Oil leaking on my Neon

What year Neon?

Sorry, it's a 97 Neon. Thanks.

I've had the same problem on my '95 neon. First head gasket blew before they had figured out the MLS gasket, so I'm on my second "bad" gasket.

The car dripped a couple drips a day for over four years, now just recently it has developed a more significant leak and an appetite for coolant, although with no evidence in the engine oil, thankfully. It's sitting in the garage waiting for me to get off my duff, track down a FSM for the car, pick up a six pack, and get to work.

The head gaskets on these cars usually failed with an external leak just like yours due to a bad design. An oil passage in the EGR area on the rear of the block by the brake booster is too close the outside of the block and the gasket is too thin.

You may want to have the tech put some oil dye in the engine and make SURE that it's the head gasket. These cars are also known to leak oil from the cam cover and the cam position sensor. The latter is often confused with a head gasket leak due to its close proximity.

Short answer - as long as you're not mixing oil and coolant and the leak is manageable, you're fine.

Jeff Falkiner

A FIRE!

NO

With motor oil? I could see that if it was leaking gas.

-- Christian

Save Darfur --

Guess again, oil leaking on the exhaust is highly flamable, Acually im surprised this wasnt a recall. the 4 cyl 2.5 had a recall e few years ago with the valve cover gasket/cover that leaked oil and caused fires....Oil is flamable I got news for you

Hmmm. Okay. I'll have to try to set some on fire when I get home and see how easily it's done. I've got to tell you I've seen some engines with more oil on the outside than on the inside that still don't roast.

-- Christian

Save Darfur --

Try pouring some on a hot exhaust manifold. Much hotter than the rest of the engine.

fires....Oil

NO BILL DONT SAY THAT!!!!! I THINK HE WILL DO THAT, damn call the fire department now!!

I had an 87 Plymouth Van with the 3.0 L engine. A seal failed in the Valve cover and dumped oil on the exhaust manifold. Made lots of smoke but no fire. As another poster stated lots of engines get covered with oil and have no issues.

Chance of fire is about same as using Cell phone causing explosion when getting gas. Slim to none.

Only if I can borrow your car. Oil can be messy.

-- Christian

Save Darfur --

You bozos do know that oil doesn't burn, don't you? Ask any fireman, the evaporated fumes ARE flammable, but not the oil itself.

if you pour enough of it on there, it will burn. especially ATF.

nate

SRG wrote:

Actually, hot oil fires are not uncommon. Not terribly common on automobile engines, but industrial hydraulics have their share.

Doesn't matter how much oil there is, only the evaporated fumes will burn, ATF? well, I wouldn't know, but we were'nt talking ATF were we?

When I was in training for a fire dept. I was taken to a county training facility. They used oil pit fires to show trainees line handling. The "pit" was a small pool of water that they opened a valve and let a layer of oil onto. It was explained to us that since oil won't burn, only the oil VAPOR, it took a while for the instructor to get the pit burning. But once started, the heat from the burning vapor created more vapor, which burned making the fire hotter which created more vapor.....etc....etc.

Considering all the leaking valve cover gaskets and head gaskets on all the engines of all brands of cars (Chrysler isn't the only car maker with oil leak problems) you could imagine how bad it would be if oil was flammable like gasoline.

Don't take my word for it, ask a professional fireman, chemistry teacher, etc.

The same thing is true of gasoline as well, does that mean I should ignore fuel leaks?

nate

SRG wrote:

Yeah ok, have it your way, whatever you say......