oil leak

[bartenderbear]

I have a 1998 sebring convertable. It seems to need a quart of oil every week. Cant find the leak, but see oil around the oil cap all the time. Anyone have any info on this problem.

[MagicRat]

Welcome to AF.

How much mileage is on the car?
Unless there is a flood of oil around the oil cap, that is not where it is being lost.

However, your engine may be burning the oil because it is worn out or damaged. I suspect this may be the case because of your description of oil around the filler cap.
Worn or damaged engines often generate lots of 'blow-by' (partially burned combustion gases in the crankcase) as the piston rings do not seal properly. Such 'blow-by' can get pushed out of the engine past the cap and carry with it the oil mist that is found inside any running engine.

Try seeing if the exhaust pipe produces blue smoke upon start-up or when driving, as this is a sign of burning oil. Also, try removing the filler cap when the engine is running. Have someone rev the engine while you look for any smoke coming out the oil filler hole.

[bartenderbear]

Originally Posted by bartenderbear

I have a 1998 sebring convertable. It seems to need a quart of oil every week. Cant find the leak, but see oil around the oil cap all the time. Anyone have any info on this problem.

The car has 43,000 miles on the engine.

[autocatz]

I have a 2001 Sebring convertible also w/an oil leak. My mechanic replaced an oil "switch" for about $50 which fixed it for about 6 months. Unfortunately the switch was faulty and had to be replaced. It is again leaking oil after 6 months and my mechanic said he would replace it with a Chrylser brand switch.

[korsen]

check your valve covers. i've got an 00 convertible with 68k on it and i saw oil around the top of the engine and tugging on the covers i noticed one of them had a broken seal and the engine was vomiting oil there. replacing those costs a few bucks.