Many different parts make up your vehicle. One of the significant parts of your car is your engine. While many know about the engine and how it is needed, you may not know that there are many different parts of the engine that help it run; one part that you may not know about is your oil pan gasket.
The oil pan gasket is a part that is at the bottom area of your engine; it is covering the crankcase and is bolted to the engine. The oil pan gasket is a basin for motor oil that is used to flow through the engine. This oil is used to lubricate as well as cool moving parts. The oil pan gasket on your vehicle is used to seal the oil pan onto the engine block. It is also used to prevent your oil from leaking from your car as it moves from the pan itself to the engine and back continuously.
While the oil pan gasket is used to seal the space found between the oil pan and the engine block, it's used to prevent oil leaks and keep oil from areas that it shouldn't be. Every vehicle will need a particular oil pan gasket; the type of gasket that is required will be dependent upon the type of material that makes up your vehicle's oil pan.
You need to make sure you're keeping an eye on if your oil pan gasket leaks. You can be on the lookout for some symptoms to know if you may have a leak. Those symptoms are:
- Your Oil Level Is Low: When you notice your oil, the level is lower than usual; this is a sure sign that you have an oil leak. You may see your vehicle's oil light is on, which is the best indicator of low levels.
- Your Vehicle Is Overheating: The oil helps keep the engine cool; if those oil levels have decreased, your engine will have a difficult time staying cool, which in turn will lead to overheating.
- You Notice Oil Spots Under the Vehicle: A variety of things can cause an oil leak, but one of those things is an issue with your oil pan gasket.
- You See Black Smoke: This is the most common sign that you have a failed oil pan gasket. You will notice black smoke coming from under the hood. This smoke comes from the oil dripping on your exhaust manifold.
Your oil pan gasket is vital to your engine, which is essential to your vehicle. If you need oil pan gasket repair, we invite you to bring your vehicle to our auto repair shop today!