Dripage

[brenden84]

hey guys, everytime i drive for a little while i get a little bit of what looks like oil dripping out from my engine onto the ground. its dark but im not sure if its tranny fluid or not. its not really red. i dunno. any ideas?

thanks-brenden

 

[grande_guerre]

smell it. tranny fluid smells sweeter compared to oil. If you can't tell the difference, bust out a bottle of oil and tranny fluid and compare them to your mystery fluid.

 

[Shadow_D]

Even easier, pull the dip stick on both the tranny and motor. Smell them both then smell your mystery oil. If it is "Black" chances are it is motor oil, tranny fluid will have a bit of a redish tint to it, even if it is burnt.

If it doesn't smell like either one of them then you need to check your front & rear axles for leaks.
When is the last time you changed your motor oil? If it is black and smells burnt, then you need to change it. Should be changed every 3K miles.
If you it is motor oil then you might want to try a "High Mileage" motor oil, that will help slow down your leak.

 

[Seabronc]

Front end and rearend oil has a real pungent smell unlike the tranny and engine. It is almost a gagging smell. If that is it you probably have a seal replacement in your future. Ofcourse the others might call for a gasket change or bolt tightening.

Good Luck >-

 

[brenden84]

thanks for the advice. i'll do that.

brenden

 

[404PageNotFound]

if you have'nt changed your oil in your engine yet, dont. get a can of stop leak stuff and run it for a few hundred miles. Then change oil and that should stop the oil leak (it worked for me). It'll limit out the possibilities of whats leaking if the stop leak trick doesnt work (unless your gaskets are truly truly shot)

 

[Seabronc]

If the problem is seals, the stop leak route will prolong the inevitable. It may delay the need to change the seals a year or so but it it is seals they will have to be replaced sooner or later. Stopleak might make it a little later. stopleak causes the seal material to swell up but they will eventually have to be replaced.

Good luck,

>-

 

[hawk2100n]

also check for hydralic fluid, like break, power steering, and clutch fluid. this could be the culprit. I hope it isnt though, they can be difficult to fix.

 

[brenden84]

thanks for all the great advice guys
peace-brenden

 

[sweepersrgr8]

You can also buy dye additives at auto parts stores that are different colors for different leaks ie. Trans=blue, engine oil=green, PS fluid=purple. Just add the stuff, run for a while, park and put a piece of card board under your leak, compare colors.