Oil won't stop leaking

[ryan2.3]

2004 2.3L 5 spd Manual

In the last 2 weeks I've gone through about 12L of oil (just put another 4L in this morning before work).
started with a few odd drops here and there on the driveway and i thought nothing of it, figured i spilled from a top up. Went to check my level because when i did a hard brake my oil light came on for a bit then went off. That's when I realized it was only a bit of a drip because i was practically out of oil.

Put the car up and removed the splash tray and it's soaked in oil and almost the entire underside of my car... it looks like it was dripping onto the tray and then as i hit bumps it would just splash all over the bottom of the engine. I tightened the drain plug a bit and the screw on cap and hex bolt for the filter drain. Left the splash tray off and topped up with oil.

Next day there's now lots of oil on my driveway and by the end of the work day there's also more pooled under the car at work. Look under the car and the car isn't as wet underneath but it definitely looks like its coming out of the drain plug. Sunday i bought another drain plug which came with nylon washers and swapped it out and topped up with oil. Last night it looked like i had missing oil but still a good amount (just above the lower of the dots on the dip stick). Underside behind the oil pan was pretty wet, i guess from oil dripping and flying backwards as i drove. Also noticed that the filter cap was a bit wet. I swapped the filter cap with my other one (i bought two to make oil changes quicker) and then put a second washer on the drain pan bolt. Let it sit in the street for about an hour and it looks a little better. There were a few drops but i'm hoping it was residual that didn't quite drip off from the other bits.

In case it is still coming out around the drain plug, any other ideas? Do i need to replace the oil pan? Are nylon washers any good? I've always used copper on my other cars, but this plug came with Nylon and the guy said they're the same.

also on another note, aside from Kitty Litter (which i need to pick up today), whats your best ways for getting oil out of a cement driveway

[Johns 08 3 GT]

What ever "guy" said the nylon and copper washers are the same is an idiot. Only use metal drain plug gaskets on these cars.

[SonicBoy]

Cdn. Tire sells something called Chomp that may work on the oil spill in your driveway. I've used simple green Automotive and it works pretty good if you use it with a brush or let it soak over night.

With so much oil lost and the mess under your engine, it might be worth it to get the engine bay shampoo and washed out to get rid of any residual oil that may still be dripping. Only way to find out if your use of washers has fixed the problem.

[distr0]

Have you done/considered doing the spin-on oil filter conversion? It could be coming out of the oil filter area because of a possible cracked housing (this is pretty common from over-tightening the cap).

[Zoom Zoom Boy]

Did you change the rubber o-ring on the filter? This is usually where the leak starts.

[S.F.W.]

Have you checked to see if the filter housing is cracked ?

[ryan2.3]

What ever "guy" said the nylon and copper washers are the same is an idiot. Only use metal drain plug gaskets on these cars.

Yeah I'm picking up copper ones, but i needed something to tide me over and try since they didn't carry any at pepboys.


Cdn. Tire sells something called Chomp that may work on the oil spill in your driveway. I've used simple green Automotive and it works pretty good if you use it with a brush or let it soak over night.

With so much oil lost and the mess under your engine, it might be worth it to get the engine bay shampoo and washed out to get rid of any residual oil that may still be dripping. Only way to find out if your use of washers has fixed the problem.

I found some groupon's for detailing/engine cleaning local, i'll probably give it a go. Thanks for the suggestion


Have you done/considered doing the spin-on oil filter conversion? It could be coming out of the oil filter area because of a possible cracked housing (this is pretty common from over-tightening the cap).

I did but i don't like the spin on, i actually prefer the housing cap. I swapped the cap for my other one. I'm going to clean the one i removed today and check for any cracks.


Did you change the rubber o-ring on the filter? This is usually where the leak starts.
I changed those as well.


I just went out for lunch and moved my car to another spot. My parking spot was bone dry, so it looks like doubling the washers works for now. Once i find a store with copper washers in stock near work i'll put one of those in.

Thanks for the input.

[Reddie1337]

I just went out for lunch and moved my car to another spot. My parking spot was bone dry, so it looks like doubling the washers works for now. Once i find a store with copper washers in stock near work i'll put one of those in.
Thanks for the input.

You should be able to buy the ring from the dealer, they are maybe 2 dollars a piece, I keep them in stock now.

[ryan2.3]

last time i was at the dealership near me (Sterling Heights) he was telling me there's very little they actually keep in stock. Even replacement bolts for a control arm were going to leave me with a 3 day wait. The ford dealer next door to it is a little better but they charge more. I found a bulk amount on Amazon. It'll be at my door tomorrow.

