You can easily locate and repair most oil leaks by visually finding the leak and replacing or repairing the necessary parts. Some fluid leaks, however, are difficult to locate or repair. The following procedure can help you locate and repair most leaks.

Do the following to locate a leak:

1. Identify the fluid. Determine if the fluid is engine oil, automatic transmission fluid, power steering fluid, or other fluids.
2. Determine where the leak is. When the vehicle reaches normal operating temperature, park the vehicle over a large sheet of paper. After a few minutes, you should be able to find the approximate place of the leak from the drippings on the paper.
3. Visually check around the suspected component. Check for leaks around all gasket mating surfaces. Use a mirror to find leaks that are hard to reach.
4. If you still cannot find the leak, clean the suspected area with a degreaser, steam, or spray solvent. Dry the area. Operate the vehicle for several miles at normal operating temperature, varying the speeds. After operating the vehicle, visually check the suspected component. If you still cannot locate the leak, use the powder method or the black light and dye method.

Perform the powder method as follows:

1. Clean the suspected area.
2. Apply an aerosol-type powder (such as foot powder) to the area.
3. Operate the vehicle normally.
4. Visually inspect the suspected component. You should be able to trace the leak path over the powder surface to the source of the leak.

A dye and light kit is available for finding leaks. Refer to the manufacturer's directions when using the kit.

1. Pour the specified amount of dye into the leaking component.
2. Operate the vehicle normally, as directed.
3. Direct the light toward the suspected area. The dyed fluid appears as a yellow path leading to the source of the leak.

Once the leak is identified and traced back to the source, determine the cause of the leak. Repair the leak properly. If you replace a gasket, but the sealing flange is bent, the new gasket will not repair the leak. You also must repair the bent flange. Before attempting to repair a leak, check for the following:

Check for the following conditions:

Check for the following conditions: