Sources of oil on garage floor?

The parts of the drivetrain that contain fluids are the potential sources of stains on the garage floor. These potential sources of leaks are the transmission, power steering system, cooling system, and the engine lubrication system. Oil can leak from the lubrication system in a number of places, including the oil pan, oil filter, valve cover gaskets, heads, oil pressure senders, diswtributor shafts, front and rear seals, etc.

If oil is leaking on to the floor, then I would be concerned and check the source of the leak. If the oil is leaving a damp spot on the side of the block, valve cover, etc., then I'd keep an eye on it but not worry too much.

Yes, yes, and it depends on the brands.

Thanks Ray for another thoughtful answer. Almost hate to ask but which would be known as better or worse brands? What did they change to get better? j

Since you are asking in a Toyota ng, the majority of regular posters here will say that Toyota is the best brand. One will prefer Honda or Chrysler, one will prefer Ford, and one will say that the quality of all cars are the same.

You can study Consumer Reports or J.D. Power surveys to see short and long term reliability, and you can ask an independent mechanic what vehicle he would buy if he was in the market, based on what he fixes. I would use the information a little differently than most people. In addition to checking out which automakers have the most models that are highly recommended or with the fewest number of problems, I'd also check out which automakers have the most models that are not recommended or have a lot of problems. For example, if Mega Auto's Green Apple model was highly rated but their Golden Delicious model was problematic, then I'd worry about the quality of the products from Mega Auto.

All automakers make improvements to their products over time, so I'd expect all of them to perform better over their lifetime than 10 or 20 years ago.

You are asking about oil on the floor, but seem to associate this with the oil itself. Me thinks that oil on the floor is more a function of gaskets and seals than of the oil ...

The question isn't if the oil has changed -- it has changed remarkably, but not in ways that keep it from leaking -- but if gaskets and seals have changed.

Don't forget the differential(s).

Whoa, Ray. I think the question was about the quality of oil, not the quality of cars in general. I could be wrong, but I think that his concern was if oil was less prone to leakage today than in years past.

good call - plus, transfer cases if so equipped, brake system, transmission and/or power steering coolers, washer system, etc.

I interpreted the question about cars because the question was "Are the 2006 and newer models expected to perform better over a lifetime than cars made say 10 or 20 years ago? In other words has there been any significant change in technology - or/and is there a real difference between brands?"

I provided a response to those questions, and the poster submitted the question about better or worse brands, which I took to mean auto brands, not oil brands.

To most of us oil is just by weight period. My concern are those engines that the engineers never finished designing such as at least one by GM that requires ground up walnut shells (from real nuts!) in the cooling water - "to prevent leakage of water into the engine oil". Clearly a piss poor mechanical and gasket design resulting in countless blown engines. GM transmission seals may also require a 2k rebuild at an early age. Been there- done that. I'm sure every joint or mating surface can or will leak sooner or later under some circumstances. Rather than a long listing of those - are there some - say the top five places that oil starts to leak when the car matures? Are there patterns of these problems with certain Toyota models? joe

PS good to see GM car sales (April) down by about 11.5% today and Toyota up by about 4.5% - they have earned that.

Our 97 Avalon has 110,000 miles, the area below the valve cover gasket is a little oil stained but not dripping yet.

The FIPG on our '93 Previa started to get a little damp around 90,000 miles, didn't start dripping.

Our '03 Sequoia with 36,000 miles and our '00 LS 400 with 80,000 miles are bone dry.

No other leaks.

I am blissfully unaware of ANY corporate requirement of putting walnut shells into anything. I do not deny that grandpa might have done such things, or that I did them when needed. But this was not the corporate line.

GM transmission seals

Oh, NOW I get it, you're on a rant against GM. Sorry to jump in. I thought you were wondering about oil spots on the floor.

Grasshopper, This is provided in pellet form at every Cadillac dealer. The ingredient is as stated - as hard as it is to believe. This is what one does when mating surfaces are not adequate and seals can not do the job. Pick up the phone and call your local GM Cadillac dealer. Failure to use 'pellets' will no doubt void any warranty. j

Grasshopper, This is provided in pellet form at every Cadillac dealer. The ingredient is as stated - as hard as it is to believe. This is what one does when mating surfaces are not adequate and seals can not do the job. Pick up the phone and call your local GM Cadillac dealer. Failure to use 'pellets' will no doubt void any warranty. j

PS I believe I can get you a part number if the ***** dummy up on you.

To most of us oil is just by weight period.

The first use of walnut shells in a mechanical device I heard of was in aircraft engines because the shells effectively "blasted" the carbon off while being consumed in the engine.

The next use I heard of was at BMW dealerships to remove carbon buildup on valves.

Toyota used them for derivability problems in mid-1980's Tercels.

Yes, I'm also familiar with this use Ray...the shells are (as you say) hard and abrasive enough to clean the carbon and dirt off both the compressor and the turbine blades while not damaging them and then are burned up later...

Hmmm..... "hard and abrasive" sounds like some of the regulars in this ng ;-)