Why Is My Jeep Wrangler Leaking Oil?

Every car owner has, ‌at a time, faced an oil leak.  So, the question, ‘Why is my Jeep Wrangler leaking oil?’ is often a disturbing puzzle for many Jeep owners. Well, an oil leak is a common problem with all vehicles and your Jeep Wrangler is not an exception to this issue.

However, there are many contributing factors to why your Jeep Wrangler leaks oil. Cracked oil filters, loosed oil drain plug and many other factors that we will discuss here are all the reasons ‌your Jeep leaks oil. To learn more, just read on.  

It is one thing to know that your vehicle is leaking oil; it is another thing to know exactly where the leakage is coming from. How would you know? It’s okay, you will find out as you continue to read this article.

So, let’s get started!

What is an oil leak?

An oil leak is the seeping of oil from a vehicle because of degraded engine gaskets, bad oil filters and cracked oil pan seals. we will advise you to fix every oil leak as soon as possible, because leaving it for too long may cause more unforeseen trouble for you.

What are the signs of an Oil Leak in a Jeep Wrangler?

To ‌know if your jeep is leaking oil, ‌examine your vehicle to find out if there is truly an oil leak because sometimes some people think when their engine uses lots of oil, then there is an oil leak.

So, in this section, we will discuss critically the signs you should look out for in your Jeep for oil leaks.

Check if there is oil under your Jeep

Seeing oil spots under your Jeep is often one of the clearest signs of an oil leak. It is also possible that your power steering and transmission may have an oil leak, so examine each level properly.

Check the power steering fluid, if it appears foamy or sometimes low. If it does, you are dealing with a power steering leak. Although the colour of the transmission fluid is red then, a transmission fluid leak can occur when you check the ground and see red fluid.

Check for oil on the engine

If there is an oil leak on the engine, it simply means the oil got there from somewhere and you can’t afford to risk it.

Is there smoke under the hood?

Smoking can trigger fire, of course, you know that. So, if you notice an oil leak from the right spot onto the exhaust manifold, it might cause it to be smoky.

Why is My Jeep Wrangler leaking oil? Causes.

There are many factors that can cause oil to be leaking in a vehicle and it is always good to identify the cause of the leak early enough and fix it ‌to avoid further damage to your Jeep.

So, here we will look at the are the different causes why ‌your Wrangler may experience some oil  leak.

Bad or loosened oil filter

When an oil filter is no longer good or the mechanic didn’t tighten the oil filter well after the last oil change, then there may be an oil leak.

A Valve Cover Gasket

Another source of oil leakage is the valve cover gasket. Check all the areas of the valve cover to know the exact place where exactly the leakage is from. You do this so the leakage doesn’t cause more harm to the other parts of your Jeep.

Similarly, if oil is pouring from the valve cover directly on top of the exhaust, it may burn and emit an unpleasant odour even while driving.

Another good example is that if oil seeps from the valve cover and contacts the plugs, it will cause problems with your ignition.

Cracked oil pan seals

If the oil pan has a hole or has cracked then, there may be a leakage probably because the gaskets between the engine block and the oil pan have gone bad. Hence, it requires someone with quality experience to fix this.

Loosed oil drain plug

Oil could leak through the oil plug all the way while you are driving if the plug is loose or stripped.

Now that you know why your Jeep Wrangler is leaking oil, let’s further talk about how you can fix it. Situations like this are sometimes inevitable, but then, you must also take necessary precautions.

How Can I Fix an Oil Leak in my Jeep Wrangler?

To fix a leaking oil in your jeep Wrangler, you have to first identify the exact place where it leaks from to know what to fix.

Thus, we will look at how you can fix an oil leak here in this section.

Oil leak from the oil filter

If the oil leak is from the oil filter of your Jeep, the best solution is to replace the filter with a new one.

To achieve this, get a filter wrench and take off the old filter. Do not allow the gasket to cling to the engine. After this, install a new filter and make it tight. Also, remember to buy fresh oil as you will need it.

Oil leak from valve cover gasket

Once you discover ‌the leak is from the valve region, try to tighten it up using torque specs and see if that works.

 However, do not go under your Jeep without using a jack stand or ramps. It is risky.

A leak from the oil drain plug

Just like the oil filter, when your Jeep Wrangler leaks oil because of loosed or stripped oil drain plug, the best solution is simply to replace them with new ones.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you drive with a small oil leak?

Whether the leak is small or big, it is not safe to drive when you have an oil leak.Oil leaks are part of fire and safety hazards. So, the safest thing to do when you discover any leak is to park your vehicle and ‌fix it.

Are oil leaks expensive to repair?

Usually, fixing an oil leak is affordable and expensive, depending on what causes the leak. So, it would cost between $250 and $2000 to fix.

Final Thoughts

In brief, an oil leak in your Jeep Wrangler, whether small or big leak needs urgent attention and repair. Depending on what caused the leak, it could cost a little or a bit more to fix because sometimes you may need to get a brand new spare part to replace an old one.

The explanation above has provided simple answers to the question, ‘why is my Jeep Wrangler leaking oil?’ so, at least you now know what to do when your Jeep leaks oil.