oil leak

[montrealwest]

hello,
i have just bought my very first car. being short of money (and knowing that winter will come soon here in montreal), i decided to cheap out and instead of getting e more recent car on financing i decided to buy a grand prix.
mine is a 2004, in red, GT trim. it has a whopping 360,000km on it (about 220k miles, i think), but it looks alright. only a tiny bit of rust, and the only things that don't work are the AC (useless in winter anyway) and the radio LCD.
i paid a lousy 700 bucks.

however, it has now started to leak oil, a mere two days after i bought it. i cannot really tell where the oil is coming from, except "from the middle somewhere"... which really rather sucks.
i pulled out the dipstick, and it shows the oil level in between the two holes in the stick, is that enough?
i took the oil cap off after a 2 minute drive, and steam slowly rose... is that normal? the gauge shows temps are in the middle, but can i really trust that gauge?

i am not going to spend a ton of money fixing a car i won't keep longer than 6 months anyway, so any help or ideas on how to fix this on the cheap is greatly appreciated.

[dsmuts]

How much is it leaking? Like a big puddle?

[montrealwest]

i'd say a can of coke has leaked in maybe 30 minutes

[montrealwest]

the really bad part is that i actually like the rest of the car... i mean, i bought it a s a winter beater, but my 6'4" frame fits it perfectly and i like the design now... damnit lol

[Scottydoggs]

on the pass side more? probably the oil pressure sensor. its like 12 bucks to replace.

car running, turn the wheels all the way left, them look from the back of the front tire, find the oil filter, then look to its left for a sensor with a green plug, thats the oil pressure sensor, if its leaking oil will be dripping from the green plug.

[dsmuts]

Just sitting there not running? Are you sure it's oil?

[montrealwest]

so i jut went outside to take a picture, and the leak appears to actually have stopped. very strange. i will report back later to see if it happens again, or if maybe there simply was a bit too much oil in there somewhere?

[Scottydoggs]

im 6'6" and fit just fine in my regal. i do have the drivers seat laid out like a lazy boy recliner tho lol

[montrealwest]

thanks for teh advice; and well, it is a fluid the color and consistency of cooking oil, so i think the old owner maybe put too much in... or could be it from the power steering?

[Scottydoggs]

so i jut went outside to take a picture, and the leak appears to actually have stopped. very strange. i will report back later to see if it happens again, or if maybe there simply was a bit too much oil in there somewhere?

oil pressure sensor olny leaks when the car is running pretty much, check that thing out.


and oil on the dip stick should be @ the full line. or a dot or 2 lower is ok.

[montrealwest]

i took some pics outside just now. the oil level is in fact at five dots (dunno why i said two before).
the leak seems to coming from the left side of the engine, but has stopped now.

[montrealwest]

here's a better shot, the forum says i cannot post it because i have exceeded my quota...
http://postimg.org/image/vzkzff6s1/

[Scottydoggs]

looks like the front valve cover is leaking. in this pic there if you look to the right under the coils its real wet looking there.





take a rag or paper towle, wipe under the valve cover bottom lip, see if its wet with oil.

[dsmuts]

Yeah likely valve covers leaking. I'd do both of them.

[montrealwest]

http://postimg.org/image/5biglh91n/
http://postimg.org/image/x4jzj03d5/

there does seem to be oil, it isn't wet anymore, but there seems to be quite a bit, maybe accumulated over time.

[montrealwest]

and how much is it to fix that, if it is the valve covers?

[Scottydoggs]

to do yourself, recommended way to go here, 60 to 75 for the new gaskets and grommets. thats for a felpro set. dont think id try another brand.

at a shop could be 200 or more, depending on the shop.

[montrealwest]

well that's not too bad... thanks for your help! in the meantime, i assume i can drive the car, as long as i top up the oil?

[dsmuts]

Be careful because oil is flammable and it's leaking onto the front manifold which is very hot.

[Scottydoggs]

truth is that can catch fire and bye bye new used car.

so fix it asap.