You're probably familiar with adding oil to your engine or getting routine oil changes. But you might not realize just how important oil is. Engine oil keeps your vehicle running by lubricating, cleaning and cooling the engine. As oil flows around and through your engine components, it clears away debris, reduces friction and keeps the engine cool.
Without enough oil, your engine could seize up, leaving you stranded. So when you notice an oil leak, it's important to address it immediately, even if it seems minor.
The first step to fixing an oil leak is to find out where it's coming from. Sometimes a leak can happen for a very simple reason: You overfilled the oil.
However, if you have a consistent leak or notice your car is going through a lot of oil, you'll want to get to the bottom of where the leak is coming from. Here are the most common sources of leaking oil:
Gaskets provide a seal between two different parts of the engine. They're usually made from steel or aluminum coated in rubber. Many gaskets can last 100,000 miles or more. But over time, the rubber can break down, allowing oil to leak. There are many different gaskets that can contribute to an oil leak, including:
- Valve cover gasket: This rubber gasket sits over the engine cylinders. If you have an oil leak in the valve cover gasket, your spark plugs can fill with oil, which often means the spark plugs will need to be replaced.
- Timing cover gasket: A timing cover gasket, also known as an engine front cover gasket, sits across the front of the engine. The oil here helps lubricate the timing belt, so if this gasket leak isn't fixed quickly, you can risk needing a timing belt replacement.
- Oil pan gasket: This gasket sits between the bottom of the engine and the oil pan, which collects oil as it exits the engine. If this gasket is leaking, you might notice an oil slick on the ground underneath your car, a burning smell or smoke coming from the engine.
As oil moves through the engine, it collects dust and debris. The oil filter removes those contaminants. The oil filter can cause leaks for a few reasons:
- It's dirty. Over time, the filter becomes degraded and dirty, which can clog the filter and cause oil to leak from it.
- It's loose. Pressure can cause the oil filter to become loose, causing an oil leak.
- The cap is missing or damaged. Sometimes filter caps can crack, or oil change technicians forget to put them back on. In this case, you'll need a new cap.
To avoid leaks from the oil filter, change your oil filter at least every other oil change. If you have a leak in between oil changes, check your oil filter (or ask your mechanic to do it for you).
The crankshaft, which rotates inside the engine to help provide power, has two seals: one at the front and one at the rear of the engine. If these seals start to fail, you'll notice an oil leak. Here's what to know about crankshaft seal oil leaks:
- The front crankshaft seal is generally easier to reach, and thus less expensive to replace. If the front crankshaft seal is leaking, you might notice oil toward the front of the motor.
- The rear crankshaft seal is more difficult to access, and thus more expensive to replace. If you have a leak here, you'll notice oil further toward the cab of the car, between the engine and transmission.
Fixing a car oil leak costs about $600 to $1,000. If you're not sure where the leak is coming from, you'll pay about $100 just to diagnose the problem. After that, the price of repairs can vary widely, depending on the root cause of the leak.
Here's a breakdown of what you can expect to pay, depending on where your oil leak is coming from.
| Source of leak |
Approximate parts cost |
Approximate labor cost |
Approximate total cost |
| Valve cover gasket |
$65 |
$175-$220 |
$240-$285 |
| Oil pan gasket |
$120 |
$300-$380 |
$420-$500 |
| Timing cover gasket |
$160 |
$700-$890 |
$860-$1,050 |
| Oil filter change (typically done with an oil change) |
$90 |
$40-$50 |
$130-$140 |
| Oil filter cap replacement |
$10-$50 |
$50 |
$60-$100 |
| Crankshaft seal |
$10-$150 |
$65-$300 |
$75-$450 |
You can see above that oil leak repair costs vary by hundreds of dollars. Here's what can impact the cost:
- The source of the oil leak. Some problems, like a missing fuel cap, are simple fixes with minimal labor costs. Others, like crankshaft seals, are more labor-intensive to fix and therefore more expensive.
- How quickly a mechanic finds the leak. Mechanics charge for their time when they diagnose oil leaks, so the easier it is to find the leak, the less you'll spend on labor for diagnosis.
- Your car's make and model. Large and luxury cars are generally more expensive to work on than other vehicles.
- Labor prices. A lot of the cost of repairing an oil leak is for labor. Save on these costs by asking multiple shops for quotes, or doing the repairs yourself if you're comfortable working on cars.
- Parts prices. Purchasing parts directly from your car's manufacturer will be more expensive than purchasing aftermarket parts. Since seals, gaskets and filters degrade over time, it's typically not a good idea to get used parts to address an oil leak.
- Warranty coverage. Seals and gaskets are typically covered under a powertrain warranty. Always check your coverage before paying for repairs.
An oil leak might seem like a minor issue, but if left untreated, it can cause more costly repairs, from spark plug replacements to major engine rebuilds. The Synchrony Car Care credit card can help you pay for car repairs promptly, keeping you on the road and where you need to be. Apply now.