Hello all.

I recently did the 2nd engine oil and filter change on my 2007 Journey.

I use mobile 1 full synthetic, about 5.3 quarts, and a new filter. This is every 10k miles.

After I got the annoying splash guard off (about 16 screws later) I noticed that it has dried, debried oil on it. When looking at the pics I included you will see I have cleaned much of this oil off, for example, the pic of the electronic device, which I am not sure what it does, was completely black and covered. You will noticed I wiped it off from the surrounding area as well.

My question is, what do you think is happening?

It seems to definitely be the engine oil, but in the 10k I have driven since the previous oil change, I have only had to add maybe a little under 1/4 quart. I did notice this black tarry paste under it on the last oil change, so whatever it is has been happening since I purchased the car.

What I did was clean off the splash guard of all the oil so its perfectly clean and in 10k I will see how much new has accumulated.

Is this a known issue? Likely some seal somewhere I would assume.

I dunno, let me know what you think.

_Michael

 

do you get oil spots on your driveway or garage? is the oil filter above that connector?

 

Good questions.

No, there is no oil anywhere I park. If anything it must leak so slowly that it only gets captured in the splash guard.

The oil filter is on the opposite side of that connector, and it is about the same height. I have also noticed this caked on oil even higher than the oil filter also, leading me to think it either gets splashed up somehow, or the leak is higher than even the oil filter/oil pan.

_Michael

 

check your block for dried on leaks. head gaskets and what not. it might be a leak from the oil pan. maybe it only leaks when under higher oil pressure. don't know. just be sure to check your oil level frequently and check in a few thousand miles see if it accumulated again.

 

Put some dye in your engine to help isolate the source of the leak man.

It does look like it's coming from the pan though. But, once you get going at highway speeds the air could move the oil around quite a bit.

 

Maybe the oil cooler gasket is leaking? That can cause oil to go everywhere at least on my car it did.

Do you know if any work was done on the pan prior to purchasing it? I have to redo my pan cause the RTV I used wasn't a good enough seal and has a small leak.

 

I don't feel obligated to advise any member that only changes their oil/filter every 10K miles! You do need help but not the kind we offer on Driver to members that care about what they drive...leak on!
Gary

 

Funny, I can't remember twisting your arm to get you on this thread.

 

I am the 4th owner of this car, but the previous owner told me that he never had any work done on anything other than normal maintenance.

Specifically, is the oil cooler located in that pic I have on here? The oil pan itself actually didn't have all that much oil on it which leads me to believe it's falling from a little higher up and maybe gets splashed around.

Since I am the 4th owner its hard to know what went on before I bought it. I wasn't sure if this is a one-off situation or if maybe Nissan had used a cheap seal and other people had this issue. Thanks for the direction on this one.

_Michael

 

The oil cooler is actually the thing that the filter screws on. Between the cooler and engine there is a rubber gasket that usually leaks. It's a 10 dollar part and can be changed relatively easily at your next oil change. Mine was leaking and oil would be all over the bottom of the engine.

Just need a deep socket 22mm to unbolt it, pull out the old gasket, oil the new gasket, and then put it back on.

 

Ahhhh ok yeah I know what you are talking about. When I removed the filter I checked the seal on the filter itself to see if it was ripped or damaged or anything and it was fine, still lubricated and solid.

I can definitely check on that part next oil change. Like I said it only leaks a tiny bit of oil, less than a 1/2 quart in 10k miles and has been leaking since before I had the car (although I feel like it will only get worse as the seal composition continues to break down) but it is something I would like to fix.

Any idea what specifically I would look for to see if it was leaking? Am I just looking for fluid itself coming out of there or will I see a rip/tear/degradation that is visible without completely removing the piece?

Thanks again for the info!

_Michael

 

You can't really tell by looking at it. I would spray the whole area with brake parts cleaner (minus electrical connectors) to get the surface cleaned. On mine it was a slow leak and would accumulate on and around the cooler.

On my car at least it looked like the gasket actually shrunk in size, so it wasn't giving it a perfect seal. It has some play in the grooves between the cooler and engine block and when I put the new one on it was completely snug.

 

I might have the same issue. Well i only noticed my oil leaking after my under tray broke due to the snowfall we had in Nyc over the past two months. So my car was in the garage without an under tray and after letting the car idle after starting, i notice a few drops of oil under the oil pan area. So i figured it must have been happening before but since the undertray was still there, it would drip on it and i wouldn't know. so i go to inspect my damaged under tray and see alot of dried up oil on the tray. Will take a look to see what is the cause of my oil leak and update.

 

Hello Goalomeri.

Are you having to add oil to your motor, or is it leaking slow enough that you do not notice it?

Also, did you have the oil spray around the whole undercarriage like mine or was it relatively isolated to the splash guard?