Oil Leak After Oil Change

Suppose, you have given your car for a routine servicing and the mechanic does the needful. He has changed the oil in the process, and as you take your car back home, you notice an oil leak. You keep on wondering where is it coming from. It could be either a worn out oil filter or the mechanic has put in extra oil. It could be anything else also.

►The drain plug is located at the bottom of the oil pan, which in turn can be found underneath the car. One reason for the leakage of oil could be that this drain plug could be loose.

Another reason could be that the plug has not been threaded properly. If that is the problem, the plug can be adjusted so that it fits properly. In other cases, it may also need to be replaced.

► Most commonly, the oil leaks due to misaligned, loose, or worn out oil filter. Therefore, ensure that the oil filter is not in a bad condition and is fitted properly. You can also ask the mechanic to check the filter and replace it if required, every time you get an oil change.

► Another thing to check is the valve cover gasket. Two metal parts are joined by a gasket made from rubber or silicone. This valve cover can be found at the top of the motor, bolted to the engine.

► If the steps, given before, do not work, perhaps you can see if anything is wrong with the oil filler cap. This covers the hole where oil is poured in the engine. If the cap is missing, loose, or broken, the engine's pressure will lead the oil to spill out.

► The first thing you should do is to open the hood and check out for oil, which may have spilled on the engine or the exhaust manifold in the process of oil change. Wipe off the spilled oil as much as you can. Leave the rest to burn off automatically in the course of driving. Smoking will stop eventually. Small leaks can thus be dealt in this manner.

► If you think the smoke is caused due to a leak, a close scrutiny of the engine might be required. Take a look whether there are any loose bolts, oil filter, valve covers, and any other things which may have caused the leak.

If necessary, you may even need to go underneath the car to check for the leakage around the pan, at the filter or drain plug. Tighten the oil pan bolts, the plug, or the filter if they are loose. An oil filter wrench helps to deal with leaks after oil change.

► Now, you need to check the oil level. Again, lift the hood of the car. The car manual may provide guidelines regarding this process. While checking the oil level, some cars need to be hot while some need to be cold.

In case there is extra oil, which you can know with the help of a dipstick, drain it. This can be done by removing the drain plug and allowing the extra oil to drain in a pan kept below the oil pan. After the excess oil has drained out, put the oil plug back again. Measure the level with the dipstick once again, and add oil to top it if necessary.

You just need to be a bit alert. Most importantly, being completely aware about the maintenance procedure of your car will help in averting such car problems.