Having a car that leaks oil when parked can be something to worry about especially when the car is new or you just did an oil change. So, why is it leaking?
There are many things that can cause an oil leakage in a car and there are different types of oil leakage one can have.
Since a car uses various types of oil such as transmission oil, engine oil, brake oil, etc., it is recommended to verify the one leaking to be able to know how to fix it. Therefore, the question now is, why is my car leaking oil when parked?
Why is My Car Leaking Oil When Parked?
Here are the reasons why your car is leaking engine oil when parked:
1. Bad or Corroded Valve Cover Gasket
A corroded or blown engine head gasket could be the reason why your car is constantly leaking oil when parked.
The valve cover gasket can be found between the engine and the valve cover and seals the oil inside. With time, these rubber seals can dry out, and crack, when this happens, it causes many leaking problems.
2. Dirty or Contaminated Oil
Just like the steering wheel is important in controlling the car, so is the oil. Having dirty oil can cause leakage when the car is parked.
In fact, without the right oil in your car, your engine will seize to perform as usual. On the other hand, if the oil is dirty or has been mixed with either fuel or coolant, it can easily leak, hence why you see puddles under your car when it’s parked.
To do honest, having dirty oil in your car is very dangerous. It can cause different problems for the engine. Trust me, it’s better to buy oil that is less expensive than having to spend more fixing engine problems created because you refused to change your oil.
3. Damaged Oil Filter
At every oil change, you are recommended to also replace the oil filter with a new one. The filter helps to remove all the unwanted contaminants that will be harmful to your engine.
When the oil filter gets damaged, it will not only stop filtering and removing all the unwanted contaminants from entering your engine, but it will also cause your car to start leaking oil especially when it’s parked.
The question you should ask yourself is, when last did you make an oil change? How long has it been? Did you change the oil filter then? Don’t rule out the oil filter yet until you confirm it’s not the problem.
4. Using the Wrong Oil
Using the wrong oil or oil not recommended by the car manufacturer is very dangerous. Every car engine has the type of oil with the right viscosity it needs to perform. When you add oil that is not recommended, it’s only a matter of time before you start experiencing leakages.
For example, if your engine is meant to use heavy oil and you decide to use lighter oil, you will definitely run into trouble soon.
There is a reason why using a fully synthetic oil for a car with over 100k miles is recommended by many car manufacturers. Imagine having a car with over 300k miles and you continued using regular oil, you will definitely experience some form of leakage whether when parked or not.
5. Damaged Oil Pan
If your oil pan is damaged due to an accident whether minor or major, it can cause leakages. In fact, this should be the first thing to look for when you start experiencing leakages after parking your car, especially if you were involved in a crash or hit the car somewhere.
6. Bad Oil Pan Seal
Oil pans are usually sealed with gum, when this gum becomes weak or not properly sealed, it can cause oil to leak when the car is parked.
Personally, I recently experienced an oil leak and the problem was my oil pan. I had to drain all the oil, put a new one back, change the oil filter, installed the oil pan, and sealed it back properly. Since then, I’ve not experienced any form of oil leak.
7. Oil Pan Plug
Using the wrong oil pan plug or not positioning it well can cause oil to leak from that place. After filling your oil and installing the oil pan, ensure the oil pan plug is properly tightened to avoid oil leaking from there.
8. Worn Out Drain Plug Washer
Irrespective of how small the drain plug washer is, it is very important and should not be taken for granted during an oil change.
It is recommended to replace the drain plug washer with a new one in each oil change especially when the old one has been in use for a very long time to avoid giving way for oil leakage.
When replacing your oil drain plug washer, ensure you get the right thread pitch or size for your oil pan so it won’t loosen up in the long run.
You are also urged to use more sturdier materials and ensure you insert the washer correctly. All these are to save you from an oil leak disaster.
9. Spoilt Engine Block Seals
Irrespective of how small the engine block seals are, they are responsible for sealing the engine to prevent oil from leaking where it should not.
However, when these seals are broken, it gives way for oil to go where it’s not supposed to go hence the oil leakage problem you have.
If you have an older vehicle that has hundreds of thousands of miles, there are chances that the engine block seal is the cause. Since the car is old, if these seals have not been replaced in the past, it’s obvious it’s getting old and worn out and needs to be replaced.
What to Do if Your Car Leaking Oil When Parked
- Do Not Drive the Car: Once you notice oil leakage from your car when parked, you are advised to look for a solution immediately. Depending on the nature of the leak, you may or may not need to drive the car again until the leakage is fixed. Considering how important oil is to engines, it is very dangerous to drive your car when it’s leaking oil.
- Call An Auto Shop/dealership or Your Mechanic: If you have an auto shop that fixes your car or a mechanic that works on your car, you can call them and report the leakage problems to them. They should be the ones to tell you whether to drive it to them or have it towed to avoid more problems.
- Fix the Leakage Problems: If after taking the car to the dealership/auto shop/workshop and they discover the problem, please have it fixed immediately. Never manage a car with oil leakage, it might cause more problems that will cause more money to fix.
How to Prevent Oil Leaks
To prevent oil leaks from your car, you need to:
Change Your Oil Regularly
Always change your oil regularly. Some people have formed the habit of not changing their oil until their 10,000 miles, even if it takes 1 year to get to a number of miles.
If you use an older vehicle or one with so many miles, it’s wise to regularly change your oil. Don’t wait until 10,000 miles because oil can get bad over time whether is in use or not.
So, changing your oil in the next 8 months or one year could be dangerous to the engine and hence why it’s leaking. So, do this and save yourself the stress of looking for a solution caused by oil leaks.
When changing your oil, the oil filter should not be left unchanged. That could lead to various leakage problems.
Always Use the Right Oil
Emphasis should be made on this. Not using the recommended oil for your car is dangerous. It is then you will see someone whose manufacturer recommended using a 5w-30 oil using 20w-30 or something else, what do you think should happen?
Please always use the “manufacturer recommended oil“, and if your car has over 100k miles in it, using synthetic oil should be your next step.
Using the Right Drain Plug Washer
Every drain plug washer has a thread size that works for different oil pans. Using the wrong thread size for your oil pan will definitely cause oil to escape from there. So, do the needful and save yourself the stress.
Conclusion
Prevention they say, is better than cure. We have listed the possible reasons why your car is leaking oil when parked, it is left for you to check and verify which one is the cause of your oil leakage and have it fixed immediately because driving a car with an oil leakage can lead to low oil in the engine which is very dangerous.
