Pinpointing Oil Leak?

[GSX HP]

I have a small oil leak that needs to be fixed before I sell my car. I know that there is oil all over the bottom of the oil pan... Where should I look for leaks? And what are some common places for leaks? Oil pan gasket maybe?

 

[grnchevyz]

Depending on the location of the oil it could be the oil pan gasket or the Drain Plug itself.

If you can, jack up the car and spray some degreaser under there, wait 5 minutes and hose it off, wipe it clean as best you can, start the car and take a look. You should be able to see where it comes from or at least give you a good idea.

 

[knight007]

they also have stuff at auto zone that you can put in the oil. It shows up under a black light and that should help.

 

[dr1665]

Chances are it's either the oil pan gasket or, if there is oil above that seal, the head gasket. This is most common in the rear of the engine on the driver's side.

Sad to see this turning into the "Help newbies sell their DSMs section" of DSMtuners...

 

[4UH8ERS]

the oil sending unit is known for leaking as well. nothing a little teflon liquid sealant wont cure.

 

[VelocitàPaola]

Sad to see this turning into the "Help newbies sell their DSMs section" of DSMtuners...

I was thinking that too. I wanted to ask Chris if we could make a "no helping members sell their car" rule.

 

[GSX HP]

I'm pretty sure it's the head gasket, same place you mentioned. So pretty much all I need to do is:
-get OEM replacement head gasket and sealant.
-Mark the placement of the cam gears so I make sure that they don't move (or is there a way to hold them in place?)
-Take off the head.
-Repace gasket, putting on sealant.
-Put head back on.

Is that it? The only head I've ever taken off was on a 2-stroke jet-ski, so I need to know any basic think necessary to do this.