Shawn S

I was changing my oil today and noticed this after jacking the car up.
Oil level is checked regularly and it’s never gone down.
Power steering and brake fluid are fine as well.
No stains on the garage floor.

Any idea what this is and where it might be coming from?
It’s a 2006 coupe, Z51 with just over 8,000 miles.

huillery

looks to me that when taking the filter off it dripped down l wouldnt worry about it maybe take a look in a couple days if it changes.

Shawn S

This picture was taken before I changed the oil.
Last change was at the dealer last spring at 1,500 miles.

Vet

If nothing is dripping and you see no spots on your garage floor, you don't have a "leak".

If you are concerned, jack up the car, spray some degreaser on and around the oil pan and surrounding area and rinse with a hose... in other words, clean off any existing oil stain / residue. Then re-check after about... oh, say a hundred or a few hundred miles. If you see another big oil stain at that point, try to trace where the oil is coming from... get a good flashlight and investigate.

It could potentially be the oil filter. Or, it could even be an old stain from when someone had added oil to the crankcase and spilled some down the side. The stain does appear to be on the right side of the engine, and that's where the filler hole is... most likely just an old spill.

Or... unless that's not engine oil and is some other oil, like from the PS system or something... again, get your flashlight and look hard at everything under there... and on top too.

JmpnJckFlsh

It looks like it could be a rear seal leak...note that you have leakage out of the starter mount. A rear seal leak wouldn't explain how it got so far forward on the pan...unless you're parking nose downhill somewhere and the leakage ran down the pan rail.

If it's a rear seal leak, it isn't going to get better, but it may get worse. The decision to take it in and let the dealer techs check it out will depend on your anxiety threshold versus the annoyance of an oil drip on your garage floor. If you're going to take it in, better do it before the warranty runs out.

Shawn S

I have an appointment at the dealer this week for my state inspection.
I’m going to have them look at it before I clean it up.
That way it’s on record if it gets worse in the future.

As for past spilled oil during the last change, I definitely thought of that.
Last year when I let the dealer do it they did slop up the plastic fuel rail cover a bit during the fill up.
Maybe that’s when it happened and it finally worked its way down to the pan.
The spot on the starter does concern me though.

AFVETTE

2 weeks ago when I installed a new X-pipe I noticed a similar stain. My car doesn't leak, drip, smoke or use any oil. I guess it's one of those unexplained "normal" Corvette things we have to live with.

Tom

Miaugi

JmpnJckFlsh

If you know they spilled oil on the fuel rail cover, I believe I would just use some lacquer thinner to completely remove as much of the stain as I could, then wait to see if the leakage comes back. If it IS a leak, it shouldn't take long for it to come back. If you plan to do your own oil changes in the future, you can avoid spillage.

The problem with having the techs look at it now is that they have experience, but their eyes aren't any better than yours. If he sees the same thing I'm seeing, he could make the same diagnosis unless he knows about the oil spillage. The only way he's going to be able to confirm a leaking seal is take the car apart, and depending on his workload, he may have a vested interest in finding a leaking seal when the only problem was a slouthful oil change.

Although the starter stain looks like motor oil, it may be unrelated.

02impactblue

It looks exactly like mine. It was like that when I did my first oil change and I couldn't find a leak anywhere. I have had it over a year and never lost a drop of oil or any other fluids. I never find anything on the garage floor or any moisture on the stained area. The car has been ran hard since the day I bought it (hpde, autox) and its still not leaking. Let us know if you find anything.

weathermaker

My guess is" spilled while adding oil." Doesn't look like it is wet enough to get on your finger. Don't worry about it.

JVM225

VET4LES

This is what I found about 6 months ago when changing the oil and filter. I cleaned it off and today there is about a 3" spot near the front and it is not growing. The dealer put some dye in the oil and I will take it back before my next oil change to see if it's leaking. I think some oil was spilled top side during installation or assembly of the engine. Only time will tell.

Bad Kitty

This is pretty wierd

I noticed the same thing on my 05 Z51 mn6 yesterday

I did an oil change for the first time since I ve owned it and saw the same stain

Its dry and no evidence of any leakage or oil film or anything

Ive got 6900 miles on mine

??????

crabman

Clean it with some degreaser. Spray it on and let it sit. Rinse with a hose. Looks like you might not even have a leak but you wont know until you clean it. A little slop during an oil change can cover a lot of area and its surprising how far it can travel.

Shawn S

I am definitely going to clean it up good, but not until the dealer has a chance to look at and document the potential problem.
And they’re only getting permission to LOOK for a leak and not DISASSEMBLE anything.

Then I’ll keep a close eye on the fluid levels and any future mysterious spots.

Shawn S

By the way…..THIS is what happened last year at the dealer and the reason I changed it myself this time.
And probably the source of the stain.
They didn’t even have the courtesy to wipe up the spill off the fuel rail cover.

Shawn S

I had the car at the dealer today for the state inspection and I mentioned the oil stain.
The put it on the lift, cleaned it up and made record of the stain.
They said to keep an eye on it and watch the fluid levels.
If it returns, they want to put dye in the oil and se if they can trace its orientation point.

For the most part they weren’t real concerned. Big surprise huh

At least they didn’t find a major problem.

NVR LAT

I also just found this problem on my '05. Just like you, I don't find any drops on the garage floor and the level never goes down. It was however determined to be the oil pan gasket that is leaking. This is no easy fix because the front suspension must be dropped to change it. I have been "discussing" this situation with corporate Chevrolet for about a week now. GM agrees it is a warranty situation, but I'm afraid to take it to the local Dealer because of the inept service (and management) people that work there. The only good mechanic they had is working at an independent garage now. He can fix it, but GM won't pay for it.

Has anybody in my area had any dealings with some of the Dealers north or south of me (Vero, Cocoa, Titusville, etc.)?

z06Bigbird

As long as it is not wet, you don't need to worry. I don't need to worry because I am not paying the bills.

Ed