Check Engine Light

Hey, guys and gals. I have a little oil on my engine block. I'm not sure If someone spilled some or it leaked. 2009 V6. If there were a head gasket issue would the check engine light come on for sure? Thanks!

 

Only if the leak, internal or external caused a sensor or circuit that was monitored by the PCM to go out of parameters, example; coolant being burned in one or more cylinders may cause a misfire, thus illuminating the MIL.

 

Nope. Not for sure.

More likely not to than to.

Headgasket issues are much more likely to cause overheating than an oil leak.

 

Thanks to both of you for your great replies. Any idea what the first line of defense in looking for the leak is? In other words, where should I look first? Thanks

 

It does not overheat at all but it does seem to burn a little coolant or some coolant evaporates.

 

Start where the wet starts.

If it's scattered all around making it hard to tell, clean it all up and monitor daily.

Valve cover gaskets are prime suspects.

 

Thanks! Will do

 

By the way, is it normal to lose a little coolant over time? I had mine flushed last summer and there is a little less in the coolant reservoir now.

 

...if you actually have a CEL like the title suggests, just go to oreillys or advance, etc and get it scanned.

Maybe you don’t have one, idk. Kinda vague though

 

No cel. Just a suspicion based on loss of coolant and oil on the engine block

 

Oh, ok. Gotcha

 

If you are slowly losing coolant check area below water pump closely for red/pink crust (evidence of a slow leak). Also check all coolant hoses/connections, look at the radiator closely.

If you aren't seeing any external leaks and you have to add coolant on a regular basis then the headgaskets are a concern. The coolant has to be going somewhere

Use a block tester kit

 

Thanks! Great advice

 

It depends on what you mean by "a little less". So if the coolant was flushed say 9 months ago, and you live in a hot climate, I would expect the level to drop maybe 1/2". There are a lot of variables. If it is 2" down, it is going somewhere. The most telling indication is whether the loss is increasing. Most likely, the oil leak, and the coolant loss are unrelated. Look for the obvious sources of these problems first before conjuring up major engine problems.

 

Thanks, badger. After looking for leaks and looking at the reservoir again I don't think I'm losing very much at all. I cleaned the oil off the block and will monitor it to see if it gets any worse. The dipstick shows good oil level.

 

Your coolant level in the reservoir varies depending on the temperature of the truck, so it's normal to see it go up and down. If it keeps going down though when checked at a regular temp, then there could be an issue.

A blown or badly leaking head gasket will cause your coolant to look milky (like a chocolate milkshake).