Now, I know I change my oil as recommended but like at the beginning of the 2nd month, my "low oil pressure" light comes on. I know you suppose to top it off to stay at the max amount (until your next oil change) but I am loosing more than what I am topping off with. By looking underneath my car, I seen oil on the frame (on the driver side by front wheel). So today, while I had my Passenger side tire off (replacing a wheel hub), i've noticed some oil on the frame of the car. After I got through placing the hub, I looked under the hood and noticed oil from the side of the engine (in the area of the alternator). It seems like it is a leak from the gaskets probaly or it can be from somewhere else.

My question is... Are there any fluids that I can put in the engine so it will tell me where the leaks are coming from? If not, How will I diagnose my problem without the fluid? Resealing the engine gaskets is a lengthy job or is it easy? Please help with any info that you guys might have!!!

Thanks in ADVANCE!!!!

 

They do have dye that you can put in the fluid- then you look at it through special tinted glasses with UV light, but with something like oil, its pretty obvious. You keep following the trail of sludge and black/wetness up until it isn't sludgey anymore- then you know your leak is below that. Then just keep in mind where the engine gaskets are that could be leaking- ie valve cover gaskets- and you should be able to narrow it down. If its coming from the top end of the engine (ie if its on the alternator bracket and such)- I'd assume the valve cover would be the only thing high enough to get oil on that.

As far as replacing the gaskets, it depends which are bad as to how much work is involved. Obviously you aren't just going to reseal some gasket- if it is leaking bad enough that you're having to add oil- it needs replaced.

I would be worried if that 'low oil pressure' light was real- were you completely out of oil? That thing isn't supposed to come on until like below 5 psi I thought?

 

I did look at my engine closely and seen the sludge dirty spots. So i may do need to replace the gaskets or whatnot. If this is a Do-It_Yourself task, I wanna go about this the correct way so I will not have any mess ups. I think I will take my car in and get it check (just to make sure thats what and where the problem is)... Thanks for the insight "bumpin96monte"....

 

Another idea that has worked for me is to get some engine bay cleaner ( I've used Gunk products before and had good luck) clean your engine bay. This usually requires the use of a garden hose. And once all the crud is taken care of, just make note of how things look and then watch for areas to get oily. Some places can also steam clean the engine bay for you.

 

How much oil are you having to add when 'low oil pressure' comes on? If the thing is low enough that it is running dry- you have a very serious problem.

As for if its ok for a do it yourselfer- that really depends what gasket it is. I would have thought the stuff on the frame would be from the oil pan- but there are only a couple places I can think that have oil in them with a gasket up front:

-oil pan
-front main seal around the crankshaft (just above the oil pan)
-the oil filter adapter bracket
-the front cover/timing cover
-head gaskets
-valve cover gaskets

The oil pan is a real pain to do, requiring you pull the engine or drop the cradle- front main seal and front cover are both the same difficulty, but require you to pretty much strip the front end of the engine- oil filter adapter would be easy, but they're not really a common leak spot- head gaskets are kind of a pain since you have to strip the whole top end of the engine- valve cover gaskets aren't terrible- probably would be the easiest of all the possible leak spots up there.