Engine Oil Leak Tip If Your Engine Leaks Oil After an Oil Change

We’ve all heard and/or experienced cases of where a quickie lube service tech goofed by either forgetting to tighten the oil pan drain plug or some similar repair and maintenance failure that led to a damaged engine.

Related article: The Most Common Damage Dealership Mechanics Will Do to Your Car

Unfortunately, these kinds of mishaps happen all the time and are usually easily figured out regarding the how and why of it.

But what about those cases where you know the tech did something wrong, but can’t figure out just what it was?

Case in Point: A mystery oil leak following an oil change.

A Hidden Oil Leak After an Oil Change

That was the topic of a recent Ford Boss Me YouTube channel episode where the owner of a 2014 Chevy Volt brought in his car to a mechanic following an oil change (presumably at one of those quickie oil service stations) that led to an oily mess under the vehicle with the definite odor of burning oil.

Your first guess or two would naturally be that either the oil drain plug was not tightened, and oil was dripping out and spreading everywhere while driving; or, that the oil filter was either too loose and leaking, or too tight (which would crush the oil seal) and also result in oil leaking.

However, a little investigation while the engine is off might reveal neither of the problems appears to be the cause of the oil leak.

But what if you turn the engine on and look for the leak in the suspected areas?!

Putting on Your Deerstalker Cap

To “the untrained eye” as old hands often joke about to younger mechanics, while running the engine and looking for the leak would have worked in deciphering the problem, it turns out a closer look at the new oil filter would reveal the cause and even make Sherlock Holmes proud: some small scratches and a slight pinpoint puncture of the filter from using a pair of pliers or similar tool to improperly tighten the oil filter.

Follow along with the host of this short video and learn a valuable lesson why oil filters should only be applied by hand. But if you do use a tool to tighten an oil filter slightly, why you should never use a tool that was not meant for applying an oil filter. In other words the cardinal sin of any garage when using the wrong tool for any repair.

This Oil Change Almost Cost This Customer an Engine and A lot Of Stress

For additional service center related mishaps, here are a few for your consideration:

• Oil Change Failures: Expect the Unexpected
• Toyota Care Dealership Service Center Mistakes
• Oil Change Customer Sued for Death in Car Service Center Incident

Timothy Boyer is an automotive reporter based in Cincinnati. Experienced with early car restorations, he regularly restores older vehicles with engine modifications for improved performance. Follow Tim on  “Zen and the Art of DIY Car Repair” website, the Zen Mechanic blog and on Twitter at @TimBoyerWrites  and Facebook for daily news and topics related to new and used cars and trucks.

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Image source: Deposit Photos