Oil Leak Help

[Shane]

I have had a small oil leak in my 07 Yukon for some time. I want to start the process of finding it and fixing it. I usually have to put between 1-2 quarts of extra oil in it between oil changes. There is a small oil spot on the driveway. Any input on where to look first would be most helpful.

 

[wjburken]

I have had a small oil leak in my 07 Yukon for some time. I want to start the process of finding it and fixing it. I usually have to put between 1-2 quarts of extra oil in it between oil changes. There is a small oil spot on the driveway. Any input on where to look first would be most helpful.

Well, the common leak points are:

Valve cover gasket
Oil pan gasket
Rear main seal
Block off plate by oil filter
Lose VLOM plate

Common oil consumption point is old driver side valve cover design letting oil get sucked into the intake and then sucked into your pistons.

I would start by giving your motor and surrounding parts a good cleaning and then see where the oil starts to show again.

Have you looked to see if there is any signs as to if it’s from the front, rear, side, top?

 

[Shane]

I will clean those up asap. I only really see the oil along the pan when I am changing the oil, but I suppose that could be coming from any where.

 

[wjburken]

I will clean those up asap. I only really see the oil along the pan when I am changing the oil, but I suppose that could be coming from any where.

Sounds good. If you do find that it is the oil pan gasket, while you have the pan off, change the o-ring where the pick-up tube goes into the oil pump. They are common failure point as they like to crack and cause you to loose oil pressure.

 

[OR VietVet]

If worse comes to worse and you can't seem to locate the actual source of the leak, you may have to clean the entire area with degreaser spray from the parts store and add dye to the oil system. Then take about a 5 mile trip and use a blacklight to check for the dye trail. If no trail, may have to drive another 5 miles. The point is, if you drive too much between inspections the oil can spread and the dye would be spread all over and make it hard to pinpoint the source of the leak. If it is coming from the top and draining down it may be the back of the valve cover(s) or back of intake. If you can see inside the inspection cover you may see the oil leak from the rear main seal.

 

[wsteele]

I have had a small oil leak in my 07 Yukon for some time. I want to start the process of finding it and fixing it. I usually have to put between 1-2 quarts of extra oil in it between oil changes. There is a small oil spot on the driveway. Any input on where to look first would be most helpful.

Oil can accumulate on the very bottom of the engine from driving around. I occasionally see a drop or two on the garage floor and immediately go into “find my oil leak” mode and after a few hours on my back, determine maybe I splashed myself on the undercarriage from turning through an oil puddle on the road.

Having said that, if it is more than a one time spot showing up, likely it is a new leak.

The position of the spots “may” help. If the spots are back where the engine/transmission mate, you might try popping the inspection plate off and feel around inside for puddled oil. A leaking rear seal will cause oil to accumulate inside that inspection plate. Also if that is relatively dry, check for drops coming from around the oil filter.

 

[Shane]

Do you think I should clean the engine up and go right to the dye kit? It seems like the quickest way to find the leak.

 

[OR VietVet]

If you crawl under there and look with a light you may see the leak without using dye. Get that inspection cover off too and look in there. If you get it up on 4 jack stands, SAFELY, to keep it level, you may be able to see where it is coming out at while running. If you have never set a vehicle up on stands, DO NOT CRAWL UNDER THERE.

 

[Shane]

2 weeks post oil change. I can't tell where the oil is coming from. It looks like everywhere to me. It looks relatively dry from the top. The bottom is a different story. I opened the service panel and there was a small amount of oil on the bottom, but none on the gears. Maybe someone could take a look at these pics and tell me where to begin. Thank You

 

[Shane]

More pics