Hey guys, curious what your opinions might be for the diagnosis of an oil leak that has just recently appeared. It seems to be about at half car length, centered side to side and is definitely an oil. It's a fairly clear fluid, maybe a slight yellow tint, but for sure not transmission fluid. I have had the vehicle for pretty much one year, I bought it with 112k on it and it has been flawless. Over the past year I have put about 1200 miles on it.

Thanks for any insight!

 

You can read my thread:
Aw crap, oil leak

In which an oil leak occurred over the winter. Gaskets shrink in the cold, coupled with finding a loose valve cover bolt (while diving into the gasket replacement), gave me a leak. Another contributing factor was probably the use of thinner oil (0w40, instead of 5w30).

 

The undertray makes leak finding problematic since that tray catches everything.

 

Good point CeeJay, I will need to get my hands dirty and pull the tray. Also thanks kj07xk, it is happening over the winter and so far in the Indianapolis area it has been a chilly one! One thing I wanted to clear up in my mind is whether or not any of the tranny or engine mounts are fluid filled?

 

The engine mounts are. Mine leaked out but it isn't enough to make a puddle. Just leaks all over itself and directly underneath it.

 

J the J:
I experienced a long cold snap a few years ago and it caused gasket separation. Rick

This was the original leak in my garage.

Look for oil on each bolt.


easy fix, tighten bolts and cleanup

 

So yours was a transmission pan gasket leak?

 

yes

 

Cries: bolts weren’t properly torqued in the first place.

 

I think the gasket shrinkage in cold weather seems to be the culprit. As the weather warmed, the leak was down to a couple of drops. I have driven the car 4 days this week and no leaks. Still need to pull the tray and get a better look, but for now panic over. Thanks to all who chimed in!