Sorry Ted, I just don't buy that one. I'm nowhere near the location of that lower control arm when I pour in the oil......and there is absolutely no oil anywhere else leading up to it. You can eat off my engine.
I've done a thousand oil changes in my life and never had this problem before this car. :?

I'll keep searching and yes I will get someone else to pour in the oil next time while I'm underneath with the trouble light...watching...waiting.

haha make sure its some one you trust, your under there, they decide to pour the oil right down the side of the motor onto you! heheh found the leak yet?

It spills out of the oil filter as you're installing the new filled one???????

Cheers,

Good thought but bad me, I don't put oil in it. I know I should and have done that but I'm used to changing the Jeep filter that is upside down and cannot be filled regardless.
As long as you change the oil after the engine is fully warmed, I don't think it matters.

That is a problem. Fill up the oil filter with oil, before screwing it on. Trust me, that will prevent one major dry start after an oil change. You don't want that, now do you? Yeah, that'* what I thought.


-justin

2000silverbullet,

This thing is bugging me.

I just popped the hood and took a good look-see. The ONLY way I can see that oil is accumulating in a pocket on the arm (that you are not putting there ) is as follows:

A portion of the rear control arm sits directly under the ouside of the drive axle boot. When you raise the front of the car up to change the oil, the configuration of the boot is changed and allows a bit of oil that is captured in the boot (and is under pressure when the boot is distorted a little) to be forced out and down on the rear of the control arm. The oil travels along a very tiny curved depression on the top outside of the arm and flows to the lowest area of the arm and pools there. The only problem with this theory is that the "oil" should resemble transaxle oil, not motor oil. This is the only possible theory I can come up with. I do realize that the boot is distorted somewhat as you turn the steering wheel, and on road bumps, but just maybe as the wheels move down from the transaxle as the car is jacked up, the oil in the boot drains enough to the outside to cause your problem. Any chance your transaxle fluid resembles clean oil and not pink transaxle fluid? If this ain't it, we can write it off to UFO interference.

It'* never been a problem for me.
I've had the same car for 25 years and have been doing it that way since new.
Pulled the engine apart once about midway and it was still brand new after 75,000 mi.
The SUV is 17 years old and likewise, no problem with dry starts.
Like I said, as long as you change the oil after it'* warmed up.

Believe me, it bugs me more.
Yes it definitely is clean motor oil. I have it jacked up right now and inspected every part of the engine and frame. No trace of oil anywhere except inside that right front lower control arm.

The only way I'm going to find out is wait until next oil change .
I'll let you know when I find out.

I cannot get a vision from where you are describing, so this may be completely off, but.. Could the oil leak come from the oil filter? The extra pressure from not prefilling it, or if you didn't put oil on the seals [again on the oil filter] it could cause a brief leak, until the seals have oil in them, or until the filter is filled with oil again.


-justin

No oil cooler adapter. It'* all stock.

Duh.... of course I oil the filter seal before intalling it. That'* standard practice.

The oil filter is nowhere near where the oil accumulates.
Remember that it only leaks once, just after an oil change, and only two table spoons, and only in the front cavity of the front right lower control arm. No visible oil drips or runs anywhere else.
It'* still a mystery.

The only oil cooler it came with is a transmission oil cooler that is built into the radiator, like most automatic'*.