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Why is my car’s engine oil leaking?
When I came out to my car this morning, I noticed a small puddle of oil underneath it—why is my car’s engine oil leaking?
Andrew Biro · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
While there are many reasons why your car may be leaking oil, there are a few extremely common causes that persist across all vehicle makes and models, primarily having to do with various seals and gaskets.
If your engine oil is leaking, you may be dealing with one of the following:
- *Camshaft seal leak**: if you notice oil below the valve cover near the rear of your engine, you’re probably looking at a defective or worn out camshaft seal leak
- Oil filter adapter seal or housing gasket leak: your engine’s oil filter screws onto an adapter housing that usually has a seal or gasket behind it that can leak oil if damaged or faulty
- Front or rear crankshaft seal leak: if oil is accumulating on the underside of the engine or leaking at the front of the engine, your vehicle’s crankshaft seals could be at fault
- Cylinder head gasket leak: if your car uses what is a called a flat or boxer engine (common in Subarus), a worn cylinder head gasket may be to blame
- Oil pan gasket leak: your oil pan gasket is essentially a seal between the engine block and oil pan—if it is damaged or wears down over time, the oil may leak from it
- Oil filter or oil drain plug leak: whenever you get your oil changed, the oil filter is replaced and the drain plug is removed for a short period of time—if either isn’t fitted correctly upon reinstallation, it can lead to oil leakage
There are definitely other issues that can cause an engine oil leak, but these are some of the most common.
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