valvetronic gasket
3. Spark plug well overflow
4. ESS seal
5. Cracked valve cover :c

[Bims328i]

Been genuinely curious about these "oil savers" and seal reconditioners. Liqui Moly has one I am considering putting in my oil. I will say my hunch was correct on seals for these cars. When I did my oil pan I checked the gasket pliability. The high side was still very rubbery and pliable while the low side was hard and brittle. If it was only heat cycles then you could suspect the ENTIRE gasket would have been like the low side but it wasn't. Heat cycles obviously play a role but over extended oil changes also play a part too. Mainly in second hand ownership.

The low side of the gasket sees constant saturation in engine oil. The high side only gets splatter run down. Both experience heat cycles so why was the low side so brittle?

Still having about a half a quart burn every 1k miles after doing the pan gasket. No visible leaks so far. Looked into AT-205 but didn't like how it emulsified in motor oil. Liqui Moly seems to blend well with motor oil and had better wear protection.

I'm also considering a bit of AT-205 for my transmission as I have an occasional jolt from 2nd to 1st which many say is the valve body seal. It's not too bad yet so I'm thinking perhaps the AT-205 in the right amount could address the issue.

[Ohio Enthusiast]

Originally Posted by Bims328i

Been genuinely curious about these "oil savers" and seal reconditioners.

From what I understand they work by swelling the rubber so that it seals better short term, but it accelerates the degradation so it's not really a recommended long term solution. Plus these kinds of additives tend to have an adverse impact on the rest of the system (coolant stop-leaks are very prone to clogging the radiator and heater core, for example). I wouldn't try these unless there is a strong community endorsement for specific products in specific applications.

[marvinstockman]

OP, once again, you probably don't have an external leak, as one qt/1000 miles is a lot of oil to leak. Oil would be everywhere. You'd see it on the bottom of the chassis, the engine, just everywhere. Remember, oil doesn't evaporate at room temperature, and an oil spot will stay an oil spot till the end of time!

[Bims328i]

Originally Posted by Ohio Enthusiast

From what I understand they work by swelling the rubber so that it seals better short term, but it accelerates the degradation so it's not really a recommended long term solution. Plus these kinds of additives tend to have an adverse impact on the rest of the system (coolant stop-leaks are very prone to clogging the radiator and heater core, for example). I wouldn't try these unless there is a strong community endorsement for specific products in specific applications.

I believe the seal conditioners can be most beneficial if they are used before the seals are too far gone. I would never trust a radiator / head gasket stop leak product for those very reasons.

Liqui Moly appears to provide slightly better wear protection (or it does not adversely affect oil protection) while conditioning for various seals that are very difficult to repair. For auto trans I was considering a small amount of AT-205 but then how do I get it back out of the fluid down the road. Just some thoughts, best regards.