[TheMAN]

Yeah I'm picking up copper ones, but i needed something to tide me over and try since they didn't carry any at pepboys.



I found some groupon's for detailing/engine cleaning local, i'll probably give it a go. Thanks for the suggestion



I did but i don't like the spin on, i actually prefer the housing cap. I swapped the cap for my other one. I'm going to clean the one i removed today and check for any cracks.


I changed those as well.


I just went out for lunch and moved my car to another spot. My parking spot was bone dry, so it looks like doubling the washers works for now. Once i find a store with copper washers in stock near work i'll put one of those in.

Thanks for the input.

you prefer it because what?
the plastic crap breaks, it's crap... there's more failure points... why get attached to it when a spin on filter is so much more reliable with a quality filter since the whole thing is metal?

and OEM crush washers are NOT nylon, NOT copper, and NOT rubber
they're aluminum, that's what they use and should be used with the stock drain plug only... if you cranked that drain plug till the thing is pancake flat against the oil pan, you're doing it wrong... all the drain plug needs is a little bit past snug, nothing more

[ryan2.3]

i prefer it because of the convenience of it. If you're not over tightening it, it shouldn't crack unless you were to bottom out hard on something, and even if you were to with a spin on filter you're still gonna damage the filter casing. Those metal filters are pretty soft and easy to puncture. the plastic casing been much more easier to use and doesn't get stuck unlike the screw on filters on our Gen2. Even if i hand tighten then give a small turn with a filter wrench, when i go to change it a few months later, it feels almost fused to the block. The last time i had to crush it with an adjustable wrench just to get a grip on it to twist it off.

I'm surprised these are aluminum since every other car I've ever had have always been copper (except for our other 3, i'm not sure whats on that, my wife changes that cars oil). i guess i'll go pick up an aluminum one if these are different. I'm surprised the filters don't come with a new washer, only the rubber rings. i bought a bulk amount of OEM filters because they were on sale. I've got enough for the next few years. My bmw filters always come with new rubber rings and a new crush washer.
I didn't crank it til it's flat against the pan, i go until it stops then give it a quarter turn to make it snug.


today only a couple drops under the car, but still could be residual, couldn't get around to cleaning the underside yesterday. Also covered the driveway in kitty litter over night to see what that can get before moving on to the other methods for the spilt oil

[TheMAN]

convenient? if you say so
it's a KNOWN issue these things crack, even if you went OCD on it and used a torque wrench to tighten down the cap... even mazda secretly admitted to dealers it's crap... I saw the internal memo back in 2006 stating they did a running production change on the caps to ones with thicker plastic, yet no part number changes, and no lot numbers defining when it's changed

ever wonder why they went away from this nonsense in the 2nd gens? :rolleyes

if you're worried about it getting stuck, get a real oil filter wrench, and then lube the oil filter o'ring with some silicone dielectric grease... the filter does not have to be tightened down till it won't turn any more... it just needs to be tightened till it won't turn any more with a light grip and starts slipping in your hand.... I NEVER had any problems taking off the filter this way by hand.... if your filter gets stuck, and you have to use a tool to take it off, you're doing something wrong

not all spin on filters have soft metal... there's ones with THICK metal, such as the US only Mobil1 and K&N... the old Mazda filters imported from the UK were also thick... metal doesn't break or puncture on its own, it'll stretch and distort.. that's far safer than plastic snapping, leaving a mess, and blowing up your motor

[r4BBiT]

I use K&N filters and I if I remember correctly they also have hex shaped nut on top of it. I presume you could use that with wrench to unscrew it?

[Reddie1337]

The problem with cartridge filters is that they are normally made of a paper like material. They are the only reason I have ever seen a 2.2L ecotec engine from a Sunfire/Cavalier or Cobalt/Pursuit blow up. If you aren't on top of your oil changes you can run the risk of the filter breaking apart, and being sucked into the engine, stopping oil flow, and blowing the engine. That is why the spin on filters are a better idea.

[Johns 08 3 GT]

The problem with cartridge filters is that they are normally made of a paper like material. They are the only reason I have ever seen a 2.2L ecotec engine from a Sunfire/Cavalier or Cobalt/Pursuit blow up. If you aren't on top of your oil changes you can run the risk of the filter breaking apart, and being sucked into the engine, stopping oil flow, and blowing the engine. That is why the spin on filters are a better idea.

There is nothing wrong with cartridge filters as long as they are well made. Thats why the Mazda filters have plastic end caps. The cheap crap have the end caps glued on.

I remember when Fram had a stop sale on there filters because they were falling apart in the 2.3L engines.