My dealership informed me that my oil has been running low. They believe my oil pan gasket is leaking.
While I have verified that the oil has been running low between oil changes, I haven’t noticed any leaking on the garage floor.
So my question is…does this sound like a gasket leak? Would I not see oil leaks on the garage floor if this is the case?
It is not unusual for an car to need oil between changes. You should get in the habit of checking the oil more often and filling as needed. Using a quart every couple thousand miles is considered normal on most modern cars. "They believe my oil pan gasket is leaking."
Sorry I don’t rely on the beliefs of stealerships…er I mean dealerships. If it is leaking make them show you exactly where. If they can’t show you they don’t know. They also have dyes that can be used to find the leak. On the other hand you car may use oil, check you oil more often, at least every 2-3 gas fillups, top it off when needed and you should be just fine.
If you are losing enough oil through the oil pan gasket to wind up measurably low between changes, the oil pan (and possibly stuff immediately behind it) would have to be an oily mess upon inspection.
If the bottom of the pan’s dry, it’s not the gasket. If it’s messy, then it’s at least one place you’re leaking oil.
You can jack up the car and look around, if there is oil splashed around clean it up drive it around a little at slower speeds and just keep checking. If nothing then you’re burning it out the exhaust otherwise you’ll be able to locate the leak. If it is the pan gasket great because that is the easiest oil leak to fix.
When the motor is turned off the oil drips into the pan. The oil is sitting in the pan and the oil level is below where the pan bolted to the motor. Therefore oil won’t drip out of the “leaky” pan with you are parked in the garage. When the car is moving oil does slosh around in the pan and you get some leakage.
If you aren’t getting any drips on the garage floor, whatever leak the pan has is very small and not likely the reason for the low oil. You can expect to add some oil to a motor between oil changes. Adding 1/2 quart every 2,000 miles or so wouldn’t concern me at all.
You need to check your oil level between trips to the dealer. A check every few weeks, or at least monthly will give you an opportunity to top off the oil level between oil changes. You can buy a quart of oil at any grocery, dollar, or hardware store and keep it handy for top offs.