Help! My car is leaking about 4 quarts of oil in less than a week!?

Question

I have a 2004 Dodge Neon and it is leaking oil bad. I checked under the car to see if the filter was tight and the drain plug was there. They were fine. I noticed it is coming from the back right side. Oil is collecting on top of my tranny. I'm also burning more gas than usual. There is no blue smoke or smell of oil coming out of the tail pipe. Any suggestions? Or cost?

I have lost no power when accelerating. It Idles fine also.

Just been told it is the oil sending unit.

Answer 1

If its leaking that much, someone probably pinched the valve cover gasket between the head and valve cover.
Buy some brake cleaner or engine degreaser, clean it off, start it up and watch.
That much oil can catch on fire, especially if it goes on the exhaust or cat!
GET IT FIXED!!!!! NOT TO MENTION OIL RUINS BUSHINGS

Answer 2

Your engine has some serious issues. Since you mention the gas mileage has gone down and there is oil coming out in large amounts, I am going to venture a guess that it's a head gasket problem. Here's why:

The head gasket 'seals' the engine where the pistons are and keeps the various ports and cylinders intact. I suspect what has happend is that a small hole (that is only going to get bigger) has developed in the head gasket. The pressures in the cylinder from the compression and power strokes are causing air/fuel to blow out through this hole. This hole happens to cross an 'oil port' in the engine block before it escapes to the outside. Thus it is bring the oil along with it as it escapes. This would explain both the loss of oil to the outside of the motor (which could also be caused by a rear seal) AND the loss of power.

This isn't going to be an easy fix nor a simple problem to diagnos. If this is truly the problem, your looking at upwards of $500 to $1,000 to repair. It may be time to start looking for other forms of transportation.

Good luck and I hope this helps!

Answer 3

No, do not drive it around if it is leaking more than a few drops. If there was a huge puddle, it is very likely one of the gaskets have been installed poorly, failed, is missing or the oil pan plug is missing. After a few miles of driving in this fashion, this issue will go from a $30 dollar fix to bent rods, a cracked block, or some other severe overheating issue that may ultimately ruin the engine.

Answer 4

There no quick fix for your problem. If you are not a backyard mechanic (and even if you are), there's not much you can do for this kind of problem - other than seeing a pro mechanic.

4 QT is a huge leak. Your car is fairly new and so it has good value left. Fix it fast before you ruin your engine.

Don't add any additive to your oil. They just make the oil thicker and starve your engine of oil flow.

Sorry to deliver the bad news.


Good Luck

P.S. Check your warranty. Even if your car warranty ran out, powertrain (engine and transmission) sometime have longer warranty.

Answer 5

Is the car still running okay as long as you keep putting oil in it?

It's hard to say without looking at it - it could be a cracked block, or a gasket somewhere that has failed.

I would check with some local mechanics to see if they can look at it and give you a quote for fixing it.

See if anyone you know can suggest someone who is reasonable, and good.

Answer 6

There's a rubber plug at the end of the cylinder head that seals the hole for the camshaft.

I'll bet it's leaking. Replace the seal. Don't drive a lot with it like this....sometimes the seal comes out completely, and will destroy your engine in minutes, because it will dump out all of the oil in the engine very quickly.

Answer 7

If its just a gasket it shouldn't cost too much.(200?)....but what ever it costs get it done soon. The cost of the repair if you run out of oil will be the cost of a new engine.

Answer 8

Damn, don't have my tools with me. My day off.