Hi all. I took the car in to have the oil and filter changed yesterday. It was brought to my attention that there's probably a leak. Oil was all over the engine all the way down to the transmission. I thought I noticed some burnt oil odor while driving but it was so light and intermittent I thought it was someone else.
I noticed, when I bought the car, that the oil level on the stick was way over the full mark. I also noticed oil around the filter area. The car has not "used" any oil since I have had it. Three months now. It has also not dripped any. Should I wait and watch or have it looked at?

 

Valve cover and breather cover oil leaks are common and easily fixed. As to the oil around the filter, that is a sign someone did not put the new o-ring on properly when changing the filter.

 

Thanks. I'm contemplating having the engine cleaned in order to check for leaks. But I want it done correctly so that I don't have other problems.

 

I drove the car today and I noticed something. I didn't smell any oil. Nothing at all. So, is it possible oil was leaking from the filter? If so, how would it get all over the engine like that? Now, the detail shop that also screwed up the headlight lenses also sprayed out the engine bay. I have no idea if they used a pressure washer or a hose.

 

If anyone knows a place in or near the Greenville, SC area that cleans car engines and does a great job please let me know. I see all these references to doing it yourself but I'm not comfortable with doing that. One mistake and you're out a bunch of money.

 

Update. I found the source of the leak. There are two smaller covers on each valve cover, the passenger side being the smallest. It appears this is where the leak is. I see a small puddle of oil sitting down just below it. The one on the drivers side doesn't appear to be leaking although I can't be 100% certain. Does anyone know what these cover and why they are there? I wonder why the gaskets would go bad like that with only 53,000 miles on the car. It doesn't look like a terrible job to replace the gaskets myself.

 

Those are the breather covers and they leak on most Crossfires due to the lousy sealant used at the factory. My Graphite never leaked but it was a daily driver - that seems to help.

There are no gaskets, they are sealed with "Ultra Black RTV", well, when WE seal them, they are. I did mine at around 32,000 miles and have 56,000 after five years, no oil leaking and my engine has stayed clean.

When you do the work, it is best to yank the entire valve/breather assemblies off and completely clean them after separating them. You then seal the breathers to the valve covers with RTV.
When putting them back on, use new valve cover gaskets and a new set of bolts. Needswings sells a kit for this very job.

Plan to do the fix the first time by just resealing the breathers to the valve covers. Then, six months later, do it again but do it MY way and fix it for good.

You can read the entire saga of how others have had to fix theirs more than once, like I did, and learn from it here at the link below - I think my story starts around post 232 or 250. I'd never tried a job like this before and actually enjoyed the process. It took me HOURS over two weekends, mostly to give parts time to dry between steps.

https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...over-leak.html

 

Wow! Thanks so much! I can take care of that. I've done things like this many times over the years but with the older cars. And you are correct in what you say about doing the right way the first time. That way you don't have to go back and do it over.

 

I was wondering if anyone has any ideas. I discovered all of this yesterday because my air cleaner filters finally arrived and I figured I would install them. Removing the air cleaner was all it took to see what was leaking. I have some back issues and this morning I feel like how a rusty door hinge sounds. I don't think I'm going to be able to do this job myself because of all the leaning over I'll have to do.
I wondered if the Chrysler dealership here in Greer could handle this without leaving me with a mess. In their own words, "The problem is the lack of availability in parts with these cars and a technician familiar with the Crossfire. But we would be happy to look at and see if we can help you." Well, of course I would be happy to have you work on my car! NOT!! And on my expedition to Lowe's I ran into another Crossfire owner who told me the dealership in Spartanburg left him with a mess when they did his. The technician broke two of the bolts and just left it that way. He found out when the covers started leaking again. He said his brother-in-law repaired it.
So, how can I find someone who is either familiar with these cars or has the willingness to listen to what needs to be done and will do it the right way?

 

Most Independent Import shops that work on Mercedes as that is what they are. They work on those engines all of the time. Chrysler dealers were not that great when the cars first came out.

 

Oh, right! I keep forgetting that it's basically a Mercedes. Thanks!

 

Well, I have decided to do this myself. I ordered the kit from NeedsWings. When you talk to people in the car service industry and they him haw around, or they simply put you off and don't get back to you, it doesn't leave one feeling tingly all over. So, I would rather just do it myself and make sure it gets done right. I really appreciate all the tips and things from you all. 👍

 

You might contact Jeff K, he's a real busy business owner, but he lives in Greer and has nine Crossfires. In fact, I borrowed one over the weekend for the "Spring Dragon Non-Event" just two days ago!

Jeff might be able to provide, at least, moral support! He's fixed up several 'rescue' Crossfires. He's on Facebook and I think he's on here from time to time.

 

Here's a video that may help If you are replacing your valve cover gaskets it will be easier to change spark plugs now with everything off

 

Thank you!

 

Benson CDJR in Greer originally sold the Crossfire and have a couple of technicians with experience working on these cars. You have that option, if you need it. I've had work done by them and the results were satisfactory.

Another, and possibly a better option, is to go to Southern Star Automotive located on Roper Mountain Rd not far from Hwy 14. They are an aftermarket German-focused Service facility with a very good reputation. I've also had them do work for me and have had discussions with the owner who owned an SRT-6 at one time. As long as your issue is one that is related to the R170 chassis, they will work on the Crossfire.

And as pizzaguy has suggested, the thread on the repair of the breather covers is a good one. My DIY experience is included, but I used a different RTV product than most others. And my car has shown no signs of leakage since repairs were completed. I also used corrosion-resistant screws rather than the softer aluminum ones during re-assembly. And the screws I used can be re-used if required. More importantly, they can be re-torqued w/o fear of shearing off. I also recommend re-torqueing the screws for the breather covers & valve covers every couple of years depending on driving habits. I have found that the valve cover screws loosen up over time when I check. And like I stated before, my car shows no signs of oil leakage. And I for one (like others) believe strongly that an important factor is technique / procedure during the repair. .

If you need any support on your Crossfire, I'm over in Simpsonville area.

Later,

 

Thanks! I've been talking to the service department at Benson in Greer. I was told they have no one who has experience with the Crossfire. Perhaps they did at one time? I don't know. If they do, in fact, have someone familiar with the car right now then I know I don't want to go there. The service manager, above all people, should know what he has in the shop. I truly agree that "technique / procedure" is the A1 factor in doing this and that's why I'm just going to do it myself. I'm not saying that I'm Mr. Mechanic at all. I'm just saying that I have experience working on cars and if I do it I can make sure it's done the way that it should be. If I have issues down the road I have no one to blame but myself.

 

I don't understand why you are talking about or talking to a dealership, this last model year of this car was 2008. Most dealerships will not have a tech that was around when the Crossfire was produced and therefore not have the correct training or familiarity with the car. If the car was still under warranty the dealerships did not do the repair they ordered new valve covers and gaskets. More than likely the parts are no longer available from Chrysler or are super expensive. You have been pointed to the correct thread that is extremely detailed, either try doing it yourself or find a repair shop that works on German cars and they will be very familiar with this problem.

 

A little harsh aren't you? This is the first Crossfire I've owned and I am not all that familiar with them. I reached out to the dealership for help. I know now that they most likely will be of no help. This forum will be the help that I need. And I just said that I'm doing it myself.

 

Thanks for letting me know about Benson. Last time I talked with Service Techs trained on the Crossfire was when one of them replaced my driver's side airbag during the Takata recall service. So it's been awhile.

Good luck with your repair.