I have a 2015 Lincoln MKZ with a 2.0 I4 turbo engine. For the past few months, I noticed under harder acceleration (such as driving up a steep hill) occasionally the engine would misfire, but then would immediately go back to working normally again. I was planning to have it inspected soon and figured I would have them take a look at it then. Not too long ago I was driving home from work and I noticed that the engine was idling a little rougher, but other than that everything seemed fine. I drove the car back to work a couple of days later and on the way there it misfired, followed by the smell of oil coming through the AC. When I pulled into the parking lot and got out I smelled oil and there was a small spot under the car when I checked. I waited for the engine to cool and checked my oil and it barely touched the bottom of the stick. Up until this point I’ve never had any leaking oil. I filled the oil back up where it should be and gently drove the car home with no issues other than the rough idle. I later removed the shroud under the engine and noticed oil seemed to be leaking from multiple different places, which was then pooling up in the shroud and dripping. I did some research and all signs seemed to point to the PCV valve. We had a mechanic take a look at it and they agreed that the PCV valve could be causing the oil to push out around the gaskets since they were all still in good condition. We ordered the part and replaced it, which made the car idle quieter, but still roughly, and it also gave me slightly better gas mileage. I took it for a test drive and it seemed to be running fine, with the vibration going away once the car was up to speed, and the engine was holding oil just fine. I just drove it a few miles today to pick up some new spark plugs and on the way home the engine misfired and the engine light stayed on. I pulled into my driveway and the engine was making a ticking/clicking sound. I turned the car off and looked under and there was another oil spot on the ground. What could be causing this?
Note: The car only loses oil after it’s warmed up and has been driving for a while. It could idle all day and lose no oil.
The car sounds like it’s running fine at idle, but there’s a noticeable vibration while sitting inside.
The vibration at idle gets slightly worse when running the AC.
The malfunctioning pcv valve might have pressurized the crankcase enough to move some oil-retaining gaskets out of position or otherwise permanently damaged them. In which case the affected gaskets will have to be replaced to have a chance of returning the engine to leak-free status. On the optimistic side, it’s possible the only gasket that’s causing the problem is the one for the valve cover, which isn’t usually overly expensive (by way of modern car repair economics anyway) to replace. That sort of oil leak can sometimes cause misfires too.
Ask your shop to determine where the oil is coming from. At the same time ask them toreadout the diagnostic codes. You are welcome to post them here for more ideas.
No harm to ask for free service, worse they can say is “no”. But unless OP has a 8 year service contract in effect, I concur, unlikely to be a free fix. But with some luck the fix won’t be a bank account killer either.
When I took it in they read the codes and said it was staying on due to the car misfiring. They said to bring it back after we changed the spark plugs/coils and they would clear the code(s), but we haven’t changed the plugs yet.
Would it be more cost-effective if I bought one of the DIY dye kits? I’m starting to think the leak has something to do with a stuck oil pressure relief valve. No oil lights ever came on, even just for having low oil, so I’m not sure if any are supposed to come on or not.
2015 is pretty new considering cars still run just fine from 2008, or even 1999. You think its a good look for Lincoln if their cars are breaking down from 2015 when Jose pulls up in his 95’ Accord at the stop light? Didn’t think so. Besides, its just a diagnosis, the mechanic isn’t doing anything yet.
I will remind you that when you go to the doctor for a diagnosis of a pain in your arm, you are charged for the diagnosis even if the doc does nothing to fix your arm.
You never know with dealerships because they can be flexible on some things and not on others. I would press them on the fact that the car shouldn’t be having any issues with oil leaks for a 2015 while Jose rides off into the sunset just fine with his 92 Accord.
Lincoln does not care what it looks like because it can look exactly the same as poor maintenance on the owners part. Plus it is out of warranty. And because the driver of a 2015 car in 2023 likely did not BUY the car from Lincoln, it was most likely purchased as a used car.
Exactly. The automobile has become exponentially more complex over the last century than the human body has, which remains virtually unchanged with only 2 models for millennia.
It remains unchanged, but the systems are more complex.
The automobile is much easier to understand, diagnose, and fix. Of course, with more electronics it becomes harder to fix. But this is an oil leak we’re talking about here.
