recently changed oil and went with full synthetic 5w-30...now have a very slow, small leak coming from rear seal area...read somewhere that synthetics are more apt to do this...any validity to this ? any suggested solution(s) other than replacing seal ? leak is not a problem for me, but my wife hates the oil spots in the driveway...
Steve4golf
small oil leak on 2011 pathfinder
I believe the synthetics are just better at cleaning deposits that may have plugged the leak before. You could try a "high mileage" version of the oil you're using or even going back to conventional. Sometimes an oil additive may help the seal swell a little to stop the leak. I would double check the location of the leak- maybe clean the area really well and then go back and check. At this age there are things like valve covers that could start leaking down the back of the motor too, though usually onto the exhaust, but can accumulate in the same area. Could be oil pan gasket leaking. Would hate for you to go through all of that trouble and it not be the actual leak. Finally had to change my valve covers on my 2006 (175k miles)back in the spring- both sides started leaking within months of each other.
I did replace both valve covers and three hoses on the intake too that were starting to split (you can find the set on Amazon). It wasn't bad but did take a little time. If you do the valve covers I would also suggest the spark plugs, unless you've changed them recently, just because you're right there.
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