Oil leak?
 

Hey guys,

I have a quick question. Today, my dad noticed that when I left the driveway, he saw what was like two dark stains. Upon investigating further, he said it was oil. I thought that was ridiculous because it's a new car, well new to me, it's a 2005 RX-8, plus I checked the oil level last week, and it was full. So I checked myself and those two dark stains were there, but I couldn't get any on my finger because it appeared to be dry. Anyway, I moved my car to another spot on the driveway tonight, and I will check for leaks tomorrow morning and also I'll check the oil levels as well.

My question to you guys....has this happened to you guys before? I know it's not normal to leak oil, or could it be another sort of fluid that is leaking? Do these cars usually do this kind of stuff, like are leaks popular, and if so, is it expensive, and can I get it under warranty, cuz I still have warranty.

Please let me know what you guys think. Thanks and God Bless you all.

Ben.

Yes, it should be under warrenty.

Check if your drain plug is on tight or over torqued.


thats the only thing i can think of.

If it's leaking from the seals of the oil pan.

It's under warranty...so no worries.

Thanks for your help dude. I checked under the car today, but I didn't find any significant oil leak. However, when I pulled the dipstick out, I got weird readings. The first reading showed that I was half-full on oil, pulling the dipstick out again (and every time after that showed a white, creamy looking substance mixed with the oil. I took some pics of this, so please let me know what you guys think, cuz I have never seen this before? TO be quite exact, it looks like root beer (you know the brown stuff for the oil and the white foamy stuff for the creamy white substance).

http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/c...n/DSC00033.jpg

http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/c...n/DSC00032.jpg

Please let me know what you guys think, and if this is something that I should be concerned about?

I also purchased two bottles of Castrol GTX 5W-20 oil. I only filled one bottle, I'm assuming 1L and kept the other one. Should I fill both if it was half full, or is one enough?

The frothing that you see is referenced in a TSB article. It is something that happened to older model 8's. I think there are many articles on this site referring to that "problem" but it really isn't such a big deal. Other than looking weird, the white foam does not harm the car. Search and you will find...

That's two on the white froth for this Winter.
28 more to go and I win! Woot!

Really eh? Wow, I didn't know that was a common problem. I'll try searching around for the post on it.

Yeah, sorry........it is sort of known to happen, mainly in colder temps.
If you can't find any threads, let me know and I find them Don't just use the word "oil", use more than that.

Here is one............... https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...ht=foam+in+oil

I used advanced search and the words "Foam in oil"

There are documented cases of leaky transmission seal. If you search the tech forums, you'll find discussions on it. Basically if you drive long distance, the transmission bell housing expand at a different rate than the engine block, leading to gasket failure.

Okay so I researched the posts, and everyone says it's normal and there's no harm done to the car with this problem. So climacus, according to what you're saying, it sounds like it would be a problem to the car? I'm confused. Should I ask Mazda to do something about it as I do have warranty?

I think you should asked Mazda to confirm what the problem is.

So I went to Mississauga Mazda this morning and they confirmed that it was normal and I shouldn't worry about it, as it happens only in cold temperatures. So I'm relieved thanks to God! :)

Sorry which issue are you talking about? White residual on the dipstick in cold weather is normal. Leaking oil out of the bottom of your car is not. Unfortunately (as you will find out) you will not get any help from the idiotic Mazda dealerships in the GTA on anything more complicated than a simple oil change. We pretty much have to help each other out on this message board when something goes wrong.

I think you should lighten up a bit ChristInBen and start enjoying your car. You're going to stress yourself out with all the little things this car (like any other car) does. I'd save your stress for the big things :D:

The white residual on the dipstick is apparently normal as per the Mazda dealership. The possible oil leak (I'm not sure if the oil leak still exists) of course is not, which they are taking another look when I take it in again.

Lol, thanks buddy, I probably needed that! :) I'm really loving this car, and I want everything that needs to be done, to be done before the warranty (80,000km bumper-to-bumper) runs out in March of 2008. I guess that's why I'm a bit on edge with little issues, cuz you guys know Mazda, or any dealership for a fact loves to charge! lol :P But yeah, I love this car, and thanks to God I enjoy every second I drive this car! :)

So I checked with the dealership today and they confirmed that the oil leak was there, but very small. The dealership I bought the car from apparently didn't tighten the but very well, but they tightened it for me and it should be all good! :) Thanks again and God Bless.

Was it the drain plug I told you about, that wasn't torqued properly?

I believe so, it should be on my invoice, to be quite honest, I had to run to work so I left really quickly, but I will be checking my invoice when I file it. Now, I'm gonna be extra careful to have them check after an oil change! lol :) Are any of you guys careful after an oil change as well?

Yeah....I do my own! And then I look underneath the car every day for a few days to make sure it's not leaking. After that, it's just every so often I will look and see if there is any spotting or an increase in oil usage beyond normal.