We just purchased a 1998 Stratus, ES, 2.5L, for our 19 yr. old son. He came to lower TN to get it. It is an Alabama car with 129,000 miles on it. Looked great, sounded great, shifts great. Has the slap stick option. Drove it home to Michigan and about 100 miles into the trip he started losing oil...FAST. He had to stop and add a quart of oil every 30 miles. Poor guy, made a long trip out of it for the next 600 miles. As long as it has oil in it, runs great. No clatter at all. When we first picked it up it had low oil pressure light on, so my husband changed the oil pressure switch. That cured that problem. But we have quite a leak. Thought maybe the oil pressure switch wasn't snug enough, or maybe he cracked it or something. Looked good, but bought another just to make sure. Put it in, still leaks. With a good mirror, turns out that it is not leaking there.

The oil only leaks when car is running, and it drips down the engine side of the oil filter.

Took off the bracket that holds the oil pressure switch and the oil filter. The part looks good. Now the gasket there is a thin, I'm thinking plastic?, gasket. I really don't see any raised edges per se on it. It has a buckle in it in a couple places. We were thinking that those buckles go away when you screw it down between two flat surfaces, but also wondering if that gasket isn't the problem. What exactly should that gasket look like to us? And if we pick up a new one, sounded like dealer only item, then what exactly are the steps we need to absolutely be sure of before and when installing it? Any other ideas where the oil can be coming from? Doesn't seem like the valve cover gaskets are in bad shape or that it is leaking seriously there. Light, very light, sprayed coating of oil on top of valve cover, but I think it's just residual spray if that makes sense. Also, the top of that oil filter bracket was fairly dry, but bottom wasn't. It just seems like that's our issue of origin.

Thanks for any help! We want to get it on the road quickly. We have $600 in purchase tied up in it, and about $50 in parts. Of course, there's the $30 in oil we have in it for the drive up! LOL

 

Shot in dark here but what about the crankshaft seal?

 

We figured it out. The bracket, or adapter plate as some call it, that holds the oil filter and the oil pressure switch was cracked. Here's how we diagnosed it. Tried the gasket for that first. It was a $5 part. No go, still leaked. Realized that we heard/felt a slight "pop" when putting in the oil pressure switch, both times. Dawned on us it might be jumping a thread. Took the bracket out, put the oil pressure switch in and as it snugged up, you could see the crack develop! Ordered the part.....$90. Will be in Wednesday. Should take care of it.