VI Rep

I read numerous threads and changed from the original oil changes at the dealership to Mobil 1 synthetic oil with a pureolater pure on oil filter. The auto zone tech said that this was their best filter. To make a long story short my car has an oil leak that it NEVER had before!!! WHAT should I do to correct this issue!?!?! My car is a 2000 GS 300 only has 51,440 miles on it. My car is too new to have this problem. Can anyone tell me how to correct this. The leak does not seem bad but a drop or two a day will make the car run out of oil quickly!!!

PHML

iTrader: (33)

Check the oil filter....I hope you hand tightened it. If you over tighten it, it make cause a leak.

Drain plug...make sure its tight.

mtsao

Vi, sorry to hear about your problem. Please see the thread below in reference to synthetic oils. There are lots of threads discussing it, but this one happens to be one I started as a new owner and I learned quite a bit from everyone.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...&highlight=oil

To make a long story short, your seals were probably not in perfect shape, so when you switched over to synthetic it was able to get past the seals and/or dislodge oil sludge that had kept conventional oils from passing through.

Also, this shouldn't have anything to do with your leak (unless it's coming from the area of the filter), but you're probably better off using original Lexus oil filter (a search will bring up tons of user opinions to back this up).

Off the top of my head, an immediate way to correct the leak would be to replace the seals...or go back to conventional oils, BUT I would wait for others to comment as to the wisdom of going back and forth between synthetic and dino.

Good luck.
Mike

mtsao

Thanks PHML--I forgot the obvious.

steviej

iTrader: (1)

go back to a quality 10W-30 dino oil (try a high mileage formula to help bring a little life back into the seals if they are the problem). If the leak stops, problem solved and the high mileage formula won't hurt.

Just change the dino oil and filter every 3000 miles.

steviej

Lexmexico

One thing you might want to try is a slightly heavier weight synthetic oil. I know friends down here in Mexico who switched over to synthetic had leaks, went to a higher weight for 6,000 KM (about 3,600 miles), then switched back to their normal weight in a synthetic. Leaking stopped immediately.

In addition, pre-fill the oil filter with a little oil inside and around the edges of the filter to give a tighter seal.

VI Rep

I checked the garage today and the leak was only 1 drop. Do you think that I should stick with it?!? May be they did not put oil on the filter which made the seal penatrable. A lot of users on the board do not use the original lex filter. I just wanted to upgrade since my car is fairly new and I want it to be in great shape for the trade in for the new body style when it is released. I will look at the discharge and if the leak subside I will keep what I have but if it does not I will try the lex original filter the next time. I was told that I can not change back to the original oil or it will leak worsen.

Thanks for the input.

mtsao

VI Rep, Where is the one drop coming from? Did you make sure as others have suggested that filter and drain bolts are properly tightened? At any rate, it's unlikely that non-Lexus filter is what's causing the leak--I mentioned the filter simply because lots of us think it's a good filter. Was the nylon washer for the drain plug replaced as well?

I think whoever told you that you can't go back to conventional oil or you risk causing the leak to be worse is simply misinformed. If leaks arise or worsen due to a switch from dino to synthetic,all else being equal, at worst the leak will remain, NOT get worse.

Mike

Lexmexico

I second that, there will be no problem if you got back to dino oil.

parula

VI- when the motor is cool enough so you don't get burned, locate the leak, feel the bottom of the filter, the drain plug. Especially check around the engine and the suspension - if you dripped oil on these they may "leak" oil for a few days then it will subside. I haven't had a drop in 4k after a little dripped from the suspension first day or two after the change- yuk. Wipe off the suspension where it feels oily if you made as much of a mess as I did on mine! Try the slow drain method someone else recommended on a thread here.

duster

About 50 % of the time when the dealership changes my oil, I get a minor drip for a few days.

It ALWAYS goes away.

VI Rep

I noticed that the leak has subsided. I do not know what the hell happenned. I changed the oil at the dealership and never had any type of leak. Now it seems that the car had to adapt to the new oil at the Non dealership shop. I will go under the car but "ISABEL" has nocked power out for the past four days! As soon as power is back and I get time I will make sure everything is fine under the car. I want to keep the synthetic oil becase I think that it helps the car since it is a better oil. I switched in a 95 maxima that I had I I ran it to 201, 000 miles without problems at all!!!! Thanks and I will let you know what I see under the car!!