6 Symptoms of an Oil Pan Gasket Leak
Oil leaks plague most engines at some point as seals wear out. From the engine’s valve cover gasket to the all-important cylinder head gasket, oil leaks can come in many forms. However, few gaskets are as prone to leaking as the oil pan gasket.
This rubber or cork gasket can withstand heat and pressure, but it will eventually fail. Early detection of oil pan leaks reduces significant oil loss and contamination. Let’s take a look at the common symptoms of a leaking oil pan gasket, how much it will cost to replace it, and whether you can keep driving until the problem is fixed.
Oil Pan Gasket Leaking Symptoms
Symptoms associated with a leaking oil pan gasket are common, especially if the leak is relatively severe. Recognizing these symptoms is the first step in identifying and repairing this type of leak. Below are some of the most common symptoms associated with a leaking oil pan gasket:
1) Unexplained Oil Loss
If you check the oil in your car and the engine oil level is lower than expected, oil may be leaking from the engine’s oil pan gasket. A relatively serious oil pan gasket leak can release much more oil than most would expect. This is indicated by the engine oil level gauge.
A low reading on the dipstick doesn’t necessarily indicate that an oil pan leak is the problem, but it does give you an idea that such an issue could potentially be the cause. Therefore, it’s in your best interest to have your vehicle’s oil pan gasket thoroughly inspected.
2) Oil stains on your driveway
Another sign of a possible oil pan leak is the sudden appearance of oil stains on your driveway. This means that your vehicle’s engine has leaked enough motor oil to cover the surface of where it has been parked for an extended period of time.
Often, the relative severity of this leak can be determined by analyzing the size of such spots. Typically, the larger the stain, the more severe this type of leak is (such as a cracked oil pan).
As with the oil leak mentioned above, oil stains on your driveway are not a reliable indicator of the actual source of your car’s oil leak. However, such a situation does raise questions about the integrity of the engine’s various seals, including the oil pan gasket.
3) Burnt Oil Smell
Leaking oil pan gaskets are often accompanied by a burnt oil smell. Unlike the smell of an engine that is actively consuming and burning oil, a damaged oil pan gasket will smell like new oil that has been heated up to the engine’s operating temperature, resulting in a strong odor. This odor is generally stronger the more severe the oil pan gasket leaks.
This “burnt” oil smell occurs when engine oil leaks out of the engine through a defective seal. This oil seeps onto the outside of the engine and becomes very heated, giving off a strong odor that is immediately noticeable to anyone nearby.
4) Oil Layer on Vehicle Undercarriage
When a serious leak occurs in the oil pan gasket, engine oil can spread throughout the vehicle’s undercarriage. This is due to the recoil effects experienced by the vehicle while moving.
As air flows under the vehicle’s undercarriage, it carries the oil that has leaked from a damaged or defective oil pan gasket to the rear. The more severe the leak, the greater the distribution of this oil.
In some cases, this layer of oil on the subfloor can be the cause of the odor mentioned above. As oil passes through your vehicle’s exhaust, it heats up until it produces a noticeable odor. Because your car’s exhaust gases get so hot, this odor is relatively easy to detect.
5) Low Oil Indicator Light
Most modern vehicles are equipped with a low oil indicator light in the instrument cluster that illuminates when there is a significant loss of oil. In many cases, this light will only come on if the engine’s oil level has reached a critically low level.
So if you notice this light coming on, you should stop and park your vehicle as soon as possible. This may save your engine from serious damage.
Though rare, a damaged oil pan gasket can leak enough to cause significant oil loss. In this case, your engine’s oil level may drop at an unprecedented rate and the engine oil level light may come on as mentioned above.
6) Engine Smoke
Leaked oil will burn if heated to significant temperatures, such as those produced by a car engine. A by-product of this heating is often a certain amount of smoke. Therefore, oil leaking from a faulty oil pan gasket or similar can often become very hot, causing noticeable smoke production. This smoke is often a sure sign that there is a significant oil leak.
Furthermore, the smoke produced by an oil pan leak will only increase if that leak causes oil to accumulate in the vehicle’s exhaust. This is because the vehicle’s exhaust is much hotter than most of the engine’s components, accelerating the heating process.
Is an Oil Pan Gasket Leak Serious?
In most cases, a leaking oil pan gasket is considered to be a moderately-serious issue. This is due to the fact that severe oil loss can cause a number of relatively severe issues, including eventual engine damage.
Even if a leak is not yet severe enough to cause such issues, it is only likely to worsen with time. Therefore, a leak of this type should be addressed and remedied as soon as possible.
At the very least, motorists who know that their oil pan gasket is leaking, should carry an extra quart of oil, and check the engine in question’s oil level on a daily basis.
If gone undetected, a substantial loss of engine oil can cause extensive premature engine wear. This wear is irreversible, without subsequent overhaul or rebuild.
Can You Drive With a Leaking Oil Pan Gasket?
You can indeed drive with a leaking oil pan gasket. However, you should be extremely careful in doing so. Upon becoming aware of such a leak, an engine’s oil level should be checked on a daily basis to prevent severe complications. In any event, all oil loss should be rectified by adding the correct amount of engine oil as necessary.
Nonetheless, a leaking oil pan gasket should be replaced as soon as possible, without exception.
What Causes the Gasket to Go Bad?
Oil pan gaskets go bad for a number of reasons, most of which stem from standard wear and tear. Over the course of a vehicle’s life, an engine’s oil pan gasket undergoes a nearly infinite number of heating and cooling cycles. With time, this causes a vehicle’s oil pan gasket to become brittle, which ultimately leads to failure with the passage of enough time.
Another common cause of oil pan gasket leaks is accidental impact. If an oil pan is struck by another object, the seal of the engine’s oil pan gasket is likely to be disturbed, thereby risking leakage. As a general rule, the harder the impact, the more likely a leak becomes.
