2009 Caddy DTS oil leak

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Hi Guys, I have a 2009 Cadillac DTS that I bought used from my grandfather for my 16 year old to drive periodically. It has about 50K miles on it and has been a reliable and easy to maintain car (so far). It either has had or has recently developed a small oil leak (may be the dreaded Northstar leak where the engine has to be pulled to fix). A $2-3K repair is not in the budget, so I have used a can of LubroMolly Oil Saver along with the recommended Mobil 1 5W-30 and it seems to have attenuated it somewhat.

The best I can tell, it only leaks after the oil has been brought up to full operating temperature and then parked, where I see a small amount of oil on the ground after it has been parked. It does not continue to leak after the oil has cooled, and is not/has not leaked enough to where I am having to add oil. The fill level looks consistent after many checks, so it appears to be a small issue at this point.

Here's my question. Would it be worth it to try Mobil 1 0W-40 or a similar 40 wt syn on the next oil change (with or without the addition of the LM Oil Saver) in order to see if the condition improves, or should I stay with the recommended 5W-30 and LM Oil Saver and continue to monitor closely. The car has a 7 qt sump by the way. Thank you.

And.... before someone bemoans my choice of this car for a new driver. I bought it primarily because it is a safe car and because of a very generous sale price that was about half of what it would be worth on trade in (and also because my son is very tall and needed something with some extra leg room). I know they can be very expensive to repair if something goes wrong and I took that gamble knowing that I spent what I would have spent for a high mileage Accord, Charger, or Fusion.
 
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How much oil is it leaking? It might be a lower engine leak but it could be a lot of other things.
Get a UV dye kit and identify the source of the leak. Some OE sealers used instead of gaskets can be damaged with seal swell type stop leak product, don't use any in this engine regardless of brand or reputation.

Most of these products are made for gaskets and formed rubber not RTV, polyurethane and anaerobic sealers, you can do more damage than good.
There are a few fibrous types that attempt to create a "plug" like cooling system sealers, these are the last resort to keep a beater out of the junkyard.
 
All good advice, thank you. I will continue to monitor and switch to M1 HM 5w-30 at the next oil change in January and see what happens.
 
Originally Posted By: Ramblejam
switch to Mobil 1 High Mileage 5w-30

Originally Posted By: Ddub
All good advice, thank you. I will continue to monitor and switch to M1 HM 5w-30 at the next oil change in January and see what happens.


Mobil 1 HM 5w-30 is an SL oil.

I would use MaxLife Full Syn 5w-30 SN
 
If the leak goes straight downward without slathering all the rubber bushings, rubber hoses, and exhaust manifold, don't worry about it.
 
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
If the leak goes straight downward without slathering all the rubber bushings, rubber hoses, and exhaust manifold, don't worry about it.


This is a really nice, expensive, late model car. Not the $1000 junkers you are used to driving. Fixing the leak is a worthwhile endeavor.
 
Originally Posted By: Ramblejam
Stop using additives, and switch to Mobil 1 High Mileage 5w-30.






Mobil 1 High Mileage is an SL oil. Your Cadillac will require SN/SM. Try the Valvoline MaxLife Full Synthetic 5W-30 if you'd like to stay with a full synthetic. If you don't care about full synthetic, try the MaxLife synthetic blend.
 
Originally Posted By: Branson304
Originally Posted By: Ramblejam
Stop using additives, and switch to Mobil 1 High Mileage 5w-30.






Mobil 1 High Mileage is an SL oil. Your Cadillac will require SN/SM. Try the Valvoline MaxLife Full Synthetic 5W-30 if you'd like to stay with a full synthetic. If you don't care about full synthetic, try the MaxLife synthetic blend.


Good catch. Without looking at the manual (which I do not have with me right now because I am on the road) I do not remember the exact oil spec originally required by this car, but it definitely requires a full syn. Accounting for modern specs, I think it would be equivalent to a dexos cert. It definitely came with M1 5w-30 as the FF and that's what is recommended on the oil cap. The full syn max life may be a good option.

I'm not opposed to fixing it correctly, but it really is a minor issue at the moment and it is a multi thousand dollar repair to do correctly because the engine has to be pulled, so I am just monitoring very closely for now and seeing if a different type of oil may provide some benefit first.
 
Originally Posted By: Ddub
Originally Posted By: Branson304
Originally Posted By: Ramblejam
Stop using additives, and switch to Mobil 1 High Mileage 5w-30.






Mobil 1 High Mileage is an SL oil. Your Cadillac will require SN/SM. Try the Valvoline MaxLife Full Synthetic 5W-30 if you'd like to stay with a full synthetic. If you don't care about full synthetic, try the MaxLife synthetic blend.


Good catch. Without looking at the manual (which I do not have with me right now because I am on the road) I do not remember the exact oil spec originally required by this car, but it definitely requires a full syn. Accounting for modern specs, I think it would be equivalent to a dexos cert. It definitely came with M1 5w-30 as the FF and that's what is recommended on the oil cap. The full syn max life may be a good option.

I'm not opposed to fixing it correctly, but it really is a minor issue at the moment and it is a multi thousand dollar repair to do correctly because the engine has to be pulled, so I am just monitoring very closely for now and seeing if a different type of oil may provide some benefit first.


I wouldn't fix it correctly either, I can understand. A high mileage oil should definitely help your situation though.
 
try high mileage oil i use pennzoil high mileage and it works very well..
They are very nice cars and will run a long time with proper care.
 
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