Ok so my mechanic fixed the exhaust, PO had a ghetto clamp fix and they welded a piece of pipe in. BUT they said that the head gasket is causing the oil leak. The guy that played with it said its on its original gasket and its almost at 170k mi! He said that the heads tend to warp so if he takes it off and its warped it might not help. My guys are great but I dont want to spend tons on it if I dont need to.

Someone told me oil wont leak from a head gasket just coolant. You all know neons better than him is he right? The leak still isnt bad but I think If I fix it and keep up on maintenance it will be good for a year or more. It was just a $500 beater (not in good shape but starts right up and keeps going ) but if she can save for that much longer she wont need a car loan for a jeep.

Thanks guys and gals!

 

If you got the car up on jack stands and get under it and look, oil always goes down. so if you see oil up by where the exhaust manifold bolts to the engine, I suggest it's the valve cover, it's very rare to see oil leak from the head gasket. It could also be dirty power steering fluid(rare chance). The reservoir is right there in the back bolted to the motor. Make sure after you look, to wipe everything clean, After about 100 or so miles, I'd put it back on stands and take a second look. You should be able to distinguish exactly were the leak is then.

 

without the MLS head gasket, oil is the most common fluid leaking on the Neon.
the leak usualy happens in the rear of the gasket. Depending on the severity of the leak, you may smell burnt oil.

 

Look for the leak bro. your engine should be dry... shouldnt have anything wet on the outside of it. if you have any kind of fluid leak it will show on the engine, oil and PS fluid will most the time stay wet, take your air filter housing out, look on the back of the engine, look all over the engine for that fact of the matter....

for instance, if you blow a head gasket, you should see oil from the gasket down on the engine, but the head will still be dry....

but i promise if you blown a head gasket you would know... and i do agree, i havnt seen oil spew from a head gasket, just coolant..

I would focus mainly on your valve cover gasket, oil pan gasket, or your rear seals... valve cover and oil pan gaskets are cake, i can give you the directions over the net...

but if its your rear seals it will mean pulling the engine... i have rebuilt these engines, but it would be way too complicated to explain this way.. check if you have a ton of oil on the underside of the car, and think of how much oil you lose in a week...

If your having to put a quart of oil in your engine every 6 days or so, i would look at the rear seals... espicially at the miles your engine is at...

I hope this helps you man.. good luck

 

im suprized no one said to check your cam sensor, they cause alot of blown head gasket diagnoisis'

 

to be honest scraper is right..... there is a guy that had a problem just recently witht the threads not sealing good, check this also... scraper has a great point.

 

Awesome thanks again! In a week and a half or so the oil hasnt dropped much at all. Im not sure what it could be but Im having someone else inspect it to see if I can get it a sticker. If its just a tiny leak and I keep up on it I dont see a major safety issue.

Ill look at it soon and see if I can hunt it down. Im sure Ill have more questions when I find it

 

thats a good thing if you have to get your car inspected. some people are more picky than others are when it comes to inspecting. You can always go somewhere else if you do not like the outcome.

 

Yep. My mechanics are awesome, the main reasons I like them is that they are honest and they care. They get that I want quality parts and work but dont have a ton of cash.

It can bite me in the **** tho at times like this. They didnt want to put a sticker on it cause if the oil caught fire (its dripping on the cat) they dont what their name on the sticker. Understandable but a pain right now

 

did you check to see if your valve cover gasket is bad which could be causing the leak?Or the oil pan gasket?