I was just under the liberty trying to figure out if I had a 42RLE or a 45RFE and noticed some oil. There is oil on the starter and then dripping down onto the oil pan right where the drain bolt is.

The weird thing is that I think I would have noticed this the last time I did an oil change. I also haven't noticed any oil on the ground. It was raining outside so I didn't have a chance to figure out where it was leaking from. It didn't look like the valve covers were leaking. Any ideas?

how many miles are on your Liberty?

If it's leaking from above the starter it can either be the intake or valve cover. If it's below the starter it might be the pan or the stuff from above. the only problem is that oil leaks are hard to pin point unless everything in the surrounding area is nice and clean so you can follow the oil to it's point of origin. Also, could it possibly be from a miss-pour at the oil filler neck from a previous oil change?

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02 Liberty Limited
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It's an '03 with 38,000 miles. I'm hoping it was a mis-pour, but I've done all my own oil changes (all the recent ones anyway) and have never spilled any oil. I just did an oil change at 36,000 and didn't notice any oil dripping down the pan.

Thanks for the tips on what to look for. If it ever stops raining, I'll see if I can get a better look at it. Then I'll clean it all up and see if it returns and if I can pinpoint where it's coming from.

Thanks!
Doc

Also, that oil filter leaves a big mess that's not always cleaned up...

You're right on. I did my own oil change for the first time last week and was devistated when I found a spot of oil under the car the next morning. Turns out the mess I made while taking off the oil filter was slowly dripping for 2 days before it completely stopped.

I do like however, how they have a bit of a channel built in so that the oil from the filter drains down to just in front of the oil pan. Makes it a bit less messy during the oil change. The excess oil does sometimes collect on top of the factory skid if you have them too. Sometimes just a quick wipe with a rag will clean that up. I had the stealership do an oil change with maintenance one time and I found a spot on the driveway. Took it in and it was just residual oil on the skid.

Yes, I like to wedge a gallon ziploc up there around the filter and unscrew a little and let it drain off, then go the rest of the way and let it fall right in...or just go crazy and be sure to clean up afterwards! It actually worked backwards for me once, I was so used to the drips I ignored them until I realized the oil was clean and they hadn't tightened the plug all the way back.

JP

I noticed oil on my starter when it was new also. It finally went away and I never took it in..

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