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Oil everywhere

I knew I shouldn't have cracked a joke about Wills oil slick......

 

Well, I was out to dinner with some friends. Time to leave. I jump in the car and start it up. Starts instantly. Runs for a minute or two and the oil light comes on and I hear something squirting in the engine compartment. Turn engine off and lift clam shell. There is oil all over the right side of the firewall, the front of the engine, and around oil filter area, and a big puddle under the car. Well damn!

 

It's in the 40's, I'm out in an area with no cell service, and about 12 miles from home. I use the restaurants phone to call the only two (yes two) local tow services. One of them can't come because both of their drivers are out dear hunting and the other doesn't answer. Country living at it's best. I talk to the owner of the restaurant and he'll let me park my car on the side of the building until I can pick it up. I also tell him I'll clean the oil slick in his gravel parking lot. It happens to be right in front of the front door. I get a ride home. Luckily I had the tonneau cover with me. I'll get home throw a tarp in the truck, and come back to cover the car for the night.

 

I get home and make one last call to the guy that didn't answer. He answers, oh happy day. He was busy at an accident but agrees to meet me out there tonight. I load up some 2x10's, a shovel, and a bucket in the 4 runner and head out. On the way, I pick up a bucket full of crush and run. I get back to the restaurant and I help the owner cover the oil with some sand that he had and the crush and run that I had. The funny thing is, the spot I parked had a pile of sand on it already from a previous diesel leak from another car. It was a cursed parking spot.

 

The tow truck arrives and we use the 2x10s to get the car up the ramp without scraping anything. We get the car back home in the garage. The only thing I had time to do tonight, was jack the rear of the car up and put it on stands. I guess I'm going to put some more oil in it, disable the ignition, and turn it over to see exactly where it shoots out of. Does this seem like a good way to find the leak? It might be messy, but It's the only way I can think of doing it. I will give it a thorough look see before I do anything first. The way it looks from just my brief examination, is it squirted out the filter. I'll know more when I get a chance.

 

The good thing is, that it only costs me $60 to get it towed, so I gave the guy a $20 dollar bill, as a tip, that I had found on the restaurant floor when I was on the phone calling him the first time. It's a strange world out there.

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