Oil Leak-98 Eclipse GST

[BMG89]

I recently bought a 98 eclipse GST. Looking at the engine i noticed there was oil around the valve cover. Upon removal i found a small pool of oil under the cover. I checked my oil and it was full but it was dark brown. About 4 days later I checked my oil again. It was about an 8th lower than it had been before, the oil was DARK DARK brown (not quite black) and there was a gooey black residue on the end of the dipstick. I also noticed an oil spray on the hood. I lowered the hood and looked and it seems to be coming anywhere from the front of the engine to the fan housing. What can i do to fix this leak and what is going on with the oil. The car is a 98 eclipse gst with 102k miles on it. I bought some Penzzoil Platinum 10W-30 and plan on changing the oil as soon as weather permits.

Also Oil Under The Spark Plug Cover

 

[crimsondragon]

Get a new oil cap.

 

[98eclipsekidd08]

did the dipstick pop out by any chance?

 

[tbonitz301]

Check your feed and return lines for the turbo.oil filter housing too
+1 on the dipstick. if theres oil under the spark plug cover you need a new vc gasketw/spark plug well gaskets. Should all come together for bout 50 bucks

 

[BMG89]

i will check the feed and return lines for the turbo today. also i am going to change my oil that tar residue on the end of the dipstick freaked me out. i wonder what could cause my oil to break down so quickly. it was literally 4 days and it went from dark brown to gooey black. what could cause that beside my engine running super hot

 

[95blackGsTurbo]

Nothing really. Heat is the only thing that will cause oil to lose its viscosity that fast and turn to sludge. I would be suspect to either the dipstick or something on the front of the motor leaking oil.

 

[redtsi252]

You definatly need to change your oil and filter ASAP

 

[BMG89]

ok i cleaned all the spray from the off the hood and valve cover, changed the oil and filter, and checked the lines to the turbo. i drove the car around for about 30min and there are no new visible leaks. my coolant level is on low but i am going to flush the system out tomorrow, that is most likely the heat problem. i will update again tomorrow or as soon as i get my coolant straight.