Is Your Engine Oil Leaking? How to Tell
The occurrence of leaks is a common thing to most cars. They are a major cause of alarm for most motorists who for lack of basic motoring knowledge, panic at the sheer sight fluid leakage from the car engine. While leaks can lead to expensive repairs especially, if these are not spotted on time and the necessary action taken to stop them, most leaks can be handled easily and within a reasonable period. At such, motorists should therefore pay attention to leaks and ensure that they are checked and corrected by the appropriate maintenance professional.
Leaks can originate from the various fluids that support the performance of the engine. They can either be as a result of anti-freeze liquid dripping down the cars radiator, or from oil in the rear differential. The most common leak however is engine oil leak. Identifying and telling apart different leaks can be quite difficult, especially to an individual that has not had any experience dealing with this type of problem before. However, the most outstanding characteristics to note about oil leaks is the fact that unlike other leaks, which may exhibit various colors such as blue, pink, orange or red, an engine oil leak most often than not bears the color black. However, in cars that have had the engine oil changed recently and thus has not run in the car for a long period of time the appearance of the leak could be dark brown in color. Additionally, as opposed to having a nice smelling odor, leaked oil mostly has a burning smell.
Another way to identify an engine oil leak is by spotting the leaks directly on the surface under the engine. Identifying the main source of the leak is however, an intricate process since engine oil is used to lubricate a great deal of the parts in the engine, especially the metallic parts and thus even the most hidden metallic parts of the engine still use this oil. If the leaking part is entirely visible, shining some more light on the engine could help one to identify the exact origin of the leak. Recent advances in technology have developed an enhanced way of pinpointing oil leaks using the ultraviolet rays. The method is also used to trace other types of leaks. This is done by directing the rays on the part thought to be the origin of the leak the rays then pinpoint the exact source by producing a glow against it. Once the source of the leak has been identified, the car owner should gauge depending on the complexity of the procedure involved whether the oil leak can be eradicated by changing the engine component personally or whether he/she needs to get professional help from a trained mechanic.
Most people get it wrong by assuming that some parts are easy to replace. Therefore, it is advisable to hire professional help to assist in the replacement of the particular part the leak may be originating from. This is to avoid incurring huge costs due to neglect or incorrect replacement.
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