oil leak after oil change?

[rina80]

I just took my 2000 honda civic in for an oil change on Friday. Over the weekend started noticing oil on the driveway. Tested out all the cars by leaving newspapers under them, and it's unfortunately mine!! Any chance the oil change caused the leak? Or is it just a coincidence??
Any advice?

[FastFokker]

Tighten the drain bolt/plug.

Hopefully that's all it is.

[rina80]

Unfortunately don't know anything about cars, so going to take it back to my mechanic...just want to be sure he doesn't try to sell me on some major repairs if it was really something he screwed up on/forgot.

[FastFokker]

Not to sound snippy, but if you don't know anything, why are you asking us for advice?

Just throw on some junk clothes, slide under the car with a wrench or socket set and find the drain plug and tighten it.. really simple and will take a matter of say 3minutes.

[chicadam]

Not to sound snippy, but if you don't know anything, why are you asking us for advice?

Just throw on some junk clothes, slide under the car with a wrench or socket set and find the drain plug and tighten it.. really simple and will take a matter of say 3minutes.

Not necessarily. The washer for the plug may not have been put or the washer was not replaced during the oil change.

[ichpen]

Not necessarily. The washer for the plug may not have been put or the washer was not replaced during the oil change.

Probably a good idea to buy a new drain plug. I'm a big fan of spending 50 cents on a new plug with every oil change. Obviously to the OP, try tightening it first and check for leaks as switching it will mean you will drain most of the oil and have to fill up again.

[FastFokker]

Not necessarily. The washer for the plug may not have been put or the washer was not replaced during the oil change.Well I mean, it could be something completely worse than just a loose drain plug, but my suggestion seems like a reasonable and logical first try.

It takes nothing to get under the car and do a quick check to see if the plug is tight or not. If it's tight, while you're under the vehicle, with a light you may be able to see where the oil is actually coming from.. hopefully it's not coming from up higher than the pan.

[mrfrostyman]

hopefully it is just that. They could have put the oil filter on wrong or the oil cap so it is leaking from there but normally you would get an oil warning indication because of it. I would agree with the people here and it probably isnt anything major. Just make sure you check your oil levels and make sure your topped up(nothin worse than running low on oil).

[mau108]

if its comming from one side of teh car , on hondas I believe the oil drain bolt is on the driver side , then just tighten the bolt. Just make sure next time the mechanic changes the washer.

No need to replace the bolt unless it is the bolt that is leaking even after tightening.

If it is the bolt, go on ebay and pick your self up a magnetic drain bolt (has a magnetic tip to it so it collects anything the filter might miss and will keep your oil free of large debris).

[Pete_Coach]

The mechanic may have been a slob and when he relpaced the filter, he did not clean the work area and some residual oil is dripping off the area it collected on. If the "leak" lessens after a few days, it is probably just the mess he left behind. Check your oil levels for the next couple of days and see if it gets lower. The check engine or oil level light will come on before you are out of oil. If it comes on, immediately pull over and check the oil, it will probably not be visible on the dipstick but perhaps you can drive a few blocks to a service station.

[bionicbadger]

also if you changed from natural to synthetic oil, you might "discover" new "leaks"

[Pete_Coach]

also if you changed from natural to synthetic oil, you might "discover" new "leaks"
absolutley 100% wrong.

[masterballer]

absolutley 100% wrong.


*thumbs up*

happened to my civic like 2 days ago after my oil change, 50 cent and no more leaks. :D

[BuddyGuy]

The rear-main seal just went on my 99 Civic... so take a look underneath your car and see if its wet near the transmission side.

[MasZakrY]

I'd cross my fingers that the mechanic didn't crossthread the drain plug or else it'll cost a whack of change for a new oil pan if they dont claim responsibility. There are "universal" drain plugs that come in two sizes which expand to fit, so make sure you didn't get stuck with one of those if the threads did indeed become damaged.

[NuSpeed]

check to make sure the old rubber gasket from the old filter isn't stuck, sometimes it comes off, and when you screw in your new filter it causes a leak.

[CRXGSR]

Not to sound snippy, but if you don't know anything, why are you asking us for advice?

Just throw on some junk clothes, slide under the car with a wrench or socket set and find the drain plug and tighten it.. really simple and will take a matter of say 3minutes.

okay guys, well rina80 already mentioned he/she doesn't know anything about cars, and you want him/her to go under the car? First, you gotta know what you're looking for. 2nd, you need tools: jack/jackstands/creeper/17mm wrench.

If you don't have either, just bring it back and they'll check it for free.

[FastFokker]

Well if you're too big to slide under the car without jacking it, then I guess don't bother.. I presumed the OP could fit, which was probably a mistake.

I can fit under my car without a jackstand, jack or creeper. It's a squeeze, but if I was only checking for the tightness of the drain plug, it wouldn't be that bad.

In any event.. I guess take it back to whereever you went, though if they screwed it up the first, do you really want them to attempt to fix their mistakes?