Oil Leak - But Only When Weather is Cold

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cmccuist1

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I have a 2016 V6 (gas) and this started awhile ago. The truck will leak oil, but only when the weather drops below about 45 degrees. Once it warms up, the leak disappears! I thought the truck was self-healing, but we had some temp swings here in TX and the leak consistently started once the temp dropped. Anyone else have this problem?
 

turkeybird56

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How about a picture? How much oil leaking? Where is the oil leaking from? Are you tracking and seeing how much oil you are losing? Need some details for any possible real Internet Guessnosis.

But, here is a guess/thought. Oil leaking, but stops when warms up yells a "gasket" failure somewhere. Gasket has shrunk due to numerous heat up/cool down cycles, especially since you are in Texas. Pan, filter. Just a saying.
 

crash68

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Check the oil filter/housing assembly as they're know to spring leaks. The OEM is one is plastic , there's an aftermarket one that's aluminum if you determine that's where the leaking is coming from
 

turkeybird56

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Check the oil filter/housing assembly as they're know to spring leaks. The OEM is one is plastic , there's an aftermarket one that's aluminum if you determine that's where the leaking is coming from
Kinda help if he sends a few pics and says where oil coming from, LOL.
 

smittyd174

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My smart-ass answer is move somewhere warmer . Seriously stuff shrinks when cold and expands when hot . Cold be a hairline crack that opens slightly in the cold and when hot expands enough to seal it . Think of exhaust manifold noisy as hell when cold then quiets down as it heats up . Good luck.
 
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cmccuist1

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I have spent some time under the truck looking for the leak, but can't seem to find it. I hate to get under there with it running. I have a scissor lift. That may be my next move. I will pressure wash the under side and then check the oil filter housing assembly. The truck doesn't leak at all from say March through December, then it leaks a lot! Like a quart every 100 miles. I should be able to see it with that much leakage, but so far haven't found it.
 

fireflymedic

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I would either use a oil made to expand gaskets or an oil additive during winter if I could not find the leak.
 

Zoe Saldana

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I have a 2016 V6 (gas) and this started awhile ago. The truck will leak oil, but only when the weather drops below about 45 degrees. Once it warms up, the leak disappears! I thought the truck was self-healing, but we had some temp swings here in TX and the leak consistently started once the temp dropped. Anyone else have this problem?

Get under it and try to trace it from the bottom to the source.

You can try additives:

Lucas Stop Leak

 

06 Dodge

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I would look for an oil compatible UV dye so that it would show up under black light so you can trace the leak to sorce
 

clay282

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Nissan Frontiers are famous for this. The O ring where the oil cooler connects, does exactly what someone else mentioned. The heat cycles harden it and when winter comes it shrinks in the cold and you get drips. It was probably 20 minutes to replace. Once the gasket or o ring is to that point, no high mileage oil or additive promising to fix it... will help at all.

You can either pay a mechanic or crawl yourself under and around until you find it. If you already have oil stains, I'd suggest laying cardboard, like a Uhaul moving box for $2, under the truck. Then, before you start it, get directly under it and trace it up from there. Oil cooler, lines, and other connections are tension fittings. Tension fittings aren't bothered by temperatures. Your leak is from something pliable, like a gasket or o ring. Those seals are compression fittings. I'd guess, oil filter housing.
 

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A mirror attached to a stick can help you see hard to get to places . Could do a video using your phone to search also .
 

DGHamblin

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I have a 2016 V6 (gas) and this started awhile ago. The truck will leak oil, but only when the weather drops below about 45 degrees. Once it warms up, the leak disappears! I thought the truck was self-healing, but we had some temp swings here in TX and the leak consistently started once the temp dropped. Anyone else have this problem?
With the unusually cold weather this week, my 2018 (v6) started doing the same thing. I haven't been able to isolate exactly where it's leaking from. It appears to be in the backside of the engine. I'll check the oil cooler connection like clay282 suggested.
 

Daw14

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Check them filter housings.
 

SitKneelBend

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I have a 2016 V6 (gas) and this started awhile ago. The truck will leak oil, but only when the weather drops below about 45 degrees. Once it warms up, the leak disappears! I thought the truck was self-healing, but we had some temp swings here in TX and the leak consistently started once the temp dropped. Anyone else have this problem?
My 2014 did this. It wasn't the filter housing but I'll need to look at the paperwork to post it here. I had the exact symptoms (small puddles only when cold on the garage floor). I had it fixed under extended warranty earlier this year. If I remember right, the oil was leaking from, and/or near, the passenger side rear of the engine.
 

ADUBIS

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The oil filter housing is a well known issue. My 2016 sprung a leak recently and it only has 48k miles on it. I have the max care extended warranty so it only cost $130 to fix. When I told the service advisor that both the transmission pan and oil pan were covered in oil, the first thing out of his mouth was oil filter housing. I looked up the part number of the replacement housing and it is the same as the one they took out :(
 
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VCorleone

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I have spent some time under the truck looking for the leak, but can't seem to find it. I hate to get under there with it running. I have a scissor lift. That may be my next move. I will pressure wash the under side and then check the oil filter housing assembly. The truck doesn't leak at all from say March through December, then it leaks a lot! Like a quart every 100 miles. I should be able to see it with that much leakage, but so far haven't found it.
If the pool of oil under the truck is about dead center where the back of the engine is, and is made up of several spots about a foot wide, as opposed to one circular spot, 99.9% chance it is the oil filter housing. The volume would point in that direction as well. My truck did the same, then leaked all the time. My mechanic recommended the OEM part to replace the leaky part. FWIW...He said the aluminum units were not so reliable. If you are close to 100K miles, get the plugs replaced while the top of the engine opened up and save some labor $$.
 
